ABB Launches Mill-Wide Optimization Software for Smarter, More Resilient Pulp Production

Summary

ZURICH, Switzerland, Sept. 30, 2025 – ABB has introduced ABB Ability Plant Optimizer for Pulp Mills, a dynamic software solution that helps pulp producers bridge the gap between production planning and real-time operations. Designed specifically for the complex, interconnected nature of pulp production, the software enables mills to improve traceability, maintain operational stability and reduce production costs throughout the pulp mill.

Running a pulp mill is a constant balancing act. Operators and planners must keep dozens of interconnected processes working in harmony, often while dealing with sudden disruptions, shifting demand and pressure to get more out of the same assets. Yet with systems still managed in silos and many experienced professionals leaving the workforce, it is becoming harder to maintain visibility and act quickly when problems arise. Plant Optimizer for Pulp Mills is designed to change that: giving teams the real-time insight and decision support they need to spot issues earlier, adjust plans faster and focus their time on the tasks that create the most value.

For decades, ABB has partnered with pulp and paper producers to deliver automation, electrification and digital solutions tailored to industry-specific challenges. Building on this experience, ABB has now launched Plant Optimizer for Pulp Mills to help address these challenges through three core capabilities: end-to-end traceability, economic optimization and operational resilience.

With every part of the pulp production process being interlinked, small deviations can have costly ripple effects. Plant Optimizer for Pulp Mills gives operators and engineers the visibility and tools they need to make faster, more confident decisions across the mill. With real-time tracking of material flows and quality-critical variables, it becomes easier to pinpoint process inefficiencies, trace quality deviations to their source, and implement corrective actions before issues escalate. Automated grade transitions, alarm-based diagnostics, and customizable reporting enhance standardization and improve overall operational discipline.

At the same time, the software helps mills move beyond reactive planning by enabling dynamic, forward-looking decision support. It uses higher time-horizon targets from Manufacturing Execution System (MES) to create weekly and daily production plans that account for real-world constraints. By modeling alternative scenarios for demand changes, shutdown and startup planning or resolving bottlenecks, it provides recommendations that balance throughput, cost and resource use. It calculates optimal set-points and production rates–either on demand or continuously–allowing teams to minimize waste, increase throughput and reduce cost-to-produce, all within the existing asset base. The result is a more agile and resilient mill, capable of adapting to change without sacrificing quality or efficiency.

“Digitalization is not only about data access–it’s about turning operational complexity into clear, coordinated action,” said Sanjit Shewale, global division head of Digital, ABB’s Process Industries division. “With Plant Optimizer for Pulp Mills, we’ve designed a solution that brings planning and operations together, so mills can run more efficiently today and prepare for more autonomous operations tomorrow.”

This latest application adds to ABB’s proven suite of ABB Ability digital solutions for the pulp and paper industry, reinforcing its commitment to help producers extract greater value from their existing assets while navigating the energy transition and skills gap.

About ABB

ABB is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. By connecting its engineering and digitalization expertise, ABB helps industries run at high performance, while becoming more efficient, productive and sustainable so they outperform. At ABB, we call this ‘Engineered to Outrun’. The company has over 140 years of history and around 110,000 employees worldwide. ABB’s shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ABBN) and Nasdaq Stockholm (ABB).
 

About ABB's Process Automation business

ABB’s Process Automation business automates, electrifies and digitalizes industrial operations that address a wide range of essential needs–from supplying energy, water and materials, to producing goods and transporting them to market. With its ~20,000 employees, leading technology and service expertise, ABB Process Automation helps process, hybrid and maritime industries outrun–leaner and cleaner.