Valmet to upgrade automation at Smurfit Kappa in Verzuolo, Italy


Valmet will upgrade the current water treatment automation solution at Smurfit Kappa’s Cartiera di Verzuolo mill in northern Italy with a Valmet DNA Distributed Control System (DCS). The new system will replace aging third-party Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) and integrate the water treatment control to the existing, mill-wide Valmet DNA automation system. The upgrade also includes extending the automation to the anaerobic treatment unit.

The order was included in Valmet’s orders received of the second quarter 2023. The delivery will take place in March 2024.

“Valmet has a long and successful track record of supplying and upgrading automation systems in Verzuolo since the PM 9 delivered by Valmet in 2001. This upgrade improves the automation integration in the mill, thus ensuring better scalability and information management,” says Maurizio Martinelli, Customer Support Manager, Automation Systems business line, Valmet.

The delivery includes Valmet DNA ACN MRN Controllers with Profinet and Profibus links. Valmet’s efficient ACN industrial controller family ensures a reliable platform for all process controls and connectivity to external systems. As a major benefit of the upgrade, existing I/O hardware of the Valmet DNA system in the mill scales up for the new needs and can remain unchanged.