Valmet launches new advanced process control for maximizing pulping yield

Valmet Oyj trade press release, March 28, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. EET

Valmet introduces Valmet High Yield Pulping Optimizer, the world’s first advanced process control for optimizing high yield pulping. Designed for chemical brown pulp producers, the optimizer is a unique combination of automated controls for cooking and refining that helps mills achieve high pulping output while cutting costs and stabilizing quality.

Answering today’s challenges and tomorrow's expectations

“The Valmet High Yield Pulping Optimizer is an important new tool for mills that addresses their immediate challenges stabilizing processes across departments. Even more importantly, it’s the key to unlocking actual maximum production capacity, a vital part of maintaining profitability in a tough market. Based on our pilot testing, customers can expect a 0.5-1.0% increase in pulp yield, leading to millions in potential wood cost savings,” says Matti Selkälä, Business Manager, Automation Systems business line, Valmet.

Without coordinated, automated control of cooking and refining, mill operators need to be conservative, using department targets that are suboptimal. This avoids major disturbances but can generate waste, like excessive wood consumption due to low digester yield. Mills also miss out on maximizing equipment potential because the cooking yield is not optimized to match the actual refining capacity.

As pulp mills face continually increasing costs of wood, energy and other raw materials, smarter automation is needed. Valmet High Yield Pulping Optimizer pushes existing equipment to the limits, getting the most out of every unit of input.

Cooking and refining for maximum benefit

Valmet High Yield Pulping Optimizer opens new opportunities for pulp mills to operate cooking at maximum cooking yield while maintaining pulp shives at target in the refining process.

With specific energy and reject ratio targets, the optimizer keeps shive content at the maximum refiner limit, orchestrating cooking with residual alkali and Kappa targets. Through continuous optimization against equipment limitations, mill operators can achieve higher production capacity with less wood and energy per ton and improved sustainability.

VALMET
Corporate Communications

For further information, please contact:
Matti Selkälä, Business Manager, Pulp and Energy Analyzers, Automation Systems business line, Valmet, tel. +358 50 590 3690

Valmet has a global customer base across various process industries. We are a leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation, and services for the pulp, paper, and energy industries. With our automation and flow control solutions, we serve an even broader base of process industries. Our more than 19,000 professionals worldwide work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers’ performance forward – every day.

The company has over 225 years of industrial history and a strong track record in continuous improvement, sustainability, and renewal. Valmet’s net sales in 2024 were approximately EUR 5.4 billion.

Valmet’s shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki, and the head office is in Espoo, Finland.

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