The true detective

I think of myself as a doctor for paper machines. Although, my role might seem more like a crime scene investigator sometimes. I often find myself wearing safety gear crawling through paper machine basements with a flashlight and tracing pipelines on a single minded mission to find the source of slime forming bacteria. At the same time I am also always exploring the best place where my biocides are going to work most effectively for the health of the customer’s process. I take samples and do laboratory tests to help diagnose what’s best for the “patient”- the paper machine.

My qualifications and expertise is in microbiological control of paper machines. In practice, this means I ensure that paper machines function efficiently as they’re designed to, to produce high quality saleable paper. Without microbiological control, the paper and board might otherwise have unpleasant odours or unwanted visible defects from contaminants. Paper and board is made from natural cellulose fibers, and that’s why microbes love paper production. Bacteria can eat nearly anything and they can cause odours, slime, and degradation of papermaking raw materials or hygienic concerns on food packaging materials. For example, a two-day outbreak of bacterial spores on a board machine can lead to the loss of thousands of tons of finished food packaging board, at a cost millions of euros. With Kemira’s chemistry and expertise, we can prevent that and ensure the hygienic quality of the final product meets the required specifications.

You must understand the complex big picture.

Karoliina Markkula

Enabling sustainability and Total Chemistry Management

Today, microbiological control is even more challenging because we want to pay more attention to improving sustainability. Paper production is a water-intensive process, but using Kemira’s chemistry enables the papermaker to reduce water consumption. When fresh water consumption is reduced due to increased recycling, this makes the papermaking process more challenging in terms of chemistry management. To successfully improve sustainability and drive paper machines efficiently, an advanced chemistry knowhow is required. You can’t simply increase the use of one chemical to kill microbes, because that may also have a detrimental impact on other additives. In more closed processes, all chemicals added to the wet end will have more pronounced positive or negative impact on each other. You must understand the complex big picture of all these processes, and that’s how Kemira truly leads the industry.

We have a unique Kemira program called Total Chemistry Management (TCM), where we take care of all our customer’s chemistry requirements for pulp and papermaking operations. We supply everything the mill needs, from chemicals, dosing equipment, monitoring tools and application know-how linked with KemConnect for smart process management. When I’m meeting customers, instead of talking only about microbes and active ingredients, we discuss the entire process. So in practice, we are working as both a trusted doctor and a personal trainer, so we are always doing what’s best for the health and prosperity of our customers. Of course, this also helps to ensure a long-term successful business cooperation as well.

I get to go to places far off the beaten path.

Getting to know paper machines all over the world

I’ve been working for Kemira for 10 years. It can be a shock to contemplate that, because the time has gone so quickly! I started with a brief introductory period at our R&D in Espoo, Finland. After that I have been working closely with our customers and sales teams in every region of the world. It’s been tremendously rewarding to work in different cultures and get opportunities to meet so many interesting people. Yesterday I was in southern China, and we ate a local specialty, sandworms. Just a couple of hours ago, I landed in Shanghai where I‘ve been living for the past few years. Tomorrow I’m leaving again on my next business trip to Korea and then the following week I will be off again travelling to a remote area of Indonesia to visit one of the world’s largest integrated pulp and paper mills. I really enjoy traveling within Asia because I get to go to places far off the beaten path, away from tourist areas, where I’d never otherwise visit. It is a hectic and dynamic but an amazingly rewarding way of life. I really enjoy being part of the Asian growth story and team success.