Product development is based on teamwork. This became clear when SCA began the development of a new paper quality. Experts from Technical Service and research and development gathered at a printer outside Brussels, to evaluate the critical characteristics for the new product’s grade and productivity.
The image of the absentminded professor sitting alone in his room, thinking up smart new ideas is clearly both stereotypical and bygone. But what happens when a new product or application is created? Well, the individual processes differ of course between different industries and companies, but the crux of it in most cases is to try to find the answer to a changed market requirement..
A segment of the paper industries customers which has grown in recent years is for example direct marketing, printed in offset printers with heat set technology. Now a new type of paper is in demand, better suited for heatset, but at a lower price that the coated types which are usually used in a high quality magazine.
This is the background to the nine dedicated experts from SCA who gathered at the printers Dessain north of Brussels for two days at the end of February. This was the starting point of the development of a new paper quality which is estimated to be on the market some time next year.
“Stage one is a test where we evaluate how our paper stands in comparison to our competitors. We print special test forms and measure everything that relates to print quality and productivity,” explains Marcus Edbom, technical service manager at Ortviken’s paper mill in Sundsvall, Sweden.
The activity around the little table in the coffee room outside the printing hall is intense. Karin Persson and Anders Hillvall are also here from Technical Service, Ortviken, research engineer Robert Olsson from the SCA R&D Centre in Sundsvall, Mathias Klee from Technical Service at the Laakirchen paper mill in Austria, and four of SCA’s sales organisation’s Technical Service: Jakob Sawitzki and Thorsten Luedtke from Germany, David Cadman from Great Britain and Marc Dernelle from Belgium, but who looks after customers in the entire Benelux area and in France.
Customers give feedback
The idea is to gather as much competence as possible at an early stage in the Product Development phase, from Research and Development and from Technical Service.
“I spend a lot of my time in printing halls – to help, to give and receive advice, to learn more, to gather in tests and to investigate runnability and printability,” says Marc Dernelle and his SCA colleagues nod in agreement. They all have a background in the printing industry and they speak – as they express it themselves – the printers’ language. It still remains that the demands and requirements vary a lot amongst individual printing companies. It is however hard to identify any general differences between the different markets. Technical problems which arise are often solved on site with the customer. Sometimes the printing company’s own production process needs to be adapted, other times the problem may lie with the paper and is then always referred to the paper mill.
“We continuously swap experience with each other which has allowed us to build up a common knowledge base which benefits customers on all markets,” says David Cadman. The everyday information exchange between Technical Service colleagues occursvia email and telephone, but they try to meet at least three times a year. The meeting at the printing company outside Brussels is such an occasion, but with a slightly different content. The technical discussions are completed here with practical tests which have a clear goal – to develop a new product.
Comprehensive tests
The first day is dedicated to preparations – making sure the paper rolls are on site, installing measurement equipment and checking the settings prior to the next intensive day, when the printing presses will roll at full speed for 16 hours. Karin Persson organises tasks for everyone and goes through the print order for the paper rolls:
“We start with the reference copy,” she says. “And the printing proofs for analysis are taken out every five thousand copies.” The test involves four specially produced variants of a certain SCA paper which is compared to similar qualities from five competitors. In total there are 17 rolls – around 15 tons of paper – waiting to be printed under the toughest imaginable conditions. A digital board in the printing hall shows the cylinder speed in glowing red figures: 70,000 revolutions per hour.
“We want to press production and drive the printing presses at top speed to achieve as much as possible from the measurement results. The faster it goes, the more demands there are on the paper,” says Marcus Edlund.
Broad printing experience
His colleague Robert Olsson shows a list of all the characteristics which will be measured. They fill two closely-written excel sheets and include everything from dot gain, light and contrast to density, shine and surface uniformity. Well-known problems such as dust accumulation – when fibre particles from the paper break free and successively fasten on the printing plates and rubber sheets so that colour transfer can be disturbed.
Measurement equipment is used to observe most of this, but human observations are also noted, and here, the collected experience of the Technical Service staff comes into its own.
“Being on site when the test is carried out gives those of us who work with research and development access to a broad print experience on how paper normally behaves in the press, what is normal and what is not, and how settings should be made to get a good printing plate which results in the best possible representation of measurements,” says Robert Olsson.
When the last test roll has finally run through the presses it only remains to dismantle all the measurement equipment, gather up the printing proofs and go home to the laboratory to analyse the results in detail. After that will be further development, new tests – and in time, a finished product for the waiting paper purchasers.
Back row: Thorsten Luedtke, Technical Service Germany; Marc Dernelle, Technical Service Benelux and France; David Cadman, Technical Service Great Britain; Jakob Sawitzki, Technical Service Germany and Poland; Anders Hillvall Technical Service newsprint, Ortviken, Sweden.
Front row: Mathias Klee Technical Service, Laakirchen, Austria; Marcus Edbom, manager Technical Service, Ortviken, Sweden; Karin Persson, Technical Service, Ortviken, Sweden; Robert Olsson, R&D Centre, Sundsvall, Sweden.
Customers contribute to product development
To be able to help quickly and smoothly in the event of technical difficulties, SCA offers all printing companies Technical Service. Technical Service is connected to sales offices in Germany, Great Britain, Northern Europe (including the Baltic), France and Benelux countries. There are well educated technicians, who through their many contacts with customers and other partners in the supply chain, are well-acquainted with customer needs. The multi-faceted knowledge of these employees makes them highly sought after in various SCA training activities, both internally at SCA and
for customers. To explain the company’s environmental investment is an important part of this job. The technical experts also refer customers’ practical experience to SCA developers at the paper mills. This is important knowledge when it comes to further development and new development of paper qualities.
Source: Papergram no 2 2009
Text and pictures: Susanna Lidström