AI in paper production: shift from abstract theory to real quick wins

“Impossible is nothing”, advertises a large German sportswear manufacturer for many years. In times of artificial intelligence, this well-known slogan might be more appropriate than ever. Or is it really? Some may facetiously argue that it seems to have become almost impossible to avoid the topic of AI. However, that is exactly what manufacturing companies should by no means do: avoid AI solutions. The abundance of tools and options is increasing so rapidly that it may cause uncertainty and hesitation. However, in such a competitive industry like pulp and paper, it has never been advisable to simply wait and see. Precisely because the developments are so rapid, it pays to be proactive and have a realistic view. Neither shy away from AI nor lose yourself in daydreaming. This is confirmed by a new study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT Sloan Review, 2025) where 21 large companies were classified as early adopters of Large Language Models (LLM). The bottom line: start small but do start. The managers surveyed conclude that the use of AI in low-risk use cases achieves rapid success in terms of efficiency and employee enablement and paves the way for more complex use cases.

Think differently, achieve more

Use case: intuitive queries of production data with AI

The following practical example from the shopfloor of a paper mill shows how the integration of a LLM can be achieved with manageable effort, while leading to a significant increase of efficiency. Shift-relevant events at machines and workstations are rarely unique. Nevertheless, finding an optimal solution is often time-consuming. The use of artificial intelligence when querying production data with the help of ENTERPRISE LOGBOOK by T.CON significantly reduces the workload for employees.
The software makes it obsolete to repeat work that has already been done or to seek a solution that has already been found at an earlier point in time. Firstly, the tool ensures a clear and lucid digital documentation of events and processes. The AI-supported search function accesses this constantly growing knowledge base when creating new events. The AI suggests suitable workflows from the archive to workers and automatically matches search entries and can even work across languages. Neither unspecific terminology, typos or language barriers are showstoppers any longer in your paper mill.

Making AI hands-on: the T.CON AI Explore Workshop

The entire paper industry is facing the urgent challenge of having to digitalize their processes to react agilely to new market requirements. Besides cloud-based manufacturing solutions, AI plays a vital role for this endeavor. But how do you achieve your own quick wins with AI? What opportunities does e.g. SAP Business AI offer your company? Moreover, how can AI be integrated in your existing structures – today and not at some point in the future? The T.CON AI Explore Workshop is based on a solution-oriented concept that will help you use the potential of AI profitably in your company at an early stage. In interactive workshop sessions, you will be guided by our experts using design thinking to develop innovative AI use cases that are specifically tailored to your business requirements. You will learn about hands-on scenarios of how AI is already being integrated into SAP solutions and which quick wins you can implement directly in your production sites. Our experts look forward to getting to know you and your team during the workshop and to guide you towards an intelligent enterprise.

We optimize your processes and pave the way for you to benefit fully from the digital revolution