Five years of successful collaboration between Smurfit Westrock Parenco and ICT Group on PIMS

A smooth knowledge transfer

Ferdinand Arts, IT Specialist Business Information at Parenco, has been closely involved with PIMS management for the past five years: "This system is essential for our automation and has expanded significantly over the years. A lot of customization has been implemented over time. When my predecessor retired, we wanted to ensure the continuity and future readiness of PIMS. That’s why, in 2019, we engaged ICT Group for a migration, documentation, and system optimization project. This project lasted about one and a half years and was successfully completed in 2021."

A crucial role in production

PIMS collects, stores, and analyzes process data from 17 interfaces, including PLCs that control paper production. Ferdinand explains: "Thanks to this historical data, our operators can quickly detect anomalies, monitor product quality, improve operational efficiency, and optimize raw material and energy consumption. PIMS is at the core of our automation and forms the basis for continuous improvements and a more reliable production process."

“The collaboration with ICT Group feels like a successful project where we can fully rely on each other.”
– Ferdinand Arts, IT Specialist Business Information at Smurfit Westrock Parenco

No standard solution

André van Leer, Senior Developer at ICT Industry, has been working intensively with PIMS since 2019: "My experience with AspenTech and PIMS dates back to the 1990s, which provided a strong foundation for this project. We started with an in-depth system analysis and then mapped all – often undocumented – custom solutions. This was quite a challenge, as we were dealing with thousands of records, numerous queries, and various interfaces. After a year of work, we had a fully modernized and well-documented system."

A stable future with ICT Group

With an up-to-date system and a solid management structure, Parenco looks to the future with confidence. Ferdinand explains: "The transition went smoothly, and ICT Group now manages the system through a Service Level Agreement (SLA). As part of this agreement, ICT Group performs annual preventive maintenance and monitors system health. Issues are rare but are resolved quickly when they arise. Additionally, they support us with smaller projects, such as creating database records or performing migrations."

Investing in innovation

In the coming years, ICT Group will continue modernizing and integrating Smurfit Westrock Parenco’s systems. Ferdinand shares: "Next year, a major upgrade project is planned to further expand our process automation. This will introduce new functionalities and add thousands of additional data points relevant to PIMS. André is already mapping these out. We anticipate a continued successful partnership with ICT Group in the years to come, working together on innovation and improvements – just as we envisioned five years ago."

About Smurfit Westrock Parenco

Smurfit Westrock Parenco is part of the global Smurfit Westrock group and has a long-standing tradition in paper production. The Renkum facility, located along the Rhine River, has been in operation for over 100 years. Parenco places great emphasis on safety, health, and environmental sustainability, continuously exploring ways to make its operations more efficient and sustainable.