Boise Cascade's Vancouver mill is a small operation when compared in size to most paper mills in the country today. However, very few operations have as complex a business and grade structure as exists at Vancouver. This mill has survived by carving out the niche of supplying specialty papers into form, cut size, and converting markets of the company's White Paper Division. In total, the mill produces over 600 grade/color/basis weight combinations in the 10 pound to 45 pound sub-weight range. Carbonless, one of the most complex specialty grades produced in the world, represents about half the mill's production. The fact that Vancouver is the only source of carbonless in Boise Cascade presents unique challenges in servicing our customers. Sufficient inventories are maintained to insulate them from normal production variations which may occur at the mill. However, any extensive production problem could negatively impact our ability to meet customer requirements.
It was against this complex business background that Boise Cascade in July 1988 selected Vancouver to begin trial work to convert the mill to alkaline papermaking. Trials at Vancouver would also support conversion efforts for the other four mills in the White Paper Division. An additional challenge facing the mill was that it had a very limited technical staff to tackle a change of this magnitude. We all realized 1989 was going to be a very interesting year.
Alkaline papermaking is strategically important to Vancouver. In the area of cost, the mill produces about 100 TDP of market pulp to supplement fiber supplied from Boise's mill at St. Helens, Oregon. The ability to increase filler levels in the alkaline process offered major cost savings opportunities by reducing purchased pulp needs. However, quality concerns were equally important in our decision. The improved optical properties, bulk, colors, and runnability of the alkaline sheet would help improve quality issues with our products when compared to hardwood grades produced east of the Rockies. Also, we were very aware that our major carbonless competition was in the process of converting their production to alkaline. We strongly believed that we would be at a significant competitive disadvantage in quality performance if w did not also have an alkaline basesheet for our carbonless product line.
Vancouver's complexity and size made it the ideal choice to begin the corporate alkaline development effort. Its broad grade structure would provide the most learning support to the other mills. Its smaller machines provided the least product risk from trial production and the opportunity to trial more conditions in the same amount of production. Finally, since Vancouver was the most complex mill it would probably take the longest to convert. So why not start it first.
Because of our limited knowledge of alkaline papermaking and our limited technical resources, success of our conversion would hinge on effective utilization of outside resources. Over a two-month period, all aspects of the papermachine process were examined to determine which chemical systems would change. Suppliers were selected. All key suppliers joined with the mill and R&D resources to form the Alkaline Team in October 1988. That team for the next 18 months worked together to help design and execute all trials, trial equipment system, and permanent system installations. Decisions on addition points, process changes, and chemistry direction were made only after input from all key players an the tem. Open discussion among the suppliers was the norm, with the focus on system and total process optimization. The Alkaline Team became an integral part of the mill organization. The alkaline conversion of Vancouver mould never have occurred without the commitment and dedication of these outside resources to this project. Equally important, however, was the extensive involvement of mill people (Superintendents, Supervisors, Operators, Engineers) who challenged the suppliers, listened to the input, and professionally executed the agreed-upon plans. Most people participating with the Vancouver Alkaline Team feel it was one of the most effective diverse working groups they've been associated with.
In order to convert Vancouver to alkaline the decision was made to trial every major grade category produced by the roll both from a paper production and customer application standpoint. We originally envisioned three major papermachines trials, one each machine, with each trial lasting two to three days. During the trial, the machine's water system mould be isolated from the other machines causing about a two million gallon/day increase in water and effluent processing. Trials, as much as possible, were tied to machine maintenance days to minimize downtime for trial system tie-ins and boilouts.
Trial conditions focused in two primary areas. First, we had to get control of the alkaline chemistry. Filler and chemical addition changes were made to determine process responses and basic optimization. Second, we had to produce all major grade categories for customer evaluation. The products selected were various base weights of forms bond, envelope, xerographic, safety paper, Hi-opaque , CF carbonless, and carbonless basestocks for CF, CFB, and self-contained. Also, some colors in some grades were produced to develop a general understanding of dye responses in alkaline prior to the conversion.
All trial product off the machines was then evaluated in the major converting applications for that grade at customer sites. Sales selected customers to insure that the entire range of converting equipment would see the paper. For example, in forms bond and carbonless grades, we evaluated snap-out, continuous (roll to roll, roll to sheet), and stock tab type of press equipment applications in trialing the paper. Customers were aware up front of product change and were asked to evaluate specific performance characteristics. Mill or sales representatives were present in almost all instances as over 30 customer trials were conducted on the various grades. Examples of haw this approach paid off seen in the envelope and xerographic grades where several process modifications were necessary before the products were formulated to perform satisfactorily on all the converting equipment. All good trial product not used in customer evaluations was held in inventory until the mill conversion, when it became part of the normal product line.
Unfortunately, we were overly optimistic in believing we would complete our work in three papermachine trials. Eight trials were actually conducted over the course of a year, primarily driven by a problem with coating the alkaline carbonless basestock satisfactorily on our off machine coater. Resolving this issue extended our development time by almost six months and required several additional capital expenditures not originally anticipated. This time was also used to train our crews, sales force, and key customers on what to expect in the alkaline products.
On December 7, 1989, one year to the day from the first alkaline trial, Vancouver started up as an alkaline papermaking process. The extensive trial work gave us a solid base to quickly stabilize all three paper machines. We were also confident that the paper we were making would be acceptable to our customers. During that first month, the mill produced 106 different grade/color combinations of product. By January 1990, the mill was back to budgeted production rates, and continues to run extremely well. During the first four months of 1990, efficiencies are up 3.6 percentage points on our papermachines and 3 percentage points on our Off Machine Coater when compared to 1989 results ' The mill is running at 101 percent of budgeted production, and has shown a 2 percent improvement over 1989 production rates. Equally important, the product quality improvement rates have been significant, and the paper is performing well for our customers.
We have now settled into the phase of process optimization. The pace is rapid, and our biggest challenge is to keep control of the change process. Management of product quality and process control specifications is critical to keeping the crews and production management organizations informed of changes. Each week, nuances to the alkaline chemistry are discovered, and each month improvements in product quality are seen when compared to the previous month. Some of the major process issues we are working today are summarized below.
A. Sheet formation appearance initially deteriorated after conversion. The alkaline sheet carries more water than in the acid process. Optimization of retention chemistry, headbox water flaw rate, wire table foil geometry, and refining levels was necessary to correct this problem. Within six weeks, formation on all grades was back to preconversion levels, and over the past two months major improvements in formation quality have occurred on many grades.
B. Some level of speed loss has been seen on all three papermachines. Because of many equipment, grade, and process changes, it's hard to determine exactly how much speed loss actually is related to alkaline, but we currently estimate it about 100 FPM, or 6.25 percent. Mill production is up, however, because of the improved efficiencies on the papermachines and Off Machine Coater, and the reduced carbonless waste in our Finishing Room due to improved quality of the carbonless products. The same issues discussed above in formation also impacted this speed loss. The use of drainage aids, and some fine ground calcium carbonate to supplement our PCC filler, are currently being trialed to address this issue. Mechanical improvements to our steam and condensate system are also planned, as the change to alkaline caused us to identify deficiencies in these systems not previously recognized under acid conditions. We expect to recover the speed loss.
C. Sizing efficiency and control has also required major attention, as it did in the acid process. Addition points of all the wet end chemicals have been trialed at various levels and locations to optimize sizing. The number of "unexplained sizing loss" incidents has decreased as we learn more how to control the chemistry, but this problem is not yet totally solved. We have reduced traditional sizing targets on grades where our trial work with customers confirmed old targets were unnecessarily high. This work has occurred primarily on the light weight grades (10 lb. to 15 lb.).
D. Deposit problems in the wire and felt sections have also been an issue on all three papermachines. Buildup on the foil blades in the wire section has impacted wire life and also is a probable cause of some of the speed loss experienced to date. Hydrolyzed AKD is a major component of the deposits. Sizing efficiency and steps to reduce AKD sizing, as well as other chemicals, has been the primary focus in addressing deposits. Use of talc and dispersants has also helped reduce the magnitude of this problem.
We expect this intense focus on alkaline optimization to continue for at least the next two years at Vancouver. While we are working with the same issues the papermakers have dealt with in the acid process for over 40 years, the finessing of the process has changed. Cause/effect relationships are different. New action steps to resolve normal papermaking problems unit be learned. Changes in product quality and performance have impacted every part of the manufacturing process in the mill. These changes also required major education of the sales force and extensive involvement with customers as they adapted to the new procedure. Vancouver's conversion has been successful because we approached it w a change affecting all aspects of our business, not just as a paper chemistry modification. Alkaline paper will play a key role in the mill's competitive position for the 1990s.
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