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. It improves pulp quality, and operation efficiency and profitability by enabling end-to-end traceability, dynamic optimization and smarter decision-making.
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.
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ABB has launched a plant optimizer for pulp mills to help address challenges through three core capabilities: end-to-end traceability, economic optimization and operational resilience. It 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 the 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.
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Commenting on the new solution, Mr. Sanjit Shewale, Global Division Head of Digital, ABB’s Process Industries division, said ‘‘Digitalization is not only about data access – it’s about turning operational complexity into clear, coordinated action. 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.
