Valmet develops green-transition technology that replaces plastic with new fiber products – Etteplan part of the project team

Valmet is a leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. With Valmet’s automation systems and flow control solutions the company serves an even wider base of process industries. Valmet has over 220 years of industrial history and a strong track record in continuous improvement and renewal. In 2022, a major milestone was achieved, when flow control company Neles was merged into Valmet. The combined company net sales in 2021 was approximately EUR 4.5 billion based on the respective company figures.

Product development cooperation between Valmet and Metsä Group’s innovation company Metsä Spring is tackling global environmental challenges by creating sustainable solutions for the world’s packaging needs. Valmet’s new technology, Valmet 3D Fiber, produces molded fiber products that are manufactured of wood fiber and are a great option for replacing plastic.

Valmet started the development of the technology from scratch and wanted a partner that could offer a wide variety of services to support the development. Etteplan was chosen to be a part of the project team due to our competencies in engineering, and product development, and our domain knowledge from 20 years of working in the industry with companies including Valmet.

Product development from the ground up

In the development project, Etteplan was responsible for the design of the dry end of the production line. The project started in 2020 with concept evaluation and continued into more detailed product development after the right concept was chosen. Etteplan, Valmet, and the other partners worked together with weekly meetings and the cooperation worked seamlessly.

“The cooperation with Etteplan and the other project partners was excellent, especially in the concept phase. Etteplan experts brought valuable insights to the table, and the conceptualization was altogether innovative and effective.”

Arto Haavanlammi

Development Manager at Valmet

Etteplan provided a variety of engineering competencies to the product development project, including mechanical engineering, thermal design, and additive manufacturing, as well as product development expertise especially in managing the details of the project. Altogether, around a dozen experts from Etteplan worked on the project.

“The cutter at the end of the dry end was one of the highlights of the development project. It was a challenging task, but Etteplan experts were able to deliver a functional and simplistic design,” continues Arto.

Valmet 3D Fiber allows end customers to accelerate their green-transition

Etteplan’s support accelerated Valmet’s product development project and freed its resources for the overall management of the project. Etteplan worked independently according to the guidelines set by Valmet and effectively provided competencies from a cross-service pool of experts.

A new kind of product was enabled by the cooperation, and the development work continues to perfect the new technology. Most importantly, it will help end customers make their green transition by moving away from plastic containers to a more sustainable solution.