GAW technologies GmbH

The circle closes: Sometimes time-capsule products instantly take you back decades ago – like in this case a can with a sample of a legendary toilet paper brand 🧻 – FLAUMY, that was produced in the middle of Graz/Austria at the paper mill Arland in Andritz. One of our sales managers Christian Makari has a very strong connection to this paper mill that was closed in the early 1990s. He used to work there as a student during summer vacations because his family roots are deep within the papermill. Amongst other family members, his great-grandfather was the fire-brigade commander and his father was working as a leading technical employee at site for many decades.   But also GAW technologies GmbH with its strong roots in the paper industry has a direct connection to the mill: For example the aluminum sulfate preparation unit as well as several feeders and filter systems came from the rich in tradition industrial plant construction and engineering company. And geographically seen it was the closest mill site ever with only 7 kilometers distance between the headquarters of GAW and the mill address (nowadays Am Arlandgrund). The history of the paper mill is very interesting as well: The first recorded plans for a paper production at this location existed already in 1661, and were finally executed in 1790. In the following centuries, many different owners led the paper mill and developed the machinery further. In the first decades of the 20th century the mill produced writing and printing papers as well as publication and packaging paper grades. 1939 the family Czerweny-Arland purchased the mill. And between the two world-wars, one machine did also produce banknote paper. 💶 The aerial photography of the mill was taken in the late 1980s from a hot air balloon (picture credit: Sammlung Kubinzky – thank you very much!). Thank you Christian for sharing your family memories with us and for providing a most welcome travel back in time, even if it is just for a few moments. ⏳ If we cherish and learn from the past, we will be ready and prepared for the future and the exciting things that lie ahead of us. Do you have a favorite object or item that takes you back in time when you are thinking about your business activities roots? #GAW #papermill #history

So close, but so far undiscovered… All GAW technologies GmbH employees walked by this address probably hundreds or even thousands of times, but never knew what was behind these walls. Last week some colleagues got the opportunity to make an after-work visit at one of our neighbor companies that is located right next to our headquarters and the AutomationX building. Vagabund Moto GmbH creates one-of-a-kind treasures and is a hands-on design company focused on the creation and manufacturing of exclusive vehicles as well as marketing & content creation. We got to see some of their latest projects and facilities and were really impressed by their talent and exclusive design skills and craftsmanship.   Thank you very much, Paul and Philipp for showing us around and even if we are working in totally different fields of profession, we truly enjoyed the exchange of history and values that drive both of our companies. Cheers to a further excellent neighborship!   #GAW #neighborship #vagabundmoto

What a great project! 👏 Model Group in Eilenburg put an impressive conversion project successfully into operation beginning of September this year. In over 14 months of work, the existing newsprint production line was transformed into one of the world's most advanced corrugated cardboard base paper machines, which will produce over 600,000 tons of packaging paper per year after the production start-up curve has been completed. The plant in Eilenburg has around 240 employees and specializes in a production basis weight range of 70-120 g/m². In this way, the Model Group supports the sustainable market trend towards lightweight corrugated cardboard base paper and lightweight corrugated cardboard packaging.   GAW technologies GmbH was able to participate in this very extensive conversion project. The enzymatic starch processing (powder unloading, powder slurry and enzyme dosing, conversion and inactivation) for surface sizing as well as the storage and dosing of individual additives for surface sizing and the constant part comes from the rich in tradition and globally active plant manufacturer from Graz/Austria. The cooperation with the customer was very good, because despite the many challenges that such a large project brings with it, everyone was always on the same page. The long periods of time that the retrofit entailed were always handled professionally and supportively on both sides. Thomas Müller, Martin Kaltenegger and Oscar Streubel, for example, should be mentioned here as representatives of the entire Model Group team.   The first assembly step for GAW took place in summer 2023 with the installation of the three starch silos. Stephan Weber (project manager) and Daniel Hirschbeck (commissioning) speak for the complete GAW team: "The entire project team had absolute handshake quality and it was a pleasure to work with the customer." Other colleagues on this project include Harald Ster, Werner Gruber, Michael Kandler, Narenhofer Anton, Martin Steffl, Andreas Steinhöfler and Rainer Purgstaller.   Some more key data on the paper machine: With a working width of 9.4 meters (net at the slitter) and a maximum production speed of 1,800 m/min, the Model Group also makes a significant contribution to sustainability, as the paper is made entirely from 100% recycled material ♻️ and the lighter basis weights enable a reduction in the raw material used in the corrugated cardboard. The entire system is designed to consistently pursue the path of CO2 reduction in accordance with the FeFco roadmap.   GAW is proud to be part of this great project. Thanks to everyone involved for the great work 👍, and good luck for the future! 🍀 #GAW #modelgroup #papermill #starchpreparation

The Symposium of Paper Engineers 2024 in Munich is in full swing! 👍 This year the presentations and discussions center around the main theme “Plaintext. New Work. How the interaction between humans and technology will change our way of working.” The Symposium der Papieringenieure is organized by APV Dresden, APV Darmstadt and VPM München.   Andreas Steinhöfler and Christian Makari from GAW technologies GmbH are very much looking forward to seeing you – stop by our desk in the symposium breaks and get to know resource saving solutions 🌍 in the area of coating & preparation, digitalization and automation, water and recycling.   We are very much looking forward to hearing the speakers 📢 (for example Petra Hanke from ZELLCHEMING / #women4paper) and to discussing the latest trends in the industry with you all.   #GAW #event #paperindustry #pulpandpaper

Papermaking expertise for half a century! ⏳ The annual meeting of the Association of Steyrermuehler Papermakers last Friday was a very special occasion since it also included the 50th anniversary celebration. 🏅 Appropriately the event went “back to the roots” and was held in Steyrermuehl in Upper Austria. Among the lectures and presentations: Walter Danzer and Ferdinand Toblier cordially put the rich history of the association into the spotlight. The ABZ der Österreichischen Papierindustrie (Gottfried Scheipl) highlighted the valuable education programs for paper technologists and paper makers. Gerhard Thaller and Roland Brandtner presented a future-oriented technical paper training from the Berufsschule Gmunden. The key role of the paper technician in the sustainable and innovative development of the paper industry was presented by Martin Zahlbruckner / president of Austropapier. Ernst Brunbauer from Lenzing Papier GmbH showcased the early roots and the importance of the production of paper (an educational focus of the paper making museum ALFA). Also the consistency, sustainability and safety of paper in challenging times was part of the presentation. 📜 And particularly the excursion to the newly rebuilt heinzelpaper Steyrermühl GmbH / Laakirchen PM6 was very interesting and gave informative insights 💡 into this impressive paper machine. Before the tour, Florian Ruf (General Manager Heinzel Steyrermühl GmbH) gave a detailed overview of the impressive conversion project: from old PM3 to new PM6 for the production of brown to white craft papers. Within this extensive project, GAW technologies GmbH was also able to successfully contribute its expertise - together with Solenis. Christian Makari from GAW (in the picture with Bucher Franz from Solenis) joined the group of 160 executives from Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Hungary. Congratulations for 50 years of service within the paper and board industry to the association and its members. 👏 Thank you very much to Dieter Schäfer and the entire team for the organization of this great event. 🙏 „Mit Gunst von wegen´s Handwerk!“ #GAW #event #papermill #paperindustry

Fast – Hard – Legendary! According to the motto of the Austria Triathlon 2024, two of our GAW technologies GmbH sales team members took the challenge and participated in these very challenging races. 💪 ⏳ They conquered their personal best-times in the half distance and swam 1,9 kilometers 🏊♂️, rode their bikes 88 kilometers 🚴♂️ and ran 21 kilometers 🏃♂️ in Podersdorf at the Neusiedler See. Well done, Martin Steffl and Albrecht Matl! Congratulations on reaching the finishing line – even more when you consider the really hot temperatures during the races (more than 32 degrees Celsius). ☀   #GAW #team #event

From apprentice to CEO - Safety always comes first! ⛑ The health and safety of our employees at their workspace is important to GAW technologies GmbH. Protecting the life and health of all staff members is a matter of course for us! For example our first-aid courses and fire drills are held on a regular basis to ensure that our employees are trained and prepared for cases of emergency. Last week Markus Malli - a professional fire fighter from the municipal fire brigade of the city Graz 🚒 - taught our participants from varied departments and all organization levels from GAW, AutomationX and Spedition "Thomas" GmbH, how to extinct a fire and how to handle fire extinguishers and other devices correctly. 🔥 Thank you for the interesting lecture and hands-on experience. We all hope that we will not need to execute the learned lessons, but it certainly feels good to be prepared.   #GAW #team #health #safety #training

Cyclists conquer the fortress! 🚴♂️ 🚴♀️ 🏰 On September 6th the spectacular City Hill Climb Race took place in the historic center of Salzburg / Austria. GAW technologies GmbH was again one of the sponsors of this event that is open to professionals, amateurs, hobby cyclists and junior categories. The race is an ultimate cycling spectacle in an urban setting: during intense sprints, cyclists have to achieve maximum performance over a very short distance. While the route of this extraordinary sprint competition from Salzburg's Kapitelplatz up to the fortress is only a little less than a kilometer long, it is still extremely demanding! With gradients of up to 32 percent, 120 meter of difference in altitude, a final section with gravel and several curves and narrow sections, it is probably the steepest race for cyclists in Austria. Also the setting is unique: the athletes fight their way past centuries-old castle walls, landmarked buildings and modern art, cheered by the crowd. Congratulations to all participants and especially to the winners, for example Elisa Winter and Dominik Hödlmoser in the Elite group! Picture Credit: ©️Alexander Zauner, ©️Igor Schifris, ©️Christoph Haid #GAW #event #cityhillclimb

Our traditional GAW technologies GmbH summer barbecue 🥂 🍗 🍖 braved the elements (and had to be indoors due to a quite rainy first half of the day). But the good mood of our colleagues, the tasty food and drinks as well as the cheerful conversations attracted the sun to come out again later on. ☀ Thank you very much to the works council for the organization of this always most welcome after work get-together at our headquarters in Graz/Austria. #team #event #company #GAW

What can operators in the production of paper and board do if a starch processing plant is running at a much lower capacity than originally planned after several years of operation? Find out how to prevent costly production stops as well as to avoid concentration fluctuations in the slurry preparation or temperature fluctuations with this GAW case study:   LIFE 2 IMPROVE – PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION by a GAW Performance Coach Optimization of Starch Preparation and Working Station to Filmpress   📝 Task & definition of the problem: An enzymatic starch processing plant at a customer in America was running at a much lower capacity than originally planned after four years of operation. Amongst other things, steam hammering and vibrations in the system caused production stops every 120 minutes. Concentration fluctuations in the slurry preparation as well as temperature fluctuations throughout the system were also observed. At the working station, overused rejection of the filter systems generated a large amount of wastewater and product loss. The operating staff was new and insufficiently trained.   ⚡ Consequences & Impact: • The piping system and the cooker were already showing wear and tear • High levels of wastewater and product losses at starch preparation and working stations • High starch and energy consumption due to fluctuations in concentration • Paper quality problems (strength) • Various operating errors   💡 Solution statement & approach: All parts of the system were observed and analyzed by a GAW Performance Coach during operation, using trend recordings. Furthermore, intensive conversations with the operating staff followed with discussions about the operation mode as well as the best possible operation of the entire system.   💪 Measures & actions: • Maintenance and cleaning works were carried out. • The operating personnel received in-depth training. • By optimizing the controllers/levers, concentration fluctuations with a maximum of ± <0.5% and temperature fluctuations of ± <1.0°C were ensured (which were <3% and <5°C before optimization). • The flushing times were optimized. • A general optimization of the plant capacity was executed. • Reduction of the amount of wastewater by optimizing the filter systems.   ✔ Customer benefits & added value (figures, data, facts): Thanks to the optimization, the starch preparation and the working station now operate synchronously with the production consumption of the paper machine. The amount of wastewater and starch losses was significantly minimized. Due to the training and optimization, the customer achieved increased availability of the system and thereby also reduced the production costs. Furthermore, the lifetime and operational life of the system was significantly extended.   Total SAVINGS: EUR 150,000 per year (You can find the link to all details in the comments section)   #GAW #preparation #starchprocessing #papermill #performancecoach