Spinnova and industrial manufacturing conglomerate Siemens have teamed to accelerate fiber production at Woodspin, the Finnish textile fiber firm’s joint venture with pulp manufacturer Suzano.
Through this collaboration, Spinnova reduced its time to market by incorporating and installing Siemens’ Xcelerator automation technologies, software and services at the Finland-based Woodspin factory. Specifically, by using digital twins to optimize product and production processes and IT and OT convergence for enhanced transparency and cybersecurity measures.
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“Working with Siemens has transformed how we approach manufacturing. Their technological expertise has enabled us to ramp up production quickly and brings credibility to our mission,” Tuomas Oijala, CEO of Spinnova, said in a statement. “This collaboration isn’t just about advancing technology; it’s also paving the way for a sustainable future in the textile industry.”
The factory was “simulated and virtually commissioned” using a digital twin with Plant Simulation,” including operations, material flow, what-if scenarios and bottleneck identification. Plant Simulation is a model within Siemens’ Tecnomatix portfolio of software solutions for digitalizing manufacturing that helps companies optimize throughput.
Before the factory became operational, Spinnova said, the digital twin was used to speed up, optimize and coordinate the raw material base’s research and development by using Siemens’ Opcenter software, a portfolio of manufacturing operations management (MOM) solutions to guarantee “consistent quality” from raw material to finished fiber. This ultimately “saved time, maintained quality and increased confidence in smooth operations,” the Puma partner said.
The entire “automation architecture” is based on Siemens’ Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) concept, where the portal “integrates line control, safety technology, end-to-end diagnostics, drives, and field devices in a unified platform,” Siemens said.
The technology giant’s “Industrial Edge” computing platform allows Spinnova to collect, process and analyze operational data from industrial assets. That data is then sent to the cloud for analysis, tracking performance indicators like energy consumption while providing transparency to partners and clients. Spinnova’s cybersecurity concept is based on Siemens’ “Defense-in-Depth” concept—a multilayered strategy protecting plants from attack—and uses cybersecurity technology from Siemens as well.
“With their unique technology, based on circularity, Spinnova is setting a new standard for environmental sustainability in the textile industry,” Eryn Devola, head of sustainability at Siemens Digital Industries, said in a statement. “Our Siemens Xcelerator portfolio, our know-how and global network are helping Spinnova scale, reduce time to market and increase operational efficiency.”
