Success Stories / Paper Machines
Unit Optimization Service · Paper Machines
A 10% improvement in average PID loop performance delivers annual gains of roughly $600K* on a typical 300 ton/day paper machine, realized through tighter moisture control, less over-target fibre content, lower dryer energy consumption, and fewer reel breaks and off-spec loads.
~$600K
Annual gain per machine from a 10-point OCE recovery
The challenge
Paper machines are among the most control-intensive unit operations in the process industries. Dozens to hundreds of PID loops regulating headbox, wet-end, press section, dryer cans, and MD/CD moisture and basis-weight controllers interact continuously. A single disturbance in one loop can propagate through the sheet in minutes. Efficient, on-spec production means keeping the entire interactive control system healthy, not tuning a loop after performance slips.
In practice, most mills lack meaningful, real-time visibility into how well their regulatory controls perform in spite of the information captured by supervisory control systems. It is not uncommon for loops to be shifted into manual, saturate against output limits, or oscillate quietly for months, degrading product quality long before an operator notices the trend on the DCS. Those costs can be traced back to specific points on the machine.
Where the losses originate
Over-weight product
Excess fibre added at the headbox and wire to guarantee minimum-weight spec.
Off-spec & broke
Press and dryer draws are where sheet breaks originate as moisture variance widens.
Energy waste
Dryer steam is the largest variable cost; poor control means inefficient drying.
Customer claims
The reel scanner is the final gate. Inconsistent moisture here reaches the customer.
*Based on a 10-point recovery in average OCE (fibre + energy + broke savings combined), scaled to a typical $75M/year, 300 t/day paper machine; actual results vary with machine size and starting baseline.
Overall Controller Effectiveness · A Universal Performance Measure
The connection between PID performance and paper machine economics is not theoretical. PlantESPâ„¢ is the leading control loop performance monitoring (CLPM) solution. PlantESP actively monitors PID performance on a plant-wide basis, and it has been successfully deployed on dozens of paper machines.
Among its metrics, PlantESP scores every loop using Overall Controller Effectiveness (OCE). Like OEE, OCE is a composite KPI that assesses three operating attributes (Availability, Performance, Quality) and facilitates the benchmarking of individual PID loops, unit operations, and entire facilities.
≥ 95%
Availability
Time in Normal (auto/cascade)
≥ 90%
Performance
Time Not Saturated (off limits)
≥ 85%
Quality
% Good Error within tolerance
Overall Controller Effectiveness =
Time in Normal × Time Not Saturated × % Good Error
A loop meeting all three thresholds scores 72.7%, the threshold for world-class control. Because the terms multiply, a loop running only 80/80/80 falls to 51.2%. OCE highlights weakness in any one dimension, which is why it gauges control quality and financial exposure alike. Try the OCE calculator
Framing poor performance as lost profit
0.44
Median normalized variation, 102 loops
~$150K
Annual fibre savings from closing half the gap
−0.47
Spearman correlation, p < 0.001
6,444
Hours of aligned data · 11M+ records
A project-based, control-strategy-improvement offering purpose-built for interactive, multi-loop unit operations like a paper machine. Engage to find and fix the losses, then sustain the gains. Explore the service →
Engage · 01–04
01 Kick-off
Prioritize by Strategy
Rank loops, units, and areas against the mill's own goals: moisture, energy, throughput.
02 Monthly
Identify Bad Actors
Control Station engineers pinpoint that scope's top 10 bad-actor loops every month.
03 Monthly
Tune the Loops
Four hours per month of direct, hands-on tuning support to resolve those loops.
04 As needed
Strategy Change
When tuning cannot close the gap, escalate to a more strategic assessment and action plan.
Sustain · Ongoing
Quarterly
Assess the Value
Financial impact of the 10–20% typical Percent Good Error (PGE) gain from resolved bad-actor tuning.
Monthly
Track OCE Live
Unit Operation Performance Indicators in PlantESP keep the OCE trend visible.
Quarterly
Report to Stakeholders
Benchmark against industry peers for sponsors and non-technical stakeholders.
Annual
Plan the Roadmap
Update a one-to-three year plan for closing whatever performance gap remains.
Keep reading
Decades of domain expertise
Control Station is the process industry's leading provider of controller performance monitoring and analytics. PlantESPâ„¢ supports hundreds of facilities worldwide, backed by an engineering team focused solely on process control.
Contact us for a no-obligation loop performance assessment and a mill-specific estimate of the opportunity hidden in your regulatory controls.
Request an AssessmentEnter your details and we’ll send benchmark results comparing your plant against data from 150+ production facilities.
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