Digitalization is taking on the role of an enabling factor in the evolution of the paper industry. Data, digital twins, AI, advanced energy management and cybersecurity are the elements of this integrated ecosystem. However, true innovation lies in the ability to transform the information collected into better decisions. This is how energy consumption is reduced, best practices are standardized, and product quality and plant efficiency are improved
The paper industry is called upon to rethink the way it manages processes, resources and energy, driven by rising energy costs, decarbonization targets and the market’s growing focus on sustainability. In all this, digitalization becomes a decisive tool for improving the overall efficiency of plants and ensuring competitiveness in the long term.
This topic, which is so important for the sector, was at the heart of the presentation by Enrico Paolucci, Vice President Sales Automation & Digitization at Andritz, during the Aticelca Congress 2026. In particular, he describes a new way of looking at energy efficiency, which should not be limited to interventions on plants or the introduction of new production technologies, but is based on the ability to collect, integrate and effectively use the data generated throughout the entire production chain.
The complex reality of a paper mill
The first problem that paper mills have to address is the continuous pressure to reduce energy consumption and CO2 production, while maintaining constant product quality, productivity and plant availability. The situation is complicated both by the variability of raw materials, with fibres of different quality entering the process, and by the increasingly heterogeneous availability of energy sources. And if we also consider that the sector today operates predominantly in brownfield contexts, characterized by the presence of plants built in different periods, different automation systems and technologies often developed by multiple suppliers, it is easy to understand how managing everything becomes a skilful balancing act.
Under these conditions, Paolucci explains, “we have to understand how to put all the pieces of the puzzle together and collect information within the complex reality of the plants”, transforming this complexity into a useful information asset for optimizing the operation of the paper mill.
Balancing efficiency and sustainability
Therefore, faced with the need to reduce energy consumption, the objective for all paper mills is to achieve a balance between sustainability, operational performance and profitability. For this reason, energy management is no longer considered an activity separate from the production process. On the contrary, it becomes an integral component of daily operational decisions. Every variation in process parameters can simultaneously affect paper quality, specific consumption, use of raw materials and plant productivity.
This is why measuring emissions associated with production is becoming increasingly important, a need that also derives from the paper mills’ reference market. Paolucci explains how some companies are already addressing very concrete requests in this regard. “An important Italian paper mill asked us to monitor the CO2 produced for each batch,” he explains, “as certain markets are beginning to request certification of the products’ carbon footprint.” Sustainability, therefore, is no longer merely a regulatory or reputational issue. It is becoming a selection criterion for numerous markets and, consequently, a competitive factor, making the availability of reliable and verifiable data indispensable.
Making inefficiencies visible
One of the main contributions of digitalization is its ability to make visible phenomena that often remain hidden within production processes.
Many energy inefficiencies, Paolucci explains, derive from apparently marginal situations: losses in steam and condensate circuits, compressed-air leaks, non-optimized vacuum systems, oversized equipment, operating parameters maintained at conservative values to compensate for operational instability or, again, setpoints that move away from reference values. Individually, they may seem like limited problems, but collectively they have a substantial impact on overall consumption.
In all this, digitalization is able to support companies by making energy consumption visible at the point of use.
The availability of advanced monitoring systems therefore makes it possible to associate energy consumption with the actual operating conditions of the paper mill, identifying correlations that would hardly emerge from traditional observations alone. Through indicators such as kWh per tonne produced, steam consumption for specific product categories or CO2 emissions associated with specific batches, it becomes possible to accurately measure performance and, at the same time, identify opportunities for improvement.
All these functions are supported by integrating digital platforms such as Andritz Metris, which combines process data, energy analyses and digital twin technologies, an application that can be scaled according to the needs of paper mills (Figure 1).
The most important aspect, the manager emphasizes, is that this data makes it possible to move from reactive to proactive management. “Intervention no longer takes place only when an obvious problem emerges, but the ability is developed to recognize early signals and correct deviations before they produce significant effects. We therefore move towards proactive maintenance, capable of assessing in good time what interventions need to be carried out.”
The digital twin in the paper mill
In the digital transformation process of paper mills, Digital Twin Technology (Figure 2) is also taking on an increasingly central role.
Paolucci describes the digital twin as “a digital representation of the paper mill process that remains constantly aligned with the actual plant and the data collected over time”. It is therefore not simply a virtual model, but a dynamic environment that evolves together with the plant and replicates its behaviour.
Interest in this technology stems from the need to understand increasingly complex production systems. An apparently minor change can produce effects on several variables simultaneously. “The digital twin makes it possible to analyse these relationships in a structured way. By integrating information coming from control systems, measuring instruments and energy systems, it makes it possible to build mass and energy balances, simulate different operating conditions and predict the consequences of any changes before their application in production.”
According to Paolucci, one of the most significant benefits is the possibility of overcoming fragmented plant management. Thanks to an overall view of the process, it becomes possible to “move from isolated operations to centralized control of the lines, reducing variability between production shifts, operators and different machines”.
In this way, the digital twin becomes a decision-support tool, capable of assisting personnel in choosing the most efficient operating conditions.
Moreover, another valuable benefit deriving from the use of the digital twin is the standardization of production practices, which makes it possible to transform the experience accumulated over time by operators into repeatable and verifiable models. As the manager explains, the relationships between fibre characteristics, process parameters, energy consumption and final quality can be described and analysed systematically, identifying the operating conditions that guarantee the best results. “This capability becomes particularly valuable in the presence of variable raw-material mixes,” he emphasizes. “Instead of reacting through trial and error, the digital twin makes it possible to anticipate the impact of raw-material variations, proactively adjust setpoints and maintain quality targets with minimum disturbance.” The result is greater production stability and a reduction in corrections carried out afterwards. Once validated through simulation, standard operating strategies and setpoints can be integrated into control systems and operating guidelines.
The integration of digital twins and AI
The expansion of industrial sensor technology and automation systems has led in recent years to an exponential increase in the amount of data available.
According to Paolucci, however, the real problem is not collecting information but giving it meaning. “In the past we talked about data lakes, today we even talk about data oceans,” he observes. A definition that effectively conveys the amount of data generated daily by industrial plants. It is therefore no longer sufficient to accumulate information; rather, it is necessary to transform it into useful knowledge for making better decisions. For this reason, the most advanced digital platforms integrate analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) tools capable of identifying correlations that are difficult to detect through traditional methods.
Machine-learning models can use both historical data and simulations generated by the digital twin combined with AI, creating a continuous-learning environment. The system does not merely describe what has happened, but develops the ability to predict future behaviour and suggest corrective actions. This approach makes it possible to assess in advance the effect of new operating strategies, plant modifications or variations in the characteristics of raw materials.
Applications range from predictive maintenance to energy optimization, from product-quality prediction to support in defining process parameters. “The focus should not be on how much data is collected, but rather on the ability to use this information to concretely optimize production and the performance of the paper mill,” Paolucci emphasizes. Naturally, the effectiveness of these tools depends on the quality of the available data and the ability to keep the models updated.
Towards increasingly hybrid energy systems
Another topic destined to become increasingly important concerns energy management.
Paper mills are progressively integrating different sources: energy purchased from the grid, cogeneration, photovoltaic systems, heat recovery and, looking ahead, new technologies linked to hydrogen and energy storage. This evolution increases management complexity but also offers new optimization opportunities.
Paolucci refers to Andritz’s experience in managing large energy plants to highlight the importance of digital control. When operating with plants of several gigawatts and millions of data points generated, he explains, the value lies in the ability to “collect the data that really provides the most information. And the same logic must be applied to energy management within the paper mill”. Through advanced digital tools, it becomes possible to predict consumption, energy availability and operating conditions, coordinating the different available sources and minimizing costs and emissions. In essence, the objective is to “optimize and stabilize energy availability in order to pursue a reduction in energy consumption itself, while maintaining absolutely constant quality and continuity of production”.
Cybersecurity: the necessary condition
Increased connectivity inevitably also brings new vulnerabilities. For this reason, cybersecurity is now an essential component of any digitalization strategy. “The more we make paper mills interconnected, digitalized and advanced, the more we expose them to potential risks,” the manager emphasizes. System protection must therefore be integrated from the design stage of digital architectures.
The issue concerns not only Information Technology (IT), but above all Operational Technology (OT) systems, i.e. the hardware and software infrastructures that directly control the production process (Figure 3). A cyber incident can compromise plant availability, product quality, energy consumption and operational safety. Paolucci recalls the case of a major multinational company in the food sector which, following a cyberattack, had to stop approximately 150 production lines in different countries for an extended period. Episodes of this kind demonstrate how cybersecurity has now become an aspect closely linked to a company’s survival. “It is therefore important to know one’s processes and one’s digital IT and OT applications within the company, because even automation applied to plants is at risk of suffering a cyberattack,” the manager emphasizes. And he explains how these systems “must allow the company both to manage all these aspects through an effective digital platform and to be protected from hacker attacks”.
Digitalization as an enabling factor
Digitalization, therefore, is taking on the role of an enabling factor in the paper industry. Data, digital twins, artificial intelligence, advanced energy management and cybersecurity are no longer independent technologies, but elements of an integrated ecosystem.
True innovation, however, lies in the ability to transform the information collected into better decisions. It therefore becomes possible to reduce energy consumption, standardize best practices, improve product quality and increase plant efficiency.
As Paolucci summarizes, “digitalization is the umbrella that sits above everything”, the cross-cutting element that integrates all the other technologies. Decarbonization, plant optimization, sustainability and competitiveness now depend on the ability to intelligently use data and technologies. A process in which, the manager concludes, “artificial intelligence is not an alternative to people, but is complementary to them”. And it is precisely the integration of human skills and digital tools that will determine the ability of paper mills to address the challenges of the coming years.