€450K/Month Recovered in One 8-Hour Downtime — Thanks to a ParAlign Service at a Paper Mill

Summary

Fluke helped one of Europe’s largest paper mills uncover and correct a critical misalignment in the press section of a paper machine during a single 8-hour maintenance window. The ParAlign Roll Alignment service team measured just one section of the machine yet delivered outsized results, restoring full-sheet quality and avoiding estimated product losses of €450,000 per month.

• Over 40 rolls measured in one shift: ParAlign’s rapid, no-line-of-sight technology enabled fast, precise diagnostics in a single machine section during scheduled downtime.
• Misalignment in press section identified: Roll misalignment was uncovered — but traditional tools might have missed it.
• €450,000/month in product value recovered: Significantly improved yield by restoring full usable width across the 8-meter-wide sheet
• Big results from a focused scope: The service team helped to diagnose and correct misalignment in just one section of the machine — all within the plant’s existing 8-hour maintenance window. No full-machine alignment or extended shutdown required.

The Mill That Couldn’t Afford To Miss a Meter

In one of Europe’s leading paper production hubs, a massive facility produces more than 400,000 tons of high-grade containerboard and white coated paper every year. This nearly 8-meter-wide machine was designed for relentless output. Every minute of uptime is calculated. Every meter of sheet is spoken for.

Naturally, when facility technicians began noticing issues along the outer edges of the paper web, it raised red flags. The machine was running, but it wasn’t delivering full-width yield. And in a system this wide, even 30 centimetres of unusable product on each side adds up quickly.

The problem needed to be investigated. But with only one 8-hour maintenance window available every two months, there was limited time to find the issue and few opportunities for trial and error.

A Problem Hiding in Plain Sight

Paper production is a continuous, tightly integrated process. Modern paper machines operate like clockwork — long, continuous lines where each section of the machine depends on the precise performance of the one before it. One misstep in the process can quietly ripple downstream until it shows up in the most visible way: product quality.

Nowhere is this interdependence more critical than in the press section. This is where the paper web begins to take shape and where approximately 15–25% of the moisture is removed, reducing total moisture content from about 60−70% down to 45−55% before it reaches the drying phase. By mechanically pressing the sheet between rolls and felts that evacuate water, the press section reduces the drying load and overall energy consumption in the process.

At our customer’s facility, technicians observed this exact pattern. The outer edges of the web were arriving at the calendar too wet, causing uneven surfaces and reducing the usable width of each roll. This was especially costly given the machine’s nearly 8-meter roll width — where even a 30cm loss on each side significantly impacted overall yield (7.5% of the produced paper).

The press section was therefore the most likely source of the problem. But proving it — and correcting it — would be another challenge entirely. With only an eight-hour scheduled downtime every two months, the time available for alignment checks was already limited. Once the maintenance window began, several hours would be required for cooling, particularly in the drying section, where surfaces could exceed 100°C. At the same time, the rolls needed to be thoroughly cleaned before any measurement could begin. By the time conditions were safe and accessible, only a few hours remained for diagnostics and corrections.

Implementation

With a tight timeframe and yield on the line, the mill called in the Fluke ParAlign Roll Alignment Service team during a scheduled maintenance window. They requested a focused alignment check to determine whether the press section was contributing to the issue.

Fluke technicians arrived early in the morning and coordinated with plant personnel to ensure safe, timely access once the machine had cooled and the rolls had been cleaned. The team used a ParAlign device, which uses high-grade gyroscopic technology to capture highly accurate alignment data — without requiring line of sight. As technicians sweep the device across the roll’s surface, three internal ring-laser gyroscopes measure changes in pitch, yaw, and roll. These readings are instantly transmitted and used to calculate the roll’s horizontal and vertical angular offsets.

Unlike traditional optical or manual methods, which can miss alignment errors when mirrored offsets on either side of a roll cancel each other out, ParAlign captures true directional misalignment — including both magnitude and sign. This makes it especially effective at identifying problems that would be invisible or difficult to identify using standard tools and enables quick measurement even in tight or enclosed areas without requiring external targets or extensive setup.

“With ParAlign, we don’t need line of sight, and we don’t need to stop everything for days,” explains Pascal Locoge, ParAlign Service Manager. “You place the device on the roll, sweep it at least 20 degrees, and the data is recorded. In a machine this size, that speed makes all the difference.”

Results

Using this method, the team was able to measure the press section quickly and accurately. The data revealed a subtle but critical misalignment in three of the rolls — significant enough to impact the paper’s moisture profile. Working alongside plant mechanics, the Fluke team provided feedback and correction recommendations.

Sample Output From a ParAlign Service Appointment
Each roll is measured for vertical and horizontal offset, with results visualized for immediate correction. The fast, easy-to-read format helps maintenance teams prioritize actions during tight shutdowns. This type of report is available 10 minutes after the last measurement.

An example of a ParAlign report of three rolls with vertical and horizontal offsets.

All adjustments were made within the scheduled downtime. By resolving the misalignment, “the customer was able to save the full width of the paper, not just a part of it,” explains Locoge.  “It’s a strong example of why alignment matters in the press section.

Indeed, as a result, the plant was able to avoid losses estimated at €450,000 per month. For a service visit that costs a fraction of that amount, the return on investment is immediate.

It was the kind of result that changes behavior. The customer didn’t wait for the next issue to appear — they scheduled recurring ParAlign measurements during each subsequent maintenance shutdown, gradually working through the entire machine. “When customers see the data and the impact, they want to do more”, says Locoge. “We often start with one section and then get asked to come back for the rest of the machine.”

From Lost Yield to Recovered Profits

In fast-paced, high-volume operations like paper manufacturing, there’s little time to investigate complex issues and even less tolerance for wasted product.

The ParAlign Service gave this facility the ability to detect and correct a critical roll misalignment during a single scheduled downtime, with no disruption to their maintenance plan. The result was immediate: restored sheet quality across the full web width and significant monthly savings. With the service now integrated into their maintenance strategy, the plant has shifted from reactive fixes to informed, data-driven alignment — all within the tight windows their production schedule demands.

There’s no such thing as extra paper in an 8-meter-wide machine — and no such thing as extra time in an 8-hour shutdown. But with ParAlign, this plant found both.