ABB has officially opened a global research and development (R&D) centre for the pulp and paper industry in Dundalk.

The multimillion-euro ABB Dundalk R&D centre is at the heart of ABB’s automation and digital offering for the sector and will be home to the ongoing evolution of the ABB Quality Control System (QCS). 

L-R: William Dannelly, product line manager – QCS, ABB; Stefano Cinquina, business line manager, pulp and paper, ABB;Dara Calleary, minister of state at the Department of Enterprise Trade & Employment; Mary Buckley, interim CEO, IDA Ireland; Joachim Braun, division president, Process Industries, ABB; Michael Kerley, global technology manager for ABB.

New ideas and products will be piloted and managed into the suite of applications for improved quality in the complex world of papermaking, where manufacturers often struggle to balance ever-changing variables to produce paper to customers’ particular specifications.

This will include solutions for measuring, adjusting, optimising and controlling quality as the paper web makes its way through the paper machine to form the end-products, including paper and board.

Sustainability goals

ABB’s vision for the centre is to develop solutions that respond to global trends and can meet the sustainability goals of the rapidly evolving industry.

A new QCS, for example, has the potential to reduce annual waste (production losses) by 2% or more per paper machine. This can impact a mill's sustainability goals by also reducing annual emissions for each machine by the same 2%, or 1.1 kt CO2, using the assumption of 57 kt CO2 emissions for a typical paper/board/tissue machine.

“This is a very welcome investment in Louth and the wider region, and is an endorsement of the area as an excellent place for businesses to thrive and grow,” said Dara Calleary, junior minister for trade promotion. 

The centre will take advantage of modern technologies such as additive manufacturing (3D printing), collaborative robots and Augmented/Virtual Reality for training and field service delivery to better meet the needs of ABB’s pulp and paper development team. The site will also include a new training hub that will provide skills development support for ABB and customers alike, enabling more cross-industry partnerships and collaboration.

“ABB’s pulp and paper business grows year on year, and this investment into our quality control systems development will allow us to sustain our global market leadership and push the industry forward for the next generation of paper makers,” said Joachim Braun, division president, process industries, ABB.

Pioneer new technologies

“With Ireland ranked in the top 10 EU countries for innovation and boasting the fourth-highest international share of workforce in the EU, it is the perfect location for our new R&D site. From this base, we will continue to advance the future of the industry and pioneer new technologies to meet the evolving needs of our customers.”

“This new centre presents ABB’s proud heritage and presence in Ireland, which is extremely important to us,” said Michael Kerley, global technology manager for ABB.

“In addition to being a hub for technological innovation in the pulp and paper industry, the new centre will play a vital role in creating up to 30 high-level job opportunities over the next three to five years, thereby bolstering the talent pool in Ireland and supporting the local economy.”

Dundalk is one of ABB’s four main Pulp and Paper R&D centres globally, along with Bangalore, Singapore, and Stockholm. It will also serve as a sales and service office for ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation, who have had a presence in Ireland for 25 years.

The facility will provide a base from which to foster new ways of collaborating across business areas to better serve customers. In Ireland, ABB has about 180 employees spread across five locations.

Recruitment is ongoing and will expand the existing workforce of 40+ multidisciplinary R&D members from more than 12 different nationalities, to make up a team of STEM-based roles comprising physics, engineering, electronics, mechanical, software, project management and sales experts.
Job vacancies can be found at job openings at ABB Ireland.

This project is supported by the government through IDA Ireland.