IOT NEWS

Industrial IoT News

Industrial IoT Home

Solenis OPTIX AI Platform Enables Autonomous Chemistry Control

By Ken Briodagh
August 31, 2020

According to a recent release, Solenis, a specialty chemicals producer, is working with a St. Croix Tissue in Maine on continuous process improvement with autonomous chemistry control.

Developed with the ProcessMiner AI platform, the Solenis OPTIX adaptive analytics system reportedly learns complex variable relationships in pulp and paper manufacturing processes to determine a digital measure of product quality, with the goal of optimizing raw materials use and reducing water and energy consumption.

Deployed at St. Croix Tissue in Baileyville, Maine, OPTIX recently enabled the mill to use a closed-loop controller and quality parameter predictions, the mill was able to control its strength chemistry autonomously to optimize chemical feed and adhere to target parameters, according to the release.

“OPTIX has shown that it can reasonably predict different lab-tested parameters,” said Devin Rose, technical manager, St. Croix Tissue. “We’ve used this prediction in a closed-loop controller and successfully reduced variation in the final product. As a result, we’re excited about the value of this program.”

Launched by Solenis in early 2019, the OPTIX platform is operational in nine paper mills in North America and Europe. AI-powered predictive analytics of key quality parameters can allow on-the-fly process improvement, near-real-time process insights and continuous chemical control, the company said.

“Solenis continues to deliver innovative solutions that solve the complex problems that exist in the pulp and paper industry,” said Andreas Türk, president, Eurasia, Solenis. “Our partnership with ProcessMiner enables us to uniquely deliver the cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning technology required for real-time, predictive analytics and autonomous manufacturing. Our latest OPTIX offering, autonomous chemistry optimization, is another example of Solenis delivering the value our customers need to stay competitive.”

“Solenis has been the ideal partner for driving autonomous manufacturing in the pulp and paper industry, leveraging the technology we’ve developed,” said Karim Pourak, cofounder and CEO, ProcessMiner. “We expect rapid adoption and mill expansion of the OPTIX platform in this industry as a result of our recent autonomous control success at St. Croix Tissue.”


Ken Briodagh is a storyteller, writer and editor with about two decades of experience under his belt. He is in love with technology and if he had his druthers would beta test everything from shoe phones to flying cars.

Edited by Ken Briodagh
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]

Editorial Director

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Related Articles

Semitech Semiconductor Dual-Mode Communication Platform Receives G3-PLC Hybrid Certification

By: Alex Passett    5/25/2023

Semitech Semiconductor, a provider of high-performance IoT/IIoT products, received official certification from the G3-Alliance on its SM2400 PLC+RF du…

Read More

'Warehouse Cleaning, Without Compromise' - Avidbots Launches its Neo 2W Autonomous Cleaning Robot

By: Alex Passett    5/15/2023

Purpose-built for dynamic IIoT environments, Avidbots' Neo 2W automates time-consuming, labor-intensive tasks that come with floor care.

Read More

Next-Gen Lithium-Ion Battery Packs: In-Progress Innovation from Flux Power Holdings and UL Solutions

By: Alex Passett    5/11/2023

Flux Power Holdings has completed UL Solutions' third-party, data-backed certification and compliance testing and will move on to the next phase hitti…

Read More

Emerson's SolaHD has Launched its IIoT Network Connectivity and Power Supply Solution

By: Alex Passett    5/8/2023

SolaHD, an Emerson brand, has launched its next-gen power solution for bringing network connectivity to its SDN-D power supply and its SCM, or SolaHD …

Read More

Heavy Lifting in IIoT: Alleviating Labor Shortages as Challenges Impact the Supply Chain Industry

By: Alex Passett    5/4/2023

Ivanti Wavelink recently announced the results of its "Heavy Lift: Supply Chain Trends for 2023" survey that looked at more than 200 different types o…

Read More