It has earlier been shown that the counter-ion to the charged groups in the fibre has a significant effect on the beatability of fibres, but large-scale investigations of this effect are scarce in the literature. The objectives of the present study were therefore to develop a technique to ion-exchange large quantities of industrial pulp into the Na +-form using complexing agents and to study the effect of industrial-scale refining on pulp fibres in the Na +-form and how the fibres respond to industrial-like papermaking. The results show that ion-exchange can indeed be conducted on a pilot-scale using complexing agents such as DTPA. The study further indicates that an energy reduction of 50% at a given WRV or tensile index may be achieved if the fibres are converted to Na +-form prior to pilot-scale refining. By applying these techniques in full-scale production, it should thus be possible to save significant amount of energy, especially in the case of papers made from unbleached pulp that usually demands a higher degree of beating to achieve sufficient strength.