From one mixer to 19 units: Almost 40 years at Sonoco's paper mill in Skjern
When equipment remains part of production for almost 40 years, what matters most is how well it performs day after day.
The paper mill in Skjern, Denmark, has been producing paper since the 1960s and is now part of the Sonoco Group. The mill produces paper from recycled materials for the packaging industry, a process where reliable equipment and stable operations are essential.
Landia equipment has been part of production since 1987, when the first Landia mixer was supplied. Today, the mill has eight mixers, two long-shaft pumps, five submersible pumps and four dry-installed pumps operating throughout the facility. The oldest unit still serviced by Landia dates back to 1992.
A demanding production process
Some of Landia's equipment handles pulp and recycled process water from paper production. The water is reused around 15 times, and the different pumps and mixers each have their own role in the process.
The mixers keep the pulp moving in the tanks, preventing it from settling and keeping it fluid. The long-shaft pumps keep the recycled water circulating, while other pumps move hot pulp and other process media around the mill.
Foreign objects can also find their way into the process. Recently, a traffic cone ended up in one of the mill's long-shaft pumps. On another occasion, a pair of jeans travelled through the system and wrapped itself around the equipment.
Equipment that needs little attention
Despite the tough operating conditions, Landia's equipment takes up very little of the staff's time.
"We hardly ever touch it. It just runs on its own without any problems," says Anders Nielsen from Sonoco.
One of the long-shaft pumps operates under particularly demanding conditions. For this reason, Sonoco keeps a spare unit on site. About every six months, the mill's own team swaps the pumps and sends the removed unit to Landia for servicing.
Local service makes a difference
According to Anders Nielsen, the main reason Landia equipment is used in several areas of the mill is simple: it works.
"It just works. We don't have to think about it during daily operations, and we also have service close by."
The relationship with Landia's service technicians has developed over many years. Jørgen Ejvind, for example, has been visiting the mill for around 15 years, while Bram has been a regular technician on site for about five years. More recently, Alex has also joined the team working with Sonoco. This means the service technicians know the mill, its equipment and the work that needs to be done.
"They just come in and get straight to work. They know exactly what we need and where everything is located," says Anders Nielsen.
For Sonoco, it's about more than pumps and mixers. It's about having equipment that is suited to the job and service technicians who know the mill and its installations.
It all started with a single Landia mixer in 1987. Almost 40 years later, Landia equipment is still part of daily production at the paper mill in Skjern.
