MM Board & Paper invests in ABB’s next generation L&W Autoline for Europe’s highest production cartonboard mill

ABB will provide two next-generation L&W Autoline automated paper testing systems to MM Board & Paper (MM) and has secured a new service agreement with the major packaging manufacturer. The new solution will modernize and optimize quality control and minimize operational costs at the company’s Frohnleiten mill.

The mill, 28 kilometers from the city of Graz, serves MM as its research and development, product safety and compliance, and analytical chemistry center. It is a leader in food safety due to the production of cartonboards that have certified barriers to protect packaged foods. MM Frohnleiten produces 520,000 tons of cartonboard per year – the highest in Europe – and has reliably used the L&W Autoline 300 for quality testing for 20 years. MM has chosen to upgrade to ABB’s newest L&W Autoline for its unique features, most notably its proven ability to test bending stiffness, fulfilling current industry standards.

The new L&W Autoline includes a unique dual test function that reduces queuing by allowing simultaneous testing of the mill’s boards. Manually gathering and testing samples is a time-consuming process that can produce inaccuracies. With more data points and faster, more accurate results than previously possible, the new L&W Autoline provides the same results as lab equipment and delivers accurate, quality reports in minutes.

It features the smoothest and most reliable feeding system on the market that pulls the samples through the machine to minimize jamming and help reduce fix costs. It also has high-volume information storage, which enables identification of quality trends over time. For intuitive simplicity, it incorporates a real time visualization touchscreen interface, requiring minimal training, that provides direct feedback to operators on the unit and throughout the mill.

“We enjoy a long-term relationship with ABB whose team has consistently delivered a high standard of service since we first signed a contract with them in 2001,” said Gerald Lösch, Technology manager at MM Frohnleiten. “We were convinced by their best-in-class, new L&W Autoline solution that also supports our commitment to producing our cartonboard products efficiently and in a resource-friendly way.”

“Our R&D team worked closely with the customer in advance to carry out testing of the bending stiffness at our L&W factory in Sweden as we knew how important this was to MM,” said Stephan Dresel, Sales at ABB. “This proved that our new generation of L&W Autoline is the best solution currently on the market that can meet the same standards for bending stiffness testing online as in the lab.”