ABB opens new multi-million-dollar Research & Development centre in Dundalk

^{Marking the opening of the ABB Dundalk R&D Centre in Ireland were (from left) William Dannelly, Product Line Manager – QCS, ABB, Stefano Cinquina, Business Line Manager, Pulp & Paper, ABB, Dara Calleary T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise Trade & Employment, Mary Buckley, Interim CEO, IDA Ireland, Joachim Braun, Division President, Process Industries, ABB, Michael Kerley, Global Technology Manager for ABB Pulp & Paper. Photo: Ken Finegan/Newspics}

Today in Dundalk, ABB officially opened a global research and development centre for the pulp and paper industry. The new multi-million-dollar ABB Dundalk R&D Centre is at the heart of ABB’s automation and digital offering for the sector and will be home to the ongoing evolution of the ABB Quality Control System (QCS).

New ideas and products will be piloted and managed into the suite of applications for improved quality in the complex world of papermaking, where manufacturers often struggle to balance ever-changing variables to produce paper to customers’ particular specifications.

This will include solutions for measuring, adjusting, optimizing and controlling quality as the paper web makes its way through the paper machine to form the end-products, including paper and board. ABB says its vision for the centre is to develop solutions that respond to global trends and can meet the sustainability goals of the rapidly evolving industry.

A new QCS, for example, has the potential to reduce annual waste (production losses) by two percent or more per paper machine. This can impact a mill's sustainability goals by also reducing annual emissions for each machine by the same two percent, or 1.1 kt CO2, using the assumption of 57 kt CO2 emissions for a typical paper/board/tissue machine.

This project is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

“This is a very welcome investment in Louth and the wider region, and is an endorsement of the area as an excellent place for businesses to thrive and grow,” said Dara Calleary TD,  Minister for Trade Promotion and Digital Transformation. “ABB’s new centre here in Dundalk will support technology advancement in the pulp and paper industry with the creation of up to 30 new highly skilled jobs to the area.

“The new R&D facility will provide an exciting space for innovation to help papermakers in areas such as waste reduction, reducing emissions including finding new ways of reaching sustainability goals. The Government is hugely supportive of any new innovations that help us reach our goal of protecting the future of our planet.

“Thanks to ABB for their continued investment in Ireland. Congratulations to all the team, and I wish you the best with this exciting new chapter.”

The centre will take advantage of modern technologies such as additive manufacturing (3D printing), collaborative robots and Augmented/Virtual Reality for training and field service delivery to better meet the needs of ABB’s pulp and paper development team.

The site will also include a new training hub that will provide skills development support for ABB and customers alike, enabling more cross-industry partnerships and collaboration.

“ABB’s Pulp and Paper business grows year on year, and this investment into our Quality Control Systems development will allow us to sustain our global market leadership and push the industry forward for the next generation of papermakers,” said Joachim Braun, Division President, Process Industries, ABB.

“With Ireland ranked in the top 10 EU countries for innovation and boasting the fourth-highest international share of workforce in the EU, it is the perfect location for our new R&D site. From this base, we will continue to advance the future of the industry and pioneer new technologies to meet the evolving needs of our customers.”

ABB has been a leading employer in Dundalk for 40 years,” said Mary Buckley, Interim CEO, IDA Ireland.
“This new R&D centre is a significant expansion and is very much aligned to IDA Ireland’s Sustainability pillar that is central to our current strategy. I wish ABB every success with this multi-million-euro investment.”

Louth TD, Fergus O'Dowd welcomed the news that up to 30 high-level jobs will be created over the next three to five years.
He said, “this announcement will be well received in County Louth and comes on the same day as IBEC forecasts the Irish economy will now expand by 3.6% this year, an increase on its November prediction of 2%.

Deputy O’Dowd added, “the centre itself will support technology advancement in the pulp and paper industry and the new jobs will focus on research, engineering and sales. Vacancies will be found at job openings at ABB Ireland.

“Massive congratulations to everyone at ABB and I look forward to seeing the new centre take shape in the very near future.”