Safety is a continuous journey at Lilla Edet

Essity’s Lilla Edet mill in southwestern Sweden produces toilet paper and paper towels under the Tork and Lotus brands. The mill’s annual capacity is around 100,000 tonnes. At Essity, success is built on employees’ health, safety and well-being.

“As a company, we strive to develop an environment that contributes to a long-term healthy working life, and our employees are encouraged to act immediately when they encounter conditions and behavior that increase the risk of accidents. I know Valmet has the same priorities, and that’s one of the reasons our cooperation has flourished for such a long time,” says Mikael Wulff, Maintenance Engineer at Essity Lilla Edet.  

Site visits always feature a safety walk

Safety is an important part of the customer experience Valmet offers. Johnny Ånerud, Mill Sales Manager at Valmet, explains how he includes safety in his work:

“Every time I visit a customer mill, I walk around the paper machine to see if I can spot anything unusual. After 50 years of experience, I believe I’ve developed eyes and ears for how the machine should run. I usually do the safety walk with the mill’s maintenance staff, but I also often walk around on my own.”

Valmet is responsible for the biannual Yankee dryer inspections for the mill’s three tissue machines but performs other maintenance work too as agreed separately. Ånerud visits the Lilla Edet mill regularly, once or twice a month.

Safety observation leads to replacement of cantilever bolts

Recently, Mikael Wulff discovered noticeable wear in the eight rods and bolts supporting the heavy cantilever frame beams on Lilla Edet’s TM 5 and invited Johnny Ånerud to check it out.

 “I’m glad I did that, as the breakdown of those bolts could’ve led to serious damage to the machine and probable harm to the operators. Instead, the rods and bolts were replaced by new ones in time,” Wulff says.

Replaced bolts supporting the heavy cantilever frame beams

Replacing the damaged parts was a tangible outcome of the good cooperation and open communication between Lilla Edet and Valmet about safety, making employees safer and enhancing the reliable performance of the production line.

Safety is a continuous journey – processes and practices are constantly improved, and a positive safety culture is nurtured. Mikael Wulff appreciates how Valmet actively promotes safety.

“I always feel safe when Valmet is working for us,” Wulff says.

Safety comes first

Valmet has streamlined its services through the “Valmet’s way to serve” concept. The aim is to provide the best customer experience at all the touchpoints of the customer journey. Valmet’s services are based on a comprehensive service offering, lifecycle collaboration and core commitments.

One of the four core commitments is “Safety comes first.” Safety comes first in our daily operations, and we support our customers in achieving their safety targets. HSE Walks and HSE inspections, often referred to as safety walks, exemplify Valmet’s activities on customer sites, which ensure the safety of all.