South America has seen big investments in pulp plants over the last 15 years, and many are highly efficient state-of-the-art operations. However, with much of the pulp being sold overseas, local paper and board mills have often missed out on a similar level of investment. Our expertise in applying chemistry to the pulp and paper industry – which accounts for around 55% of our business – combined with our technologies for smart process management and strong local presence make us well placed to help any South American customer, whatever their level of technological development.
Our TCM concept is a partnership program tailored to take care of all a customer’s chemistry requirements.
Partnership that benefits everyone
There’s always room to improve the performance and profitability of both pulp mills and paper machines – this is the most interesting part of my job. Because no two customers or processes are quite the same, nothing is ever routine. The challenge is always to identify what approach will work best for each customer’s unique challenges. Kemira has extensive expertise in the full range of papermaking chemistry – from pulping to coating, finishing and printing. We also have a tremendous knowledge base and portfolio for water treatment and reclaim. We combine our expertise with innovation to help our customers continuously optimize their processes, while reducing costs.
Our TCM concept is a partnership program tailored to take care of all a customer’s chemistry requirements. At the moment it is common for a pulp or paper mill to have several chemical suppliers, one for each area of the process. This makes it difficult to optimize the process as a whole. With TCM we provide all the necessary facets to optimally manage the process including chemicals, industry and application expertise as well as state-of-the art, real-time smart process management technologies.
A strong track record and a solid grip on the future
Customers in South America are already starting to see the benefits of this holistic approach. For example, Kemira supplies UPM’s Fray Bentos pulp mill with several pulp chemicals from an onsite chemical production facility as part of a partnership that reduces the customer’s total chemical spend and improves performance. In addition, Kemira has had a partnership with the Klabin Group for more than 20 years, supplying the necessary technologies for their pulp, paper and board machines.
These days the scope often includes technologies for smart process management and devices linked with online tools like Kemira KemConnect™ that provide full 24/7 visibility over all chemistry applications. Because KemConnect continuously gathers data, customers get the real-time insight needed for better decision-making, faster troubleshooting, smarter chemical management, and improved cost efficiency. KemConnect can help identify opportunities for future improvements as well.
