Lorentzen & Wettre

What Lorentzen & Wettre does

Lorentzen & Wettre (L&W) is a product brand within ABB's Pulp and Paper division that designs, manufactures, and supplies precision measurement and testing instrumentation for the global pulp and paper industry. The company was founded in 1982 and pioneered automated paper testing more than four decades ago, building a portfolio that today spans laboratory pulp testing, laboratory paper testing, automated paper testing (L&W Autoline), process measurements (KPM consistency transmitters and related sensors), process optimization instruments, and software for lab data management and installed-base service.

The core technology is built around high-accuracy physical and optical measurement: Autoline automates sample handling through to reel reporting in under 10 minutes with industry-standard conforming methods; KPM transmitters use blade, rotating, microwave, and optical sensing for real-time pulp consistency; and process optimization instruments measure fiber quality, freeness, moisture, felt permeability, and sheet breaks in-line. The portfolio is complemented by L&W Lab Management System software that consolidates measurement data into dashboards and the myABB for L&W customer portal for installed-base lifecycle management. More than 500 Autoline systems and thousands of lab instruments are deployed globally.

L&W sells exclusively through ABB's enterprise field-sales organization, regional contact centers, and certified channel partner network, targeting pulp mills, integrated paper mills, and paper, board, and tissue producers worldwide. Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales of laboratory and process instrumentation, supplemented by recurring software subscriptions (Lab Management System) and professional services for equipment maintenance and support under the Pulp and Paper Care offering. Pricing is quote-based and configured per customer requirements rather than list-priced.

Name

Lorentzen & Wettre

Legal name

Lorentzen & Wettre (Brand of ABB)

Website

https://lorentzen-wettre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Lorentzen & Wettre, a product brand within ABB's Pulp and Paper division, manufactures precision laboratory, automated, and process measurement instruments for pulp mills and paper, board, and tissue producers worldwide, sold through ABB's global enterprise sales and channel network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kista

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Laboratory Testing Instruments: Sale of laboratory pulp and paper testing instruments including CSF Tester, Fiber Tester Plus, Pulp Disintegrator, Rapid Dryer, SR Tester, and various paper testing equipment for strength, surface, and sample preparation analysis.
2. Automated Paper Testing Systems: L&W Autoline systems - automated testing solutions handling sample preparation through final reporting. Includes various modules for testing air permeance, bending, burst, gloss, grammage, moisture, roughness, tear, tensile, and thickness.
3. Process Measurement Equipment: KPM process measurement sensors including consistency transmitters, pulp samplers, retention measurement systems, and sheet break detectors for real-time process monitoring and optimization.
4. Software and Digital Services: L&W Lab Management System for lab data management and myABB customer portal for installed base management and lifecycle optimization.
5. Service and Support: Pulp and Paper Care services for laboratory and automated testing equipment maintenance and support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lorentzen & Wettre (L&W), a product brand within ABB's Pulp and Paper division, manufactures and sells precision measurement and testing instruments for the pulp and paper industry. The portfolio spans laboratory pulp testing devices, laboratory paper testing instruments, automated paper testing systems (L&W Autoline), process measurement sensors (KPM consistency transmitters, sheet break detectors), process optimization instruments (FeltScan, Fiber Online, Freeness Online), and supporting software for lab data management.

Product overview

Lorentzen & Wettre (L&W), now part of ABB's Pulp and Paper division, offers a comprehensive portfolio of testing and industry-specific instruments for the pulp and paper industry. The offering spans four main categories: (1) Laboratory Pulp Testing products including L&W CSF Tester, Fiber Tester Plus, Pulp Disintegrator, Rapid Dryer, and SR Tester for measuring pulp properties; (2) Laboratory Paper Testing with over 25 instruments covering surface testing (Air Permeance, Bendtsen, Cobb, Elrepho, Micrometer, Moisture, OptiTopo, PPS, Sheffield, Stylus Roughness), strength testing (Bending, Bursting, Compressive, Crush, 4-Point Bending, S-Tester, Tearing, Tensile, TSO, ZD Tensile), and sample preparation (Circular Cutter, ECT Cutter, Profile Cutters, Sample Punches, Strip Punch); (3) Automated Paper Testing via the L&W Autoline system with 17 measurement modules for automated sample preparation through final reel reports with minimal operator involvement; (4) Process Measurements including KPM consistency transmitters (KC3, KC5, KC7, KC9), pulp samplers, retention measurement, and sheet break detectors; (5) Process Optimization Instruments including L&W FeltScan, Fiber Online, Freeness Online, FSD Sensor, and Moisture Sensors; (6) Software including L&W Lab Management System for data management and myABB customer portal. L&W pioneered automated paper testing over four decades ago and maintains thousands of instruments in use globally alongside over 500 L&W Autoline systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• L&W Autoline: Automated paper testing system that handles everything from sample preparation to the final reel report with minimal operator involvement.
• L&W Lab Management System
• myABB for L&W

Products and services

• L&W Laboratory Pulp Testing Instruments

Quantifiable outcome

• Complete profile report in under 10 minutes with L&W Autoline automated testing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Honeywell Process Solutions: Honeywell is a broad industrial conglomerate with a process solutions division that delivers measurement, control, and analytics across multiple process industries. It competes with ABB/L&W in pulp and paper process automation and quality measurement solutions.
• Emerson (NI/AspenTech): Emerson, including its AspenTech industrial software portfolio, is a broad incumbent in process automation, measurement instrumentation, and advanced analytics for process industries. It competes with ABB/L&W in pulp and paper plant automation and quality management systems.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher Scientific is a broad incumbent manufacturer of laboratory analytical instruments, materials characterization, and process measurement systems. While not pulp/paper-specialized, its material testing and quality-control instrument lines overlap with L&W's laboratory analytical instrument portfolio.
• ABB (Pulp & Paper Division): ABB is the parent group of Lorentzen & Wettre and a broad incumbent in industrial automation, electrification, and pulp-and-paper process solutions. ABB competes in pulp and paper QCS, process control, and field instrumentation that overlap with L&W's lab and process measurement portfolio.
• Yokogawa Electric: Yokogawa provides industrial process control, measurement, and automation solutions used across pulp, paper, and other process industries. Its analyzer and control offerings are an adjacent alternative to L&W's pulp and paper process measurement portfolio.

Direct peers

• Metso: Metso (formerly Metso Outotec) is a global leader in sustainable technologies, end-to-end solutions, and services for the aggregates, mining, metals refining, and pulp & paper industries. It provides pulp and paper process equipment, automation, and measurement solutions that directly overlap with L&W's pulp and paper testing and process instrumentation business.
• Endress+Hauser: Endress+Hauser is a global leader in industrial process measurement instruments, automation, and laboratory analysis across process industries including pulp and paper. Its analyzers, sensors, and automation offerings overlap with L&W's process measurement portfolio serving paper mills.
• Valmet: Valmet is a leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation, and services for the pulp, paper, and energy industries. It directly competes with L&W in pulp and paper process measurement, automation, and quality control solutions for mills and paper/board producers.
• Voith: Voith is a major supplier of paper machines, process technology, and digital industrial solutions for the pulp and paper industry. Its Papermaking 4.0 portfolio overlaps with L&W's automated paper testing and process measurement offerings for paper mills and board producers.
• BTG (BTG Group): BTG is a specialized supplier of process measurement, control, and optimization solutions for the pulp and paper industry. Its instrumentation and retention-measurement offerings directly compete with L&W's KPM consistency transmitters, retention systems, and paper-machine process measurement products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lorentzen & Wettre