Project site Kotkamills recycled wood products sunset

Plant digital twin and Virtual Reality supports maintenance, KotkaMills, Finland

3D design and Virtual Reality at Kotkamills Oy

The use of 3D design, integration of design models into one plant model, and Virtual Reality, benefit investment projects. But how can the plant model be effectively utilised after the project? How is it ensured that it remains up to date? The maintenance of Kotkamills Oy shows the way.

Kotkamills Oy manufactures innovative products, developed from a renewable natural resource, wood. In 2016, Kotkamills started manufacturing fully recyclable non-plastic consumer packaging boards in Kotka. The plant is capable of producing 400,000 tons of cardboard per year. The product is safe; it does not contain any harmful fluorochemicals or waxes. We were involved (as former Pöyry) in this new product implementation project from the beginning.

The maintenance of Kotkamills Oy is responsible for the preventive maintenance of the plant and the development of operational safety functions. To streamline these functions, our experts recommended using 3D design model, refined with aerial photogrammetry as a life-cycle plant model.

The 3D model was refined with photogrammetry

Aerial photogrammetry was done to the entire site and completed by laser scanning the narrow spaces, soles and undercuts. The 3D model itself already contained intelligent information, for example, in the form of linked equipment information. Intelligence was gradually increased by laser scanning and with new 3D design models, according to pre-design and detail design needs.

Maintenance benefits

The maintenance engineer of Kotkamills Oy, Risto Mikkola has played a key role in utilising a new kind of functionality. Although all the design cannot yet be done entirely throughout the plant model, without going to site, Mikkola is pleased.

“By using the plant model, design accuracy is greatly improved. We save time and money when it comes to measuring or checking the environment. Preliminary design provides a more accurate price when we know the pipeline masses more precisely,” says Mikkola.

Some new development is also coming. “The idea is to develop 3D models so that it reads equipment information, reports, plans and drawings from the plant document management system”, Risto Mikkola says.