Customers now can streamline anilox and gravure roll care by bundling cleaning and analysis technology

Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC)—a division of Barry-Wehmiller and a leading supplier of high-performance converting machinery for the tissue, nonwovens and package-printing industries worldwide—is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with MicroDynamics. The two industry-leading companies are teaming up to provide customers with the option to include MicroDynamics’ 3DQC RollScope as part of a bundled package with PCMC’s Meridian laser anilox cleaner.

The Meridian uses a powerful laser to clean anilox cells without damaging them, resulting in a superior clean, improved print quality, reduced waste and a longer life for anilox rolls.

The 3DQC also reduces waste and downtime, making this bundled package an attractive option for customers. By quickly scanning the surface of anilox and gravure rolls, the 3DQC provides the measurement of cell volume that achieves repeatable results better than plus or minus 1 percent. Featuring microscope control, data collection and a visualization database, the 3DQC’s MicroScan software monitors the volume as the roll wears and reviews the measurement history, enabling customers to precisely track every roll.

“I’m very excited that we’re able to team up with the industry leader of analysis technology,” said Rodney Pennings, Printing, Coating and Laminating Sales Director for PCMC. “We’re thrilled to offer our customers this state-of-the-art tool that will help instill quality control in their tooling inventory, as well as enhance their repeatability. We are looking forward to this collaboration and creating additional value for customers.”

“This opportunity to partner with PCMC is ideal for MicroDynamics, as we promote quality across the printing industry,” said Brent Zurcher, Product Engineer at MicroDynamics. “Being able to pair our technologies means offering streamlined and cost-effective process control for customers.”

ABOUT PAPER CONVERTING MACHINE COMPANY (PCMC)

Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC) specializes in the design and manufacture of high-performance converting machinery for the tissue, nonwovens and package-printing industries worldwide. Our comprehensive product offerings include rewinding, laminating, printing, embossing, perforating and packaging equipment for tissue and towels; folding and converting machines; and a complete range of flexographic printing presses and laser anilox cleaners, serving the flexible-packaging, prime-label and carton-converting industries. For more about PCMC, which is part of Barry-Wehmiller, go to pcmc.com

Valmet is improving work safety and ensuring high-quality roll cover production also in the future by investing in the state-of-the-art equipment for polyurethane and composite covering in Jyväskylä, Finland. The investment was completed at the end of 2017.

"We put a lot of emphasis on the safety of our production equipment as well as the work environment to enhance accident-free workplace and well-being at work. In addition, the new equipment contributes to our ability to keep the quality level of our roll covers high also in the future and enables us to bring new roll covers to the market," says Pekka Kruus, Valmet's General Operations Manager for Rolls in Finland.

Final inspection of a polyurethane roll cover in Jyväskylä.

With the investment, the service center in Jyväskylä is also preparing for stricter environmental regulations. "We have already been working with this in mind, but the new equipment increases the sustainability of our operations, in terms of reduced waste and better energy efficiency and creates cost savings. Furthermore, the production process becomes more flexible, giving us the possibility to shorten lead times. All in all, this investment further strengthens Valmet's service capabilities close to customers in Finland and near-by countries," says Marko Lassila, Valmet's Director of Service Operations in Finland.

In addition to Finland, Valmet has three other European roll service centers, providing high quality roll maintenance and roll covers. These centers are located in Sweden, France and the UK.

24/7 support through Valmet Performance Center

Valmet has also established a Performance Center in Jyväskylä. It provides support around the clock in roll-related questions. The Center provides on-demand expert support, remote analytics, monitoring and optimization, as well as data discovery and analytics. Valmet Performance Centers are an integral part of Valmet Industrial Internet services, providing easy access to the expertise customers need.

Valmet is implementing its new services approach - Shared Journey Forward - by prioritizing safety, providing services close to customers, and earning customers' trust by working together at sites and remotely.

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers.

Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy. 

Valmet's net sales in 2016 were approximately EUR 2.9 billion. Our 12,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki. 

The Infinity ToughLine press fabric maintains its consistently high void volume even when exposed to high line load and substantial degree of wear. A constant water flow guarantees consistent performance over the entire life of the fabric.

• For use in particularly challenging environments
• Simple and fast seam closure
• Successfully tested at Chinese paper mill

ToughLine – as the name suggests, is the new range of press fabrics from the Voith Infinity family specifically designed for use in extreme environments. These conditions occur, for example, when manufacturing pulp, board and packaging papers, where the fabrics are continually exposed to heat or abrasive materials. Nevertheless, they have to reliably drain the paper webs and perform consistently in the process. Paper quality deteriorates as soon as fabric structures become compacted during operation.

Voith offers Infinity ToughLine with and without seam. The modular structure of the fabric means that it can be tailored precisely to customer requirements.

Voith uses the latest weaving technologies which produce a genuinely laminated structure to avoid this compaction in its Infinity ToughLine press fabrics. This enables the fabric to remain very stable in both MD and CD over its entire life and to constantly retain its high void volume. Good compressibility and excellent resiliency also give the press fabrics a high dewatering capacity. The stable high void volume of the fabric and its drainage capacity ensure minimal dirt deposits, creating the basis for a consistently high paper quality. Voith offers Infinity ToughLine with and without a seam. The modular structure of the fabric allows it to be tailored precisely to customer requirements.

Successfully tested
A Chinese paper manufacturer was one of the first of Voith's customers to test Infinity ToughLine with a seam. The company’s conclusion is that the time for changing the fabric is cut in half. Previously, the paper producer had used conventional endless fabrics. However, these are very time-consuming to change and also present safety risks. If a seamed fabric is used instead of an endless fabric, there is no need to open the whole machine. The new fabric can be easily joined with the old fabric and pulled into the machine where it can be closed. All Infinity ToughLine seam loops are of identical loop length, shape and spacing, joining the seam is quick and easy.

A Chinese paper manufacturer was one of the first of Voith's customers to test Infinity ToughLine with seam. As a consecence the time for changing the fabric was cut by 50 percent.

Even though the use of seamed fabrics offers great savings in time and costs, many paper manufacturers continue to rely on endless fabrics. They are concerned that the seam will leave marks on the paper and therefore cause additional waste. Meanwhile, market experience with Infinity ToughLine shows that the new press fabric does not leave any marks on the paper web over their entire life and ensures a consistently high paper quality. Convinced of the results, the Chinese paper producer has converted its machine entirely to fabrics with seam in the meantime.

Infinity ToughLine is available with PeakElement the elastomer component available for all Voith press felt designs. Infinity is part of the PressMax range of Voith AdvancedPRODUCTS. Alongside individual products, PressMax offers papermakers the opportunity to enhance the performance of their paper machine through the ideal combination of perfectly matched products.

About Voith Paper
Voith Paper is a Group Division of Voith and the leading partner and pioneer in the paper industry. Through constant innovations, Voith Paper is optimizing the paper manufacturing process, focusing on developing resource-conserving products to reduce the use of energy, water and fibers. Furthermore, Voith Paper offers a broad service portfolio for all sections of the paper manufacturing process.

About Voith
Voith is a global technology group. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, Voith today has more than 19,000 employees, sales of €4.2 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the largest family-owned companies in Europe.

UPM and Åbo Akademi University expand their cooperation by signing a frame agreement covering several fields of research. UPM and Åbo Akademi University have previously already cooperated in biomedicals research which is one of Åbo Akademi University's spearhead fields and a focus area of UPM's Biochemicals unit. The frame agreement strengthens cooperation in biomedicals and also in paper, pulp and energy research.

UPM leads the integration of bio and forest industries and builds a sustainable and innovation-driven future for example through collaboration with partners. The purpose is to promote business development and speed up innovations also in new areas, such as biomedicals.

"We are actively looking for strategic partners on a global scale. The frame agreement with Åbo Akademi University strengthens UPM's network of strategic partnerships in areas that are essential for our future businesses", states Pekka Hurskainen, Vice President of Technology Strategy Development at UPM.

UPM and Åbo Akademi University have already been doing successful cooperation with GrowDex® cellulose nanofibril hydrogel. It is UPM's first commercial product developed for biomedical purposes. It is especially well suitable for 3D cell culture applications, such as pharmaceutical research and development. GrowDex is highly biocompatible with human cells and tissues.

"We are pleased with the frame agreement with UPM. This agreement continues our long term collaboration with UPM. Over the years, we have been actively collaborating in the fields of material and process research in chemical engineering and biomedicals, and we are now able to reinforce this collaboration", says Niklas Sandler, Vice-Rector, Research Affairs at Åbo Akademi University. 

For further information please contact:

Vice President, Strategy Development, Technology, UPM, Pekka Hurskainen, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., tel. +358 400 645 969

Vice-Rector, Research Affairs, Åbo Akademi University, Niklas Sandler, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., tel. +358 2 215 4837

Åbo Akademi University

Åbo Akademi University is an international research university with broad responsibility of research based education in Swedish in Finland. The research and education of Åbo Akademi University covers most disciplines from humanities to theology, social sciences, business and economics, education and welfare studies as well as science and engineering. Åbo Akademi University has around 5,500 students and 1,200 employees. www.abo.fi

UPM

UPM leads the forest-based bioindustry into a sustainable, innovation-driven and exciting future across six business areas: UPM Biorefining, UPM Energy, UPM Raflatac, UPM Specialty Papers, UPM Paper ENA and UPM Plywood. UPM provides sustainable and safe solutions to the growing global consumption. Products are made of renewable and recyclable materials. The group employs around 19,300 people worldwide and its annual sales are approximately EUR 10 billion. UPM shares are listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. UPM - The Biofore Company - www.upm.com

Introduction - Cyber security is not a new topic, but it is increasingly a central factor in modern risk management in the industrial sector. Nevertheless, it is not just about management of risk but also a matter of personal responsibility. Production related threats, such as production losses, impaired quality or delivery delays, are no longer the only risks. Management and privacy of data is equally important in any responsible and modern production environment. This has to be supported by well-organized management standards and frameworks that can deal with the ever evolving threat of cyber threats.

This paper discusses how modern industry is threatened by cyber threats and outlines new EU directives and guiding standards that will incentivise and help businesses adapt.

The current state of cyber threats in the industrial sector

When considering cyber security in the industrial sector, the challenges are traditionally associated with personal IT, office automation, business management and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning). The largest share of incidents is unintentional, caused by an individual’s lack of knowledge. This obvious flaw can be amended by increasing your workforce’s cyber awareness with a sufficient training program, which covers the basics of email phishing, malicious attachments and e-fraud.

The benefits of increased digitalization or automation in the industrial sector are well known. What is less well known is how Industrial Control Systems (ICS) can be become a target for cyber attacks. Recent cyber-attacks are using malwares to disrupt or take control of critical infrastructure like electrical substations. It is also not just infrastructure; there are also reports that hackers are also attacking safety systems (1). The growing number of these incidents underlines the fact that ICS are increasingly being targeted for cyber-attacks

The industrial sector, especially process plants (food, chemicals, forest products etc.) are vulnerable to cyber-attacks from known and unknown sources. Successful cyber-attacks can lead to loss of production, unplanned downtime (production quality waste), disturbances to cash-to-order processes and the supply chain. The impact is not just limited to production processes. Building technology, such as climate control systems, remotely controlled access control systems and surveillance networks can be surprisingly vulnerable. Damage to these technology can also damage production indirectly or even have a catastrophic impact on the local environment or community. For example, an attack on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in a hospital or laboratory could directly impact people’s health. Understanding how digitalization can impact peoples’ well-being needs to be understood, managed and protected accordingly. The journey starts by assessing critical parts of infrastructure and building technology.

When assessing industrial processes it is vital to:

• Be aware of, and understand, potential cyber incidents
• Assess and identify “my risks and how they are handled”
• Understand the time and effort required to recover back to production following a cyber attack
• Build and increase your resilience

Too often, there are no clear plans. Back-ups are not tested and even smaller disturbances can easily cause chaotic recovery situations. This highlights why cyber threats have to be a standard element of your general risk management strategy in the industrial sector.

About upcoming changes in cyber security directives – “what’s in it for me?”

In 1995, the European Union introduced the “Data Protection Directive” (Directive 95/46/EC) to regulate the processing of personal data to meet privacy and human rights laws. However from May 25th 2018, new directives will come into force. The “General Data Protection Regulation” (GDPR) will supersede previous directives. The aim of GDPR is to protect EU citizens from privacy and data breaches, including heavy penalties for violations. Within this new directive there are measures that look to protect industrial operations (2). These include:

• The authorities must be notified within 72hrs of first becoming aware of a cyber-security breach. This applies not only to the production unit, but also its customers, suppliers and other stakeholders.
• Anyone, whose data is managed by a data controller (e.g. registered customer data), can, at any time, free of charge, get a confirmation related to the data use.
• Data controllers have to erase personal data once it has lost its original purpose, is no longer relevant or a data subject withdraws consent.
• Data protection must be included at the start of designing systems, rather than an addition. It must be of the highest standard and protect the privacy of any data subject
• Establishment and appointment of a Data Protection Officer (DPO)

What is apparent with these new measures is the level of increased transparency for data processing, attempted cyber-attacks or breaches. There is going to be no hiding place if errors occur which can be detrimental to a company’s reputation. Therefore just having a traditional IT manager role will no longer suffice. These new challenges mean it is necessary to appoint a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).

Trustworthiness

Increased digitalization in production means there is greater interaction between different systems which are controlled or monitored through computer-based algorithms. Wireless sensor networks, measuring something in a given environment and transmitting that to a central unit (e.g. automatic pilot avionics systems), are typical applications in this area. This is all combined with human interaction. All these moving parts create the cyber physical systems (CPS). The CPS needs to be incorporated into risk management practices (3).

Trustworthiness is an integral part in the CPS concept, with aspects of security, privacy, safety, reliability and resilience. Trustworthiness must be a basic requirement of any modern industrial site and a prerequisite to sustainable, advanced manufacturing and the digital business environment. From a risk management perspective, combining GDPR and trustworthiness can be conducted by doing the following:

• CPS may include physical, analogue and cyber components. Engineers must determine how to evaluate the impact of their choices in terms of multi-level trade-off metrics
• Security, operational and reputational risk
• Safety, error rates (is there a possibility that data can be used against the processor?)
• Reliability, failure rates
• Privacy, unwanted disclosure rates
• Resilience, recovery rates

Resilience planning is done to mitigate against an attack and help with recovery. Data recovery following a security breach should be planned with a clearly defined process. Ideally this should be practiced as well. In many cases, clear data backup routines can be the difference between a quick recovery and a total catastrophe. The key is how quickly this can be done to mitigate damages (e.g. production losses).

Turning theories into practice

ISO Standard 27001 is a commonly known and widely employed standard for management of information security and defines its related risks. This standard has traditionally been considered more as an IT management standard, but in environments with increasing digitalization, it cannot be relied upon anymore in modern production facilities. ISA99/IEC62443 emphasizes the industrial control systems on four different layers (General, Policies and Procedures, System and Component). Furthermore the ISA99/IEC62443 represents a more advanced approach to industrial cyber security, specifically addressing the cyber security to control systems perspective. (4)

With a jungle of standards, guidelines and frameworks; selecting the right one for your business and industrial set-up is critical. Only once you have selected the most relevant ones can you establish the foundation of your ICS cyber security. Equally important is the ability to maintain and evolve your cyber security. Pöyry has developed a simple approach to do this as illustrated in the flow chart below.

Asset management and cyber security

Processing or production industries are typically very asset intensive businesses. From the owner’s perspective, there is a huge amount of uncertainty and risk that is considered in the future production portfolio and business environment. They have to consider important external factors such as the global economy, demand/supply changes, raw material pricing, employee restrictions, politics etc. Modern asset management includes a number of challenging questions, such as:

• How to maintain assets to and still meet all set operational, sustainability and business targets?
• What is the annual investment demand needed to meet any of the targets?
• Should we replace or rebuild?
• How can we mitigate any asset-related risks associated with unclear future market scenarios?

As you can see there is a huge amount that owner has to contemplate and manage. But it is vital that cyber security is given equal consideration. Therefore any asset management plan must include CPS. For example, equipment generation upgrades cannot only include hardware refurbishment or modernization. It has to include cyber security ICS (e.g. data privacy). Typically business managers tend to focus on reducing costs and time efficiencies. Meanwhile, procurement practices in processing focus more on direct assets costs, with maintenance and operational expenses being secondary. Too often cyber-security drops down the agenda. However, failing to build in cybersecurity at the investment phase means that your new modern plant will in fact be old and inefficient from day one.

Summary

It is no longer sufficient to just deliver efficiencies or advanced sustainability. The integration of digitalization in industrial operations is dramatically exposing industrial processes to unknown cyber security risks. Traditional asset management alone cannot ensure your safety. However, all these challenges can be managed, but it requires a systematic approach, while continuously improving and updating. A suitable framework for everyone’s own business must be chosen, but being well planned is not enough if the plans are not enabled. That makes the difference. One might rephrase this fact in a following way: “Cyber security is a journey, not a destination!”

Lind, T.1, Talsi, J.2

1) Tom Lind, Vice President, Technology and New Solutions, Industry Business Group, FINLAND (Corresponding author)

2) Jonni Talsi, Chief Engineer, Cyber Security, Energy Business Group, SWITZERLAND

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the valuable support by Mr. Petri Kankkunen for valuable comments to the contents of this article.

References

https://ics-cert.kaspersky.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2017/10/KL-ICS-CERT-H1-2017-report-en.pdf
https://www.eugdpr.org/key-changes.html
http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.1500-201.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_security_standards
http://www.poyry.com/cybersecurity

The leading Chinese producer of hygiene and sanitary products has successfully started up the second of two Toscotec-supplied tissue machines installed at its Changji mill.

Hengan and Toscotec sealed their partnership at the end of a project that started one year ago with the order of two tissue machines, PM25 (started up in November 2017) and PM26, producing a total increase of 50,000 tons per year to Hengan’s production.

Both tissue machines have a production speed of 1,600 m/min and a width of 2.8 m. They are equipped with single layer headbox, one large diameter TT SuctionPressRoll, second generation TT SYD with improved rib design, TT Milltech natural gas high efficiency hood and steam and condensate removal system. The scope of supply also includes DCS/MCS, as well as erection supervision, start up assistance and training programs.

Hengan project team stated: “We are excited to start this new project. Toscotec-supplied tissue machines have all the technology we need to produce high quality tissue and to reduce the operating cost of our mill. We want to thank all those who contributed to the success of this partnership project.”

Marco Dalle Piagge, Toscotec Sales Director: “Now the two machines are running at their target operating speed and they are already producing marketable tissue. In spite of the environmental hardship of Xinjiang Autonomous Region in which the mill is located, everything goes fine and thanks to the good cooperation between our service team and the mill’s personnel, we achieved both start-ups in a very short time. It’s another success to add to our professional experience.”

Metso signed a total of 24 new distributor agreements globally for its valve and valve controls businesses during 2017. The agreements cover many countries in Europe, such as UK, Spain, Croatia, Turkey, France and Benelux, and include four new distributors in India and Brazil. Furthermore, Metso's local presence is strengthened through collaboration with new partners in China, Korea and other Southeast Asian countries.

The new agreements help to further expand the coverage of Metso's valve offering in various customer industries. Depending on the country, the distributors serve process industries, such as refineries, chemical, fertilizer, steel, bioenergy, power, pulp and paper, and waste water. Many of the distributors also provide service support for Metso valves and valve controls.

"These agreements allow us to extend the availability of our valve solutions globally and provide comprehensive solutions for customers in an addition to our local services. The target is to strengthen our presence in the traditional core areas and to open new markets," says John Quinlivan, President of Metso's Valves business.

Neles® ball valve, Neles® globe valve with intelligent Neles® NDX valve controller and Jamesbury® butterfly valve are part of Metso's wide product portfolio.

Distribution channel expansion calls for recognized partners

Metso has a strong direct sales organization and an extensive service network globally to serve its customers. Extending the sales channel network complements the existing presence and is one the most important strategic growth initiatives in many key markets for Metso's valves business.

The target is to develop the sales channel and OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing) business outside North America, where the sales model is largely based on an extensive distributor, agent and OEM network.

"We are looking for partners who are already recognized players in their markets, partners who see the specific value of our products and are willing to make the investment to promote our products. In addition, they should have the ability to carry the inventory and have proven closeness with their customers," concludes Kyle Rayhill, Channel Development Director of Metso's Valves business.

Experienced in valves

Metso has a solid experience in delivering engineered performance and reliability to customers in a wide range of process industries through its leading product families Neles® and Jamesbury®.

Metso's extensive flow control services offering covers expert services from maintenance planning and execution to performance solutions. Metso's valve technology centers and valve production facilities are in Finland, the United States, Germany, China, South Korea, India and Brazil. Metso has over 40 valve and field device service centers worldwide.

Metso is a world leading industrial company serving the mining, aggregates, recycling, oil, gas, pulp, paper and process industries. We help our customers improve their operational efficiency, reduce risks and increase profitability by using our unique knowledge, experienced people and innovative solutions to build new, sustainable ways of growing together.

Our products range from mining and aggregates processing equipment and systems to industrial valves and controls. Our customers are supported by a broad scope of services and a global network of over 80 service centers and about 6,000 services professionals. Metso has an uncompromising attitude towards safety.

Metso is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki in Finland and had sales of about EUR 2.6 billion in 2016. Metso employs over 11,000 people in more than 50 countries. Expect results.

Voith continues to expand its digital agenda and extends the range of its trading platform for recovered paper (RCP) merQbiz. For this purpose, merQbiz and the American logistics provider C. H. Robinson have agreed to an exclusive cooperation: The customers are now offered unmatched freight capacity, competitive real-time pricing and a powerful supply chain network to the platform.

The fact that we were able to win C. H. Robinson, one of the world's largest logistics groups, as a partner for our digital trading platform shows that we have hit a nerve in the market with merQbiz," says Dr. Hubert Lienhard, CEO of Voith GmbH & Co. KGaA.

The B2B-trading-platform merQbiz was launched in 2017 by Voith. It connects buyers and sellers of recovered paper in a digital marketplace.  The platform gives buyers and sellers the ability to directly network with one another and access timely and reliable information about the supply and demand of recovered paper. In addition, users can securely conduct their sales and purchasing transactions on the trading platform. Similar to the well-known online marketplaces, merQbiz evaluates the merchants, the buyers and the quality of the goods. This ensures a high level of security for all goods, logistics and payment flows as well as a high degree of transparency and professional handling. In the medium term, the trading platform's offers will also be available to customers outside the United States.

As a result of the expansion of the product range to include integrated logistics solutions, merQbiz now also offers the automation and improvement of previously manually performed logistics processes on a user-friendly digital platform. Absolute transparency in the market now applies not only to the pricing of recovered paper, but also to the shipping costs – competitive pricing is carried out in real time and customers receive prompt transport offers that match with their trading order. C. H. Robinson's capacities allow for access to previously unmatched freight capacities. C.H. Robinson is publicly listed on the NASDAQ. The group serves more than 113,000 customers worldwide today with logistic solution. 2,600 thereof are in the paper, board and packaging industry. In the last business year C.H. Robinson generated sales of approx. 10 billion Euros. „The integrated logistics solution is a game-changer for the industry. The supply of recovered paper will become even more predictable for our customers in the paper industry“, said John Fox, CEO of merQbiz.

In addition to its existing research and development budget, Voith invests around 100 million euros annually in digital products and services.

About merQbiz
merQbiz is an online marketplace designed to improve the way buyers and sellers of recovered paper do business. The platform allows buyers and sellers to connect directly, take advantage of fully transparent pricing, and transact more efficiently. Headquartered in Manhattan Beach, CA, merQbiz was founded by Voith in 2017. For more information on merQbiz, please visit www.merqbiz.com.

About C.H. Robinson
As one of the world’s largest third-party logistics providers (3PL), C.H. Robinson provides a broad portfolio of logistics services, fresh produce sourcing and Managed Services for more than 113,000 customers and 107,000 contract carriers and suppliers to meet their supply chain goals through their integrated network of 280 offices and more than 14,000 employees.

About Voith Paper
Voith Paper is a Group Division of Voith and the leading partner and pioneer in the paper industry. Through constant innovations, Voith Paper is optimizing the paper manufacturing process, focusing on developing resource-conserving products to reduce the use of energy, water and fibers. Furthermore, Voith Paper offers a broad service portfolio for all sections of the paper manufacturing process.

About Voith
Voith is a global technology group. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, Voith today has more than 19,000 employees, sales of €4.2 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the largest family-owned companies in Europe

merQbiz® Selects C.H. Robinson as Exclusive Logistics Provider for Ecommerce Platform

merQbiz, an online marketplace for the buying and selling of recovered paper (RCP), announces collaboration with C.H. Robinson, a leading global third-party logistics provider (3PL), to bring unmatched freight capacity, competitive real-time pricing and a powerful supply chain network to the platform. The collaboration leverages the deep market knowledge and digital expertise of both companies to enhance the RCP transaction experience.

“The integrated logistics solution is a game-changer for the industry”

“The integrated logistics solution is a game-changer for the industry,” said John Fox, CEO of merQbiz. “C.H. Robinson’s capabilities are a perfect complement to the merQbiz digital platform. Together, we aim to provide unmatched logistics capacity, increased options and real value for our customers.”

merQbiz and C.H. Robinson aim to address the day-to-day challenges facing the $30 billion RCP industry by streamlining, automating and bringing transparency to the buying and selling process.

merQbiz, launched in early 2017 as a joint venture of Voith and Boston Consulting Group Digital Ventures, connects buyers and sellers of recovered paper in a marketplace that drives efficiency and business results by providing transformative digital solutions. The platform gives buyers and sellers the ability to directly network with one another and access timely and reliable information about the supply and demand of RCP.

“This collaboration is a natural fit, as C.H. Robinson continues to digitize and optimize supply chains. It enables merQbiz customers to seamlessly access C.H. Robinson’s unmatched contract carrier network and secure transportation at a competitive price,” said Chris O'Brien, chief commercial officer for C.H. Robinson. “Together with the merQbiz online marketplace, we are bringing both our supply chain and technology expertise to drive change and digital innovation in the RCP industry. The collaboration also enables us to better serve an industry where we already have a significant footprint.”

The logistics feature is now live and available on the merQbiz platform. For more information and to register for the marketplace, please visit www.merqbiz.com.

About merQbiz

merQbiz is an online marketplace designed to improve the way buyers and sellers of recovered paper do business. The platform allows buyers and sellers to connect directly, take advantage of fully transparent pricing, and transact more efficiently. merQbiz provides a robust end-to-end solution that makes the buying and selling process easier and more transparent. Headquartered in Manhattan Beach, CA, merQbiz is a joint venture of Voith and BCG Digital Ventures. Voith is a global technology leader in major industrial markets including paper, energy and raw materials. BCG Digital Ventures is a corporate innovation, incubation, and investment arm of The Boston Consulting Group. For more information on merQbiz, please visit www.merqbiz.com or view our video.

About C.H. Robinson

As C.H. Robinson, we believe in accelerating global trade to seamlessly deliver the products and goods that drive the world’s economy. Using the strengths of our knowledgeable people, proven processes and global technology, we help our customers work smarter, not harder. As one of the world’s largest third-party logistics providers (3PL), we provide a broad portfolio of logistics services, fresh produce sourcing and Managed Services for more than 113,000 customers and 107,000 contract carriers and suppliers to meet their supply chain goals through our integrated network of 280 offices and more than 14,000 employees.

The renewable materials company Stora Enso has become the first forest products company to set ambitious science-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets to address significant emissions along the company’s value chain. The targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative.

“For over a decade we have been actively reducing the energy-intensity of our operations and our dependence on fossil fuels,” says Stora Enso CEO Karl-Henrik Sundström. “As a company operating in a bioeconomy and using renewable raw materials, we are in a unique position to take the next step. We are now committing to further reducing our CO2and other greenhouse gas emissions in line with the 2°C limit set for global warming by the Paris Agreement. The new targets coveremissions from our own operations, but also includes engagement targets for our partners all through the value chain.”  

The target commits Stora Enso to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from operations by 31% per tonne of pulp, paper and board produced by 2030 from a 2010 base-year. To reduce emissions in the value chain, Stora Enso commits to have 70% of non-fibre suppliers and downstream transportation suppliers in terms of spend set their own GHG reduction targets by 2025, towards the aim that these suppliers adopt science-based GHG reduction targets by 2030. In addition, the company will educate 100% of customer-facing staff on the advantages of setting science-based targets by 2020.

Alexander Liedke, Manager of Sustainable Business & Markets at WWF and member of the Science Based Targets initiative steering committee said, “We congratulate Stora Enso on being the first forest products company to have their science-based targets approved by our team. By setting targets that align their business with global efforts to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, Stora Enso is positioning itself to thrive as the global economy transitions to a low-carbon future. It is particularly encouraging to see Stora Enso working with its suppliers to adopt their own science-based targets, helping to mainstream science-based target setting across the value chain.”

About the Science Based Targets Initiative

Science Based Targets initiative mobilizes companies to set science-based targets and boost their competitive advantage in the transition to the low-carbon economy. It is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and one of the We Mean Business Coalition commitments. The initiative defines and promotes best practice in science-based target setting, offers resources and guidance to reduce barriers to adoption, and independently assesses and approves companies’ targets.sciencebasedtargets.org

Stora Enso is a leading provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper on global markets. Our aim is to replace fossil-based materials by innovating and developing new products and services based on wood and other renewable materials. We employ some 25 000 people in more than 35 countries, and our sales in 2016 were EUR 9.8 billion. Stora Enso shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki (STEAV, STERV) and Nasdaq Stockholm (STE A, STE R). In addition, the shares are traded in the USA as ADRs (SEOAY). storaenso.com