Opal and Valmet: A lifecycle partnership built on trust and long-term maintenance excellence
Opal and Valmet have developed an incomparable relationship – a lifecycle partnership that strengthens mill reliability, safety and performance year after year.
Kerri Baldwin, General Manager, Operations Botany Mill and John Naude, Site Manager, Botany Mill, say that mutual trust is a must in a partnership such as the one between Opal and Valmet.
Opal is one of Australia and New Zealand's largest recycling, paper and packaging businesses. It operates two high‑performance mills in Maryvale, Victoria and Botany, NSW that manufacture paper which can be used in innovative packaging solutions. With limited local industry support due to geographic distance, Opal relies on strong, long‑term partnerships to maintain reliability and competitiveness at its Botany Paper & Recycling Mill.
Full responsibility for the mill’s maintenance
Opal’s Botany Mill’s newest production line B9 was inaugurated in 2012. It consists of Valmet’s OptiConcept containerboard machine with an advanced stock preparation system, air systems, chemical systems, high-capacity winder, a roll handling system and an automation system. In addition to supplying and installing the containerboard line, Valmet has had full responsibility for the Mill’s maintenance planning, management and operations since day one.
Botany Mill’s B9 is a Valmet OptiConcept containerboard machine. It was inaugurated in 2012 but still stands out as a great performer in Valmet Production Survey.
Originally, Opal was looking for a partner with deep technical expertise, strong safety culture and proven maintenance capability.
Valmet’s professionals have an in-depth knowledge of our machine’s detailed design, and they were heavily involved in the construction of the production line, so it has been natural to utilise their expertise in planning and executing the Mill’s maintenance operations as well. Over the years, their global track record in paper technology and Mill maintenance have proven to be a real asset – and their responsiveness and technical competence is vital for the continuous development of our operations,” says Robert Carry, Group General Manager, Opal Paper & Recycling, Botany Mill.
Agreement gives a structured framework for maintenance
The first multi-year maintenance operations agreement between Opal and Valmet was signed in 2012. The agreement has been renewed four times – the latest in 2025.
After the start-up, Valmet took the responsibility of the establishment of maintenance operations, site maintenance services and specific performance optimisation projects, and has been on-site ever since. Over the years, cooperation has grown into a true partnership that relies on open communication and mutual trust.
For us, the first and foremost important driver for the partnership is reliability and growth. Additionally, the agreement provides good cost control and predictability in our maintenance operations. Especially when our production line matures, we need to have a good understanding about the equipment condition, what costs might arise and how to mitigate any risks that future brings along," summarises Kerri Baldwin, General Manager, Operations Botany Mill.
Valmet’s maintenance agreements are always tailored to meet customer needs – whether it is about easy access to Valmet experts, high-quality products and services, cost-effectiveness, maintenance or the continuous development of performance to achieve mutually agreed targets. At Opal’s Botany Mill, cooperation is one-of-a-kind.
“The maintenance contract was established during the greenfield stage of the project, enabling early alignment and strong collaboration between Opal and Valmet. Throughout the years, we’ve been strongly aligned with a ‘one operations team’ philosophy, supported by a shared work uniform, common KPIs, and clearly aligned expectations. Although we exist as two separate companies on paper, as an on-site organisation we consistently strive to operate as one integrated team,” says John Naude, Valmet’s Site Manager at Opal’s Botany Mill.
Through joint insights towards a proactive maintenance approach
Valmet’s lifecycle commitment focuses on maximising the performance, reliability and sustainability of its customer mills. One of the core pillars of Valmet’s lifecycle commitment is maintenance: by combining streamlined maintenance processes, digital tools and expert services, maintenance ensures reliability, reduces lifecycle costs and supports continuous performance improvement. Well-planned and professionally executed maintenance secures stable production, optimised efficiency, and long‑term value.
Opal and Valmet’s partnership is an excellent example of what the lifecycle commitment means in practice: it’s a full cycle of cooperation from project conception, implementation, optimisation, benchmark and review, repeated over again.
“As an original equipment manufacturer and with numerous similar installations around the world, Valmet has collected invaluable data for maintaining and improving our production line. Knowing and sharing the entire history of our production line helps us to understand the focus areas and especially prepare for future upgrades as our machine ages. I find that very valuable,” Kerri Baldwin says.
Face-to-face cooperation is supported by digital services
Site Manager John Naude finds cooperation with Opal extremely rewarding as it reflects a genuine ‘one team’ approach.
“As a site manager, I attend the daily operations team meetings where we review the last 24 hours of production and go through any deviations. The operations leadership team, which I’m also part of, meets once a week. I think it’s very important to be present at these meetings and make sure that information flows both ways and that the action plans are aligned. Nothing beats face-to-face communication,” John Naude says.
Given Australia’s relative isolation and the limited availability of highly experienced paper machine specialists locally, access to Valmet’s global knowledge base and the ability to obtain technical advice and issue resolution in very short timeframes is considered a major advantage at the Mill. Remote support is organised through the Valmet Performance Center, which is available around the clock every day of the year.
Valmet’s digital services are utilised to collect and analyze data for maintenance planning.
Through remote monitoring, we get regular updates on how the machine is performing, giving us the opportunity to react to any issues before they impact production. This year, we acquired Valmet Winder Diagnostics, which is already starting to deliver really good results in terms of winder performance. Proactiveness is the key to minimising unplanned downtime and providing cost efficiency, and Valmet’s monitoring tools together with the specialist support play a significant role in preventive maintenance,” Kerri Baldwin says.
People make it happen
As Opal’s Botany Mill looks toward the future, one of its most important priorities is people. Many team members have been with the Mill since start‑up, carrying decades of hands‑on knowledge that keeps the operation running smoothly. Ensuring that this expertise is captured and transferred for the next generation is now a key focus.
“The challenge is twofold: maintaining an engaged, highly skilled workforce today while building the capabilities and talent pipeline the Mill will need tomorrow. Attracting young people into the paper industry is a challenge, but also a huge opportunity. I started in a paper mill at 17 and never left. Among other things, this industry offers strong skills development and genuinely exciting work. No two days are the same, and for young engineers especially, it’s a fantastic career path,” Kerri Baldwin says.
Key achievements
Opal and Valmet’s success can be measured in multiple ways. Jaegen Peet, Senior Manager at Valmet, highlights the results of Valmet Production Survey – a survey conducted every year for more than twenty years, collecting data from diverse paper and board machines worldwide. In recent surveys, Opal’s B9 machine stands out as the highest producing machine per meter in tons by a long way.
Another achievement is definitely the length of our relationship. I have the privilege of being part of building the machine, starting up the machine, establishing maintenance operations, leading the maintenance team, and finally moving on to leading Valmet’s operations in Australia. Throughout that time, we've managed to build and maintain an open and successful relationship taking care of a machine that while middle-aged is still one of the best producing machines in the world,” Jaegen Peet says.
Towards the future with open communication and trust
Like any relationship the one between Opal and Valmet has had its ups and downs. Jaegen Peet reminds that what really makes the trust stand out is when things aren't going quite right.
“A couple of years ago we had some problems. Over a short period of time we had to find root causes and plan both short and long-term actions to prevent it from happening again. Opal had to trust our experience and that we are working for their machine as if it was our own. It worked and we succeeded,” he says.
Trust is something that cannot be built overnight.
“Trust has been developed and strengthened over time. We continue to strive, on a daily basis, to meet Opal’s expectations by being responsive to operational needs, consulting openly and effectively on challenges as they arise, and providing the technical advice required to help drive Opal’s operations forward. Our first priority is to meet Opal’s needs. It's not always smooth sailing, but as long as we work together and communicate openly, we succeed,” John Naude says.
