Last year, SCA inaugurated the world’s largest paper manufacturing machine, with a clear strategy for increased productivity:

– We are building the factory of the future – where maintenance plays a central role, says Emmelie Konradsson, Maintenance Manager at SCA Obbola, who participated in Maintenance Strategy Conference 2025.

The Maintenance Strategy Conference took place on April 2 in Skellefteå. It was organized by Underhållsmässan, the Swedish Maintenance Fair, in collaboration with the Swedish Maintenance Organisation and iTid.

The subtitle – for enhanced competitiveness – underscores the conference’s ambition. It was divided into three content-rich programme blocks with high-profile speakers from the business community sharing their experiences.

Focus on future maintenance

Among the participants was SCA, which has invested SEK 7.5 billion in its paper mill in Obbola outside Umeå. Once fully operational, the new machine will have a production capacity of 725,000 tons per year – making it the largest of its kind in the world.

“Increased productivity is the overarching goal. That’s why maintenance is absolutely crucial for us,” says Emmelie Konradsson, who held the seminar together with her SCA colleague Gustaf Nygren, Chief Operating Officer Pulp & Containerboard.

New equipment with significantly more advanced technology, automation, and digitalization places high demands on the maintenance organization.

“The factory of the future requires the maintenance of the future,” she emphasizes.

Major gains for the climate

Maintaining a gigantic, ultra-modern machine is not straightforward.

– At the conference, we will talk about our strategy and the fundamental elements required for such a large investment. This includes documentation, maintenance plans and the spare parts needed to ensure high operational reliability and availability. But we will also discuss how we are adapting our workforce and securing expertise, Emmelie explains.

The idea is that the increased production volume, supported by planned and preventive maintenance, will also lead to improvements in sustainability.

– We want to create even more value, based on SCA being a forest products company. The forest is our greatest asset. As it grows, it captures carbon dioxide. In this way, future maintenance also becomes an important part of the transition.

A new lime kiln at the mill helps to reduce oil consumption radically. And both fresh fibre from SCA’s own forests and recycled fibre, i.e., old cardboard, are used in the new machine to produce packaging paper.

Commitment to learning

For the maintenance staff at the Obbola mill, much has changed.

“It’s a big transition, moving from a machine you know inside and out, that you are used to inspecting, to maintaining an entirely new and much more advanced piece of equipment. There’s a lot to learn,” says Emmelie.

During the project period, all employees attended classroom training.

“But that’s only a small part of the learning. We have processes for continuous improvement, where we work with method support, root cause analyses, and investigations.”

“Transforming the factory is one thing. But the transition is not just about technology – it’s equally about developing people. That’s where we are making major investments. It’s a key part of our maintenance strategy.”