Headlights On: What We Heard at Tissue Summit Latinoamérica 2026

Would you drive an unfamiliar road at night with the headlights off? Probably not. Yet that is often how tissue converting operates today. Once the jumbo roll reaches the converting line, much of its production history becomes invisible, forcing decisions to be made with limited context. Over two days of conversations at the Valmet booth one thing became very clear.

As Filippe, our head of sales noted during the event: “One of the things that surprised me was that the question changed from ‘why go digital’ to ‘where do I start’. That says a lot about where this industry is headed. That shift was particularly noticeable among the strong attendance from Central America. The discussion is no longer about whether digitalization matters. It’s about implementation, value, and results.

Another clear message from the summit was that manufacturers are looking for practical solutions, not abstract technology promises. The industry has heard plenty of presentations about AI and digitalization. What people want now are solutions that work in real tissue manufacturing environments and deliver measurable results. That’s one reason our partnership with Valmet resonated strongly during the event. The industry’s confidence in Valmet was reflected in the two Tissue Online Latinoamérica Awards the company received this year, recognizing excellence in both papermaking and tissue converting equipment.

During the summit, Filippe Dalponte and Account Executive Byung Uk Lee presented Valmet’s Digital Jumbo Roll concept. The idea is straightforward: instead of treating papermaking and converting as separate processes, the jumbo roll becomes a connected digital asset that carries its production story from one stage to the next. This creates a digital thread between the tissue machine and the converting line, giving teams the visibility needed to make better decisions and continuously optimize performance across the entire process. In many ways, it reflected the broader theme of the event: less talk about digital transformation and more focus on tangible ways to improve operations.

A big thank you to everyone who visited the Valmet booth, shared their challenges, and engaged in thoughtful conversations throughout the event. If Panama taught us anything, it’s that the tissue industry is moving beyond the question of whether to digitalize. The focus is now on how to do it successfully. We’re excited to continue supporting the industry’s digital transformation journey and look forward to reconnecting with customers, partners, and industry peers at future events.