Valmet and CMPC: three years of collaborative relationship with the mill maintenance outsourcing contract in Chile

In June 2021, Valmet, a supplier of technologies, services and automation for the pulp, paper, and energy industries, signed a long-term agreement for maintenance operations with CMPC. Since then, Valmet's subcontract, known as MMO (Mill Maintenance Outsourcing), has been responsible for ensuring the operational continuity of the wood handling area at CMPC's Santa Fe mill in Nacimiento, Chile.

The scope of the agreement considers maintenance reliability engineering, planning, execution of predictive and corrective maintenance during the entire life cycle of the equipment. The target is to ensure 24/7 operational continuity, focusing on process efficiency. To achieve this, the contract relies on a team of more than 50 Valmet professionals, who apply flexible maintenance methods and best practices based on the critical analyses they obtain on a daily basis.

Three years after signing the agreement, Valmet and CMPC maintain a successful collaboration that has allowed CMPC to optimize maintenance in the wood handling area and increase the overall availability of the chippers through predictive maintenance management, which has reduced corrective maintenance by 30%. This, through the correct identification of the root cause of the problems, which translates into a reduction of maintenance costs and less unplanned shutdowns, making it a cost-effective long-term cooperation.

“Our customers in the pulp industry face the challenge of achieving stable production and ensuring safe and sustainable operations. Low availability due to unplanned shutdowns significantly affects production. The results of this agreement prove that we have successfully delivered our services, optimizing our customer's process performance through excellent maintenance operations,” said Timo Harjunpää, Valmet’s Maintenance Outsourcing Director.

In terms of safety, the subcontract stands out in risk prevention actions, recording two years without accidents, equivalent to more than 260,000 hours of work. “The wood handling area has always been of a high intervention nature. Many works are carried out simultaneously, so there is a high level of exposure of people, which is why we initially experienced a period of accidents. The contract conducted risk assessments, a general mapping based on the events that occurred, which allowed us to take actions that were visualized in the field. Good contract management that was aligned with CMPC's internal procedures, demonstrating a very high level of adherence on the part of Valmet,” said Juan Opazo, mechanical Unit Manager at CMPC Santa Fe's Mill.

“The successful collaboration between Valmet and CMPC is a testament to the power of teamwork and a flexible approach that constantly strives for excellence. This agreement has not only optimized operations and significantly reduced corrective maintenance but has also demonstrated the effectiveness of a results-oriented collective effort. Valmet's philosophy of fostering a collaborative environment has translated into tangible improvements for CMPC, further consolidating the relationship between the two organizations,” said Felipe Pérez, MMO Santa Fe’s Manager.