Survey of Data Management Systems Used in the Pulp and Paper Industry

Pulp and paper mills are increasingly implementing process information systems with the goal of better tracking, troubleshooting and optimizing their processes. In the field of process engineering as well as in the field of business process engineering, these information systems are playing an increasingly important role. However, their potential is far from being fully exploited, in large part due to a lack of dedicated resources for applications development at mills. There is also a rapid growth in applications capability being driven by system vendors, expanding the potential for finding value in process data. Some applications in the pulp and paper industry discussed in this paper include: 1. data historians for storing process data and using this data for process trouble-shooting; 2. enterprise asset management systems for streamlining maintenance tasks; 3. manufacturing execution systems for streamlining manufacturing, distribution operations and business processes.