In 2020, De Jong Packaging invested in a Valmet IQ Corrugator Quality Control System. Combining precise online moisture, temperature, and warp measurements together with reliable closed-loop controls and moisturizers, Valmet IQ stabilizes raw material and process variations to optimize both process performance and sheet quality in the corrugator.
"One of the challenges needing a solution was that the varying moisture levels of paper rolls fed to the machine affect everything from gluing to the final physical appearance of the sheets and afterwards of final products. The Valmet system now takes care of this automatically and provides us with continuous measurement of the flatness (warp) of the corrugated sheets. This improves our capability to serve our customers on time and with promised quality further," says Mattheus Piek, New Business Manager, De Jong Packaging.
The board from the corrugator is now reliably consistent, which makes the setup of tooling at the converting machines faster. "Short delivery times are one of our strengths, and with 50 to 60 order changes per day, efficient converting operations are vital to maximizing production"
"The shorter setup times help us to respond quickly to an immediate customer need, as sometimes happens in the fresh produce market, in addition to guaranteeing a better quality of product under all circumstances. The Valmet system gives real added value to the corrugator by ensuring that the board strength and appearance meet customer requirements," says Raymond Segers, Marketing Manager, De Jong Packaging.
Additional insight
"Additional knowledge about the corrugator operation has been a big benefit, it gives us better information on specific product issues. The insight we now have with the Valmet system to our key performance indicators like moisture, temperature, and warp has improved 10-fold, and with this understanding, we can make quality improvements. Settings to the machine can now be made much more easily to achieve a higher-level quality than was possible earlier. It’s a two-step process, first to have a better understanding of the key performance indicators and then to make changes that result in a better product," adds Piek.
The importance of training
Operators have readily accepted the new system with the assistance of good training. The system has also improved cooperation between the corrugator and converting departments by supporting root cause problem analysis. "If we have a problem in converting, we can see where it is and quickly respond," says Piek.
"We concentrated early on as to how the system would help to make the team's job easier. Initially, they were curious as to how it would work, but acknowledging that for a family company it was a big investment, they were very willing to work with the system," says Segers.
For more information:
Valmet
Tel: +358 (0)10 672 0000
www.valmet.com