Pivot Solutions: A Center of Excellence for the Tissue Industry

Pivot Solutions is Valmet’s dedicated center for the tissue converting industry, serving as a research and test lab that provides a variety of services and technologies. The goal is to help customers improve product development timelines, optimize production line performance and manage costs effectively. Through its integrated approach, Pivot Solutions draws on Valmet’s experience in handling every stage of the process, from raw material to finished product, positioning itself as a valuable resource for clients.

Numerous benefits are available to clients who choose to rely on Pivot Solutions: from the ability to test and improve existing products with custom recipes, to developing new solutions in a controlled environment. The ability to conduct trials replicating real production conditions, without interrupting production on the client’s own lines, results in significant time and cost savings.

Pivot Solutions operates labs and pilot lines in Italy, the USA and Brazil to test paper quality. They evaluate paper strength, absorption, thickness and softness for durability and comfort. The geometric and physical characteristics of the finished product are also analyzed in order to meet quality standards. Additionally, Pivot Solutions conducts comparative analyses of market products and offers consulting services to optimize production processes and improve product quality.

The pride of Pivot Solutions is the pilot line, located at the facility in Lucca, equipped with Constellation™ rewinder and advanced technologies, offering a wide range of configuration options, allowing for a variety of client-required tests, ensuring personalized support for creating innovative solutions.

The Constellation™ S6 pilot line is designed for the development of solutions from pulp to roll, fostering complete interaction between process and finished product. With the capacity to test products at high speeds (up to 700 m/min), it allows for testing in realistic operating conditions with a low-risk investment for clients.

Pivot Solutions' Commitment to Innovation and Client Support

Pivot Solutions' offering is truly comprehensive and integrates Valmet’s three areas of excellence into a single value chain: Perini, MTC and Casmatic for converting and packaging technology, Pivot LAB dedicated to high-level measurement and analysis to predict, understand and anticipate market trends. Finally, Engraving Solutions in Italy and Roll-Tec in Brazil, with two low-speed pilot lines for folding and converting, create products aesthetically similar to real production performance. In Lucca, a modern facility features a climate-controlled laboratory, maintaining humidity and temperature to conduct analyses in accordance with ENI UN ISO 12 6625 standards.

Collaboration among the various centers, using a shared database of analysis results, helps streamline the process to create more targeted solutions. This global network of expertise enhances opportunities for experimentation and process optimization, offering clients a range of services and innovations.

In 2023, the Pivot Solutions center was busy for about 130 days with customer trials and internal research and development tests. The demand for tests has grown, with all slots booked until December 2024. This period of activity has led to several upgrades, including the Warm-Up Contactless system, which has received positive feedback from clients.

"Looking to the future, with an integrated approach and a global network of expertise, Pivot Solutions is prepared to meet challenges with quality, customized solutions for the tissue industry, thanks to our commitment to innovation and client support at every stage of the production process," says Dario Giannini, Customer Product Innovation Manager of Pivot Solutions at Valmet. He concludes, "The trust shown by the growing number of requests and advance bookings motivates us to explore new technological frontiers, continuing to contribute to our clients' growth."

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