From Variability to Leadership: International Paper’s Transformation
With over 120 years of expertise and 25,000 customers across 150 countries, International Paper (IP) has built its legacy of innovation and sustainability in fiber-based packaging and pulp products. Yet, like any ambitious global manufacturer, IP understood that the road to operational excellence requires more than incremental improvements—it demands transformation.
Tackling Variability to Unlock Potential
IIn the complex world of paper manufacturing, minimizing variability is critical. For IP, staying within strict operating limits was essential not just for product quality but also for cost control and compliance. IP’s global network produced immense amounts of data across disparate systems, creating bottlenecks. Updates relied heavily on IT, operators reacted to issues instead of preventing them, and inefficiencies lingered.
“We knew we had to move beyond firefighting,” said Andrew Jones, Senior Engineer Fellow at International Paper. “Our teams wanted to shift to proactive decision-making.”
Empowering Teams with Braincube
Braincube’s Productivity Management System gave IP a foundation for transformation. The first step was making data accessible and actionable. Product Clones unified live and historical data, breaking down silos and enabling teams to make faster, smarter decisions.
Building on this, Braincube’s Digital Assistants became proactive productivity guides for operators, delivering prescriptive actions and real-time alerts to prevent deviations and optimize processes.
“With Braincube’s Digital Assistants, it’s like having a smartphone for operations,” Jones explained. “Teams could experiment, customize dashboards, and deploy new tools quickly—without waiting on IT.”
One standout tool, the Golden Run Dashboard, identified optimal operating parameters, enabling operators to replicate success across production cycles. Instead of manually maintaining standards, teams received continuous, actionable insights to keep operations on track.
The Leap From Optimization to Transformation
Braincube didn’t just improve processes—it reshaped how IP worked. Operators became innovators, and engineers could focus on strategic priorities. Real-time analytics from Braincube’s CrossRank AI empowered teams to predict and address variability proactively.
Variability became an opportunity, not a challenge. Teams worked smarter, not just faster, turning data into decisions that delivered measurable impact.
Results That Redefine Excellence
By reducing variability, IP achieved:
- Greater Process Stability
- Radically Less Waste
- Effortless Compliance
Operators shifted their mindset from reactive troubleshooting to forward-thinking improvement.
“Our teams now ask better questions,” Jones said. “‘How do we run this next grade best?’ instead of ‘What went wrong?’ That shift is transformative.”
The result? A culture where human expertise and digital tools work in harmony to drive innovation.
Looking Ahead: Scaling Transformation Globally
After seeing Braincube’s impact, nearly 80% of IP’s facilities are implementing—or preparing to implement—the solution company-wide.
“Braincube fundamentally changes how we operate,” said Andrew Jones, Senior Engineer Fellow. “It’s not just about optimization—it’s about rethinking what’s possible.”
