2022
If you look at history, innovation doesn’t come just from giving people incentives; it comes from creating environments where their ideas can connect.
Steven Johnson
(born 1968), Science author and media theorist.
MESSAGE FROM
Steve Binnie
Chief Executive Officer Sappi Limited
For the 2022 financial year, Sappi delivered record results. Good years provide us with additional opportunities to invest to strengthen and grow, including through technical innovation. However, the 2023 financial year has been challenging so far... and yet, despite these tough times, management’s commitment to technical innovation remains unchanged and Sappi’s innovative spirit remains undaunted.
It is a fundamental belief that if we want to limit the impact of harsh market conditions, we cannot interrupt our commitment to and energy for the innovation process. It becomes ever more important that we deliver new products, remove costs, simplify processes and be open to new ideas and that we collaborate closely as OneSappi.
For these reasons, I am incredibly proud of Sappi’s technical talent, represented by our TIA 2022 finalists and regional winners. The expertise, energy, innovative thinking, new product developments and process improvements displayed are helping to deliver on our Thrive25 strategy. It also infuses confidence that Sappi has a great future. You have demonstrated our theme of Think, Inspire, Amplify! Through action.
Thank you for being so dedicated to the success of our business and to delivering on our Purpose of building a thriving world.
The world may be rapidly changing, and sometimes things seem messy. However, you have shown that by applying deep knowledge, using your expertise, and focusing on delivering value to our customers, it is possible to cut through the confusion, break through the status quo, and keep Sappi on track.
I am confident that we will rise above every challenge, and fulfil each strategic objective, because of the excellent work that colleagues like yourself continue to do around the globe.
Congratulations and keep it up!
MESSAGE FROM
Gary Bowles
Group Head Technology Sappi Limited
Expand. Intensify. Augment. Elevate. The projects recognised in our 23rd Technical Innovation Awards all align with this year’s TIA focus - to Amplify Sappi’s Thrive25 strategy.
The various teams recognised across our regions have worked purposefully and collaboratively towards fulfilling our strategic objectives: growth in packaging and speciality products, product diversification, efficiency, productivity, quality and sustainable solutions for improved products and optimised processes. The high level of teamwork, positivity and commitment to innovation displayed by these colleagues add significant value and momentum to the business.
Taking a broad view of the current global market and consumer trends - albeit that we operate in a volatile and uncertain macro environment - Sappi is currently in a good space. Our natural and renewable cellulose resource base and product capabilities are aligned with effective practices that ensure that we are well-positioned to continue offering solutions for sustainable product alternatives.
To remain fit for the future, we must continue to take advantage of these opportunities, so more than ever, technical excellence and innovation is required. This includes all aspects of operational, manufacturing, asset maintenance, capital project execution and R&D optimisation - anything that moves the needle in achieving our OneSappi outcomes. It’s also vital to share our learnings and know-how on an inter-mill, regional and global basis and to stay focused on applying and extending technology and knowledge that creates value.
As we navigate through the rest of 2023, including the many other strategic projects: Synergy, Pelati, Simunye, Advanced Analytics, Robotics, Accolade and Digital transformation initiatives, let us continue to think, inspire and amplify our efforts to engage with each other; as we continue to build a solid technology base from which to execute and sustain Sappi’s strategy, using data-based decision making to execute with speed.
Congratulations to all the nominees this year for your ongoing commitment to move the needle. You are an inspiration to us all.
MESSAGE FROM
Marco Eikelenboom
Chief Executive Officer Sappi Europe
Innovation is a complex, company-wide endeavour that requires cross-cutting practices and processes to structure, organise and encourage it. Our regional participation in the annual Technical Innovation Awards shows our passion, dedication and pride in Europe to carry out these practices and be part of Sappi’s global innovation story. This year the TIA theme was Think, Inspire, Amplify, and our teams took that to heart across Europe.
Innovation in all its forms sets Sappi apart from our competition, and these awards help us bring recognition to the outstanding work our often multi-disciplinary teams undertake. Alongside our regional award, the Technical Excellence category was again awarded in Europe this year and was well deserved.
I want to thank all the teams who participated and let every entrant know they are highly valued. While one team wins, the TIA brings genuine engagement across all our teams and regions to solve problems, create solutions, and seize opportunities. The TIA helps develop the building blocks which take us not only forward but also help to elevate our position towards a thriving world.
Think, Inspire, Amplify!
2022
Albert Djerfi
Claus Finke
Stefan Goelz
Bernd Jerg
European
Regional Winner
Ehingen Mill
Digester optimisation
Minimising energy demand through improvements in energy efficiency makes a critical contribution to reducing CO2 emissions. Although the sulphite pulping process dates back over a century, there are still opportunities to improve the process.
At the end of the cooking process, hot gas and water vapour must be released from the digester before emptying it. The team found that installing a new liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger led to substantial energy savings and opened further opportunities to improve the process.
Using the high energy potential of the cooking liquid (acid and lignin) during the exhaust-gas process combined with pressure relief at the end of a batch cooking is unique and not used anywhere. Whilst reducing the cycle time per batch cooking, it allowed prolonging the cooking time, allowing for milder cooking conditions. Consequently, the yield after cooking increased. Also, the concentration of the cooking acid in the high-pressure tank increased, which meant less make-up SO2 was needed. A significant reduction of water vapours in the exhaust gases meant the raw cooking-acid spillover to the wastewater plant was much lower and led to a reduction of H2O2 to ‘neutralise’ the SO3.
The realisation of this project generates total savings of approximately EUR800,000 per year by a CAPEX volume of EUR385,000 (ROI < 0.5 per year) and supports Ehingen’s pulp mill to be best in class (SEU) concerning raw material consumption.
Alexander Rief
Think, Inspire, Amplify!
2022
European Finalists
Gratkorn Mill
Parade Label SG development
One of Sappi’s Thrive25 targets is to expand and grow the packaging and speciality papers business in all regions. In support of this strategy, a new face-stock grade (Parade Label SG) with high smoothness for rotogravure printing and laser marking was developed. The structural design of Parade Label SG allows for increased stiffness, volume, and opacity and hinders curl.
During the development of this new grade, the team cooperated closely with customers to find tailor-made solutions to fulfil specific needs. The market accepted the new product well, leading to an improved contribution and increased sales volumes. Even before the official launch of Parade Label SG, this joint approach to product development resulted in a sales volume of 2,400 tons at an EBITDA of EUR672,000.
The proportion of Parade Label SG in the EBITDA volume for Gratkorn Mill during FY22 was 4%, with a substantially increasing trend.
Hubert Benedikt Michael Bethge Gernot Beyrer
Wolfgang Fischer Franz Frisch Flavio Froehli
Think, Inspire, Amplify!
2022
Robert Gabriel-Juergens
Manfred Hausegger
Reinhold Hochegger
Jan Kleinhapl
Harald Hacker
Josef Hirschenberger
Thomas Hoelzlsauer
Peter Kumpusch
Heinz Hochegger
Rens Huijnen
Hans-Juergen Lind
Bernardo Semadeni
Gunnar Sieber
Filip Van Ranst
Think, Inspire, Amplify!
2022
European Finalists
Alfeld and Carmignano Mills Special pigments replacement
Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, many companies have needed to overcome complex supply chain challenges. A supplier significantly reduced volumes of a critical pigment, which provided specific properties to several grades in our speciality papers business. This curtailment was of great concern for the Alfeld and Carmignano Mills because it impacted the performance of the paper grades during various converting steps, for example, lamination, lacquering, metallisation and PE-extrusion.
A cross-functional team took up the challenge to redesign the top coating concept and quickly came up with a new model. The resulting recipe has resolved the pending business continuity issue and helped fulfil extended food certifications with the added benefit of considerable savings.
By deploying this new top coating concept without Ansilex, we ensured business continuity for more than 60,000 tons per year from Alfeld Mill and 4,500 tons per year from Carmignano Mill. Implementing this collaborative and innovative solution mitigated a business risk of up to EUR26.05 million.
The business continuity achievement accompanied an annual variable cost saving (run-rate) of EUR826,000 for Alfeld Mill and EUR53,000 for Carmignano Mill.
Think, Inspire, Amplify!
2022
Barbara Busnardo
Karin Hofer
Ayse Madani
Jan-Phillip Harz
Harald Kafitz
Thomas Marahrens
Frank Hermes
Joachim Kraft
Bjoern Sandvoss
Peter Schwarz
Roland Stephan
Jens Wlodarczyk
Think, Inspire, Amplify!
2022
Franz Fleck
Wolfgang Fuchs
Eimear Maria Gyoerek
Juergen Hoerzer
Thomas Poelzl
European
Technical excellence
Gratkorn Mill
Taurus MgO delignification
Sustainability is vital to Sappi’s business, and meeting stricter environmental legislation is essential. Gratkorn Mill has a long tradition of adapting and taking measures to reduce emissions. The most recent challenge was to comply with the Industrial Emission Directive, which limits the chemical oxygen demand (COD) emissions to water per ton of produced pulp.
Initially, a team of R&D experts from the mill and the SSA Technology Centre investigated three options to find the best solution. The team rejected the solution to install an ultrafiltration plant for the bleaching/delignification effluent and the solution to add an ozone delignification stage. The best viable option was using magnesium oxide (MgO) as a pulping and bleaching chemical.
Several trials followed to prove the concept before investing in this technology at EUR4.3 million. The project was successful, and the investment paid off - implementing MgO as a base in the pre-bleaching plant saved a significant amount of CAPEX compared to Ultrafiltration or compared to O3.
The technology reduced COD emissions to water considerably, and the mill now meets the new regulatory demands concerning COD emissions.
Ronald Schnitzer
Dominik Strommer Roman Wieser Heribert Winter
The value of an idea lies in the using of it.
Thomas Edison
(1847 - 1931), Inventor.
Think, Inspire, Amplify!
MESSAGE FROM
Mike Haws
President and Chief Executive Officer Sappi North America
The Technical Innovation Awards is one of my favourite events of the year. I always look forward to the opportunity for Sappi leadership to honour and recognise our colleagues for their innovative and cutting-edge advancements to our business. I’m proud of the new products, improved processes and inventive ways of thinking that come from the ingenuity of our Sappi teammates, both here in North America and across the globe.
Innovation is truly embedded in our DNA at Sappi. The initiatives the TIA finalists drive are critical to our success and create millions of dollars of economic impact for our company. This year’s TIA participants exemplify this legacy of innovation through their contributions to our company and industry. Each project demonstrated creativity and perseverance against some complex technical challenges.
As we continue implementing our Thrive25 strategy, while the R&D group is at the centre of our development work, innovation is part of every department’s role. I am excited by the opportunities we have yet to discover in an industry and a world facing more pressing challenges every day. I am also proud of our focus on making every day more sustainable by using the power of renewable resources to benefit people, communities and the planet.
I congratulate all the regions on their impressive achievements. By working together in our true OneSappi fashion and expanding our legacy of innovation, we will continue advancing better, more renewable solutions into new and existing markets.
Think, Inspire, Amplify!
2022
Joe Bertolaccini
Michael Browne
Scott Castonguay
Alonzo Osgood
Dean Wellington
Jeff Whittum
North American
Regional Winner
Somerset Mill
PM1 Blister board development
Sappi’s Proto Blister paperboard is designed as part of the Proto grade family. It will have a significant premium over the average folding carton and food service business due to the stringent performance requirements of the product. ‘Blister pack’ is a general term that describes packaging that uses a translucent thermoformed pocket or cup that covers the product, which is then heat sealed to an adhesive-coated paperboard card (blister board). The blister board is then expected to fail within the fibre layer yielding fibre tear onto the heat-sealed ‘blister’cup when torn away from the substrate upon product removal. This inherently designed failure mode is crucial to the blister board product, as failure in either the coating or printing layers is deemed unacceptable. The technical innovation is optimising the standard Proto grade into a Proto Blister paperboard that adequately performs within all required quality constraints with minimal transitional time and changes on PM1.
Individual customer sites use different heat seal coating chemistries (PVC vs PET) as well as varying blister sealing parameters (temperature, pressure, time) and printing methods (conventional vs UV-cured inks). To facilitate trial work assessment, it was a considerable undertaking to develop an in-house blister performance test, including blister sealing and fibre tearing. A test instrument was purchased to establish a bench test procedure correlated with production testing. Development of this test necessitated substantial collaborative work with key customers, in-depth Lean Six Sigma statistical analysis to correlate field results correctly, and the incorporation/ familiarisation of new laboratory equipment.
Scanning electron microscope (SEM) cross-section analysis determined that the fibre tear failure for the blister board occurs in the fibre layer directly under the coated surface, not in the middle of the sheet. Through many iterative bench studies, managed service provider (MSP) pilot trials, mill trials, and customer trials, the operational window of the starch application needed for successful blister board performance was refined and defined.
With the development of Proto Blister, we are ensuring future success with a new robust product line that will have strong market demand and anticipated consistent growth through upcoming business cycles.
Five hundred tons of this product were sold in 2022, an amount constrained by an oversold and allocated environment. The estimated sales growth plan will have Sappi’s share at 3 0% of the market, at 50,000 tons, by 2026. Proto Blister is more than US$200/ton increased profitability over Luster FSB, and will contribute US$2.2 million incremental EBITDA by 2026 with an NPV of US$9.7 million.
Think, Inspire, Amplify!
2022
Ben Boyum
Keith Halvorson
Brandon Hastings
Carl Soller
North American Finalists
Cloquet Mill
High viscosity Lyocell development
The nominated innovation is the successful development and production of a new high viscosity Lyocell pulp grade, the first Lyocell pulp with a high viscosity range known to Sappi.
Typical Lyocell pulp production has a viscosity of 360- 440 mL/g, and customer orders fall within that range. Lenzing approached Cloquet Mill to produce a new grade of Lyocell pulp for their Mobile facility with a higher viscosity range of 480- 520 mL/g. Cloquet Mill’s tight molecular weight distribution allowed them to target a specific viscosity. The specifications for Lyocell pulp are more stringent than typical viscose staple fibre (VSF) grades with higher purity standards for dirt, shives, calcium and acid insolubles. Additionally, Berol is added to VSF grades but is a contaminant in the Lyocell process that causes excessive foaming and hinders customer production. Lastly, the historical variance of final viscosity on VSF grades was approximately 15 mL/g resulting in a low process capability to meet the desired high-viscosity Lyocell range. These items posed the complexity of effectively transitioning to Lyocell within a VSF viscosity production period.
The pulp blending system was vital to this grade development’s success. Implementation of this system allowed both bleached towers to be used, and this system reduced viscosity variance to approximately 10 pts, the tightest tolerance in Sappi.
Production of this grade provides value to our customers. The use of this pulp within their Lyocell process allows the plant to produce lower denier (thinner) fibres due to the higher strength and stability. Lower deniers make for finer fabrics and are sought after for high-end clothing, thus providing a higher financial return to the customer.
Lenzing has agreed to purchase approximately 20,000 tons annually for their Mobile plant at a premium of US$10/ton. The total value for this new pulp grade (higher purchase price, reduced chemical use, higher wood yield and non-A allowance) was US$662,000 (US$33.10/ton) in FY22.
The NPV of this project is US$8.2 million.
Think, Inspire, Amplify!
2022
Joe Allen
Justin Finke
Nick Hanninen
Sefik Tunc
North American Technical Excellence
Cloquet Mill
Recovery boiler reduction efficiency
For decades, the Cloquet Mill RB10 has struggled to achieve industry standard reduction efficiency (RE). Multiple improvement projects have not proven successful or sustainable. A Lean Six Sigma team was formed to tackle the issue.
The team used data from a recently installed Valmet Akali (Metra) analyser, which they deemed best in class. Both literature and expert guidance suggested changing black liquor properties, reducing and relocating combustion air, and better managing liquor gun selection. The team ran dozens of Braincube Hyperlift studies on 4,000 variables to support these theories.
The project resulted in a sustained increase in reduction efficiency from 77.9% to 89%, translating into savings of US$340,000 per year in chemicals and US$280,000 per year in steam generation. In addition, the boiler’s thermal efficiency increased, adding another US$120,000 of annual savings.
The NPV of this project is US$5.4 million.
MESSAGE FROM
Alex Thiel
Chief Executive Officer Sappi Southern Africa
The Amplify our purpose to thrive roadshow in Sappi Southern Africa gave me a chance to share with staff the status of our Thrive25 journey:
G From adapting the business to the demands of a rapidly changing
world,
G To advancing our systems, processes and products, and
G In 2023, further amplifying these actions to help us fulfil the
business targets set for 2025.
An event like the Technical Innovation Awards is incredibly motivating because it honours people who have applied innovative thinking to propel us forward along this journey.
Our changing world brings many challenges but also offers exciting opportunities. In SSA’s case, the chance to capitalise on the growing demand for sustainable products, the requirement for more renewable energy and the opportunity to beneficiate our waste streams.
Innovation in these areas can be game-changing - leading us to minimise our environmental footprint, improve our fibre usage and create new sustainable products.
Our TIA nominees achieved this and more. They are individuals and teams who inspire others to conquer our challenges, explore elegant and effective solutions, and implement these for a better, greener, more sustainable Sappi, country and planet.
By following these fine examples of innovative thinking and collaborative mastery, I believe we will continue to amplify our efforts to achieve Sappi’s purpose to thrive.
Think, Inspire, Amplify!
2022
Ajen Beersing
Linnell Govender
Southern Africa
Regional Winner
Tugela Mill
Lignex recovery improvements
Tugela Mill produces sodium lignosulphonate for sale in various markets, of which the dust-grade market receives approximately 80% of the total liquid sales volumes. With the closure of Lignotech South Africa, there was an opportunity for Sappi to secure additional liquid sales volumes. Tugela Mill was in an excellent position to fill this gap after having just developed a liquor recovery system where liquor previously burnt at a cost through the Copeland reactor would be processed and recovered to produce a saleable product.
Insoluble material (‘insolubles’) in the liquor forms sludge-like properties, which result in equipment blockages, handling issues and poor product performance. It is, therefore, important that these insolubles are removed from the liquor through different cleaning stages. Large volumes of clean, saleable liquor are lost in the cleaning process as insolubles burn with liquor in the Copeland reactor. The salt cake produced can be sold (at a much lower price than that of lignosulphonate) or sent to a landfill (at a high cost).
The team designed a unique system using redundant equipment at the mill. High insoluble content liquor (usually burnt in the Copeland reactor) is passed through an inclined screen to separate the insolubles from the liquor. The insolubles are then sent to landfill while the clean liquor is recovered into the Lignex product resulting in increased saleable liquid volume for the dust grade market. This process is simple yet effective, with the additional benefits of minimal capital and operating costs. The benefits of this innovation are further amplified as the process aligns with our environmental, sustainability and business growth strategies. It allows reduced operation of the Copeland reactor, reduced waste to landfill, and increased liquid sales production.
Since Tugela Mill is the sole producer of sodium lignosulphonate in South Africa, the process (and, therefore, any solutions needed to improve the process) are unique. It follows that there is not much literature or knowledge- sharing in the industry regarding our approach, making troubleshooting and optimising the process much more challenging. The team’s consistent hard work and ‘out of the box’ thinking ensured the success of this project.
This project contributed an 11,500 tons increase in dust grade production valued at ZAR21.3 million in FY22 and a cost saving on running the Copeland reactor of ZAR5.3 million. The reduced landfill cost (ZAR222,000) was offset by the lost potential salt cake sales (ZAR287,000). Overall, this project contributed to a ZAR26.6 million profit for FY22.
Think, Inspire, Amplify!
2022
Shahiedah Fataar
Dolyn Govender
Mosetsanagape Mokgosi
Jason van Breda
Southern Africa Finalists
Ngodwana Mill
Magnesium sulphate for PHK pulp stability
Certain timber species used for dissolving pulp production at Ngodwana Mill incurred high bleaching costs with negative environmental impact, which persisted even after optimising prehydrolysis kraft (PHK) cooking in consultation with the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). The nominated team discovered that low amounts of magnesium sulphate added to the oxygen reactor - an industry first for PHK pulping - stabilised pulp viscosity and increased brightness. It allayed pressure from selecting timber to secure quality requirements and created a final PHK pulp with exceptional Berger Whiteness, bringing together the benefits of good Alpha content, typical for PHK pulps, and brightness previously unachievable.
During mill trials, viscose application testing by the Centre of Excellence (CoE) team members proved no negative impact on the conversion rate. Customer trials later confirmed this result, and the pulp was accepted without reservation. The mill team optimised conditions throughout Fibreline 3, realising savings in bleaching chemicals and a significant environmental improvement. Chlorine dioxide was reduced while ozone dosing was increased, with an overall saving of ZAR9.7 million achieved in FY22. With the repurposing of redundant equipment, the payback was 11.3 days.
The application of magnesium sulphate was a concept not intuitive to PHK pulp, but customer requirements and timber species constraints drove the team to apply beyond design ideas. Through this innovation, absorbable organic halides are reduced by 65% - well within the standards set by European and Nordic Ecolabels and positions the mill alongside total chlorine free (TCF) marketed pulp. Therefore, the avoidance of spending capital to convert the mill to TCF bleaching amounts to further savings and the full annualised benefit for this innovation was calculated at ZAR12.6 million.
Think, Inspire, Amplify!
2022
Maryna Driescher
Cynthia Sigogo
Jabulani Simelane
Southern Africa Commendation
Ngodwana Mill
Electrocoagulation extraction development
Ngodwana Mill is out of compliance with sodium discharge limits in the final effluent. Sodium, a monovalent cation, is difficult to remove from liquid effluents. Several commercially available removal techniques include membrane treatment (reverse osmosis), ion exchange and evaporation. Still, these technologies are expensive and produce waste streams that require disposal and, therefore, do not wholly address the problem of sodium reduction.
Maryna Driescher developed a unique and innovative electrocoagulation technique to effectively reduce the sodium concentration in Ngodwana Mill’s effluent. Maryna identified the anion regeneration waste stream from the demineralisation plants at Ngodwana Mill. This low-volume, high-sodium concentration stream can potentially be treated to recover sodium from the mill effluent. Although the regeneration stream is rich in sodium, it contains a high silica concentration and, therefore, cannot be sent to the recovery boiler. This innovation centres around clever electrochemistry (plate configuration and process conditions), which uses a combination of aluminium (anode) and stainless steel (cathode) electrodes to selectively coagulate the silica to the aluminium, resulting in a sodium-rich stream that can be recovered into the mill’s recovery circuit. It was demonstrated (on lab-scale and mill-scale) that the electrocoagulation can remove over 99% of the silica from the demin regeneration stream.
The team successfully completed two pilot-scale investigations to prove the technology at the mill. The proposed technology will not only allow the mill to reduce sodium in the mill’s effluent by 10% (about 2 tons per day), but the resultant aluminium silicate waste stream could potentially be further beneficiated to become a saleable byproduct from this process. Implementation of the technology will assist the mill in moving closer to achieving compliance with sodium discharge limits of 14 tons per day.
With an estimated capital cost of ZAR20 million, the generated ‘waste’ aluminium silicate sludge could potentially be beneficiated and sold at an estimated annual value of ZAR25 million.
Think, Inspire, Amplify!
2022
Niven Babunandan
Zininzi Khatshane
Raksha Kisunlal
Moloko Masopoga
Southern Africa Commendation
Stanger Mill
Valida-L from bagasse development
A pilot plant was set up at Stanger Mill from existing equipment to evaluate hardwood as a source for producing micro fibrillated cellulose. Bagasse pulp (made from a sugar industry byproduct) was tested and provided improved sheet strength properties compared to hardwood while requiring approximately half the refining energy.
A full-scale plant has been installed at Stanger Mill using two existing refiners to supply both the paper and tissue machines. Benefits expected include a reduction in higher-cost softwood pulp, increased filler on the paper machine, and reduced total energy consumed while maintaining or improving other properties.
The total expected combined savings amount to approximately ZAR20 million (about 20% of mill EBITDA). In addition, Valida-L has shown excellent barrier properties in fibre moulding applications.
Think, Inspire, Amplify!
2022
Technical Innovation Awards Previous winners
2021 Lofte Grobler, David Kgongwane, Malini Sanjith, Neeshan Sankar, Mark Siddall
Sappi Southern Africa
PM2 packaging grades development
2020 Geert Brepoels, René Koehler, Jo Simons, Cees van Esch Alfeld, Lanaken and Maastricht Mills, Sappi Europe Development of Sappi Seal
2019 Peter Fuchs, Ken Jewett
Technology Centre, Sappi Europe, and Technology Center, Sappi North America Image analysis: Hawkeye and Shadow-Caster
2018 Tjerk Boersma, Jos Daniels, Rob de Koning, Jean Peerlings, Peter Pijpers Maastricht Mill, Sappi Europe
Multilayer headbox
2017 Satu Karajalainen, Janne Lehtimäki, Jari Nikkinen Kirkniemi Mill, Sappi Europe
SprayTec technology
2016 Jan Kleinhapl, Wolfgang Pacher, Karin Hofer, Laura Liukkonen, Rainer Lex Gratkorn and Ehingen Mills, Sappi Europe
Cracking at the fold
2015 Harald Hacker, Andreas Strommer, Steffan Franz, Reinhold Hochegger, Frisch Franz Gratkorn Mill, Sappi Europe
Gloss96 - Hot-Soft-Nip calendering
2014 Tjerk Boersma, Jos Daniels, Jean Peerlings, Marc Houben, Ton Sturtz Maastricht Mill and Technology Centre, Sappi Europe
Improve CAF by size press imitation
2013 Christian Dietershagen, Manfred Spielmann, Gino Geerardyn, Mirco Fath, Rachid Skalli Stockstadt Mill, Sappi Europe
Glossy paper without calendering
2012 Francois Wolfaardt, Derek Simpson Technology Centre, Sappi Southern Africa Saiccor Mill extractives treatment
2011 Jens Becker, Franz Eiser, Harald Kafitz, Kerstin Dietze, Bernd Schuldt Alfeld Mill, Sappi Europe
Development of new generation Fusion Topliner
2010 John Hoering, Allen Hooper, William Hamilton, Mark Philbrick, Chris Jasonides Westbrook Mill and Technology Center, Sappi North America
Development of Ultracast Mokka
2009 Gary Blenkhorn, Wayne Biloeau, Robert Murray, Jacques van Riel
Westbrook Mill and Technology Center, Sappi North America, and Sappi Europe (Brussels) Development of Against Web Cure (AWC) process
2008 Karin Kruger, Mandy Benade, Jason Knock, Bonisile Mokoena, Vinotha Bheem Enstra Mill and Technology Centre, Sappi Southern Africa
Republic of South Africa passport development
What is the calculus of innovation?
The calculus of innovation is really quite simple: Knowledge drives innovation, innovation drives productivity, productivity drives economic growth.
William Brody
(Born 1944), Scientist