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Investments
Investments boost quality and reliability Metsä Board’s key investment objective is to ensure first-rate quality and competitiveness while aiming for fossil free mills by the end of 2030.
SIMPELE FOLDING BOXBOARD MILL
The Simpele board mill produces high-quality, lightweight folding box- boards for food and pharmaceutical packaging, for example. All these use cases set high requirements for the quality of the printing surface. In the future, the quality of the folding boxboard produced at the Simpele board mill will meet these important requirements even better. The mill’s previous investment project was completed in the spring of 2023 and aimed to reduce water consumption and improve energy efficiency. In April 2024, Metsä Board launched a new investment programme. The main goal is to improve MetsäBoard Classic FBB’s product quality and printability even further while enabling the replacement of fossil fuels in Simpele’s paperboard production with fossil free alternatives. Valued at around EUR 60 million, the project is expected to be completed in late 2025. This major project will focus on modernising the paperboard production line. The coating section will be renewed to further improve the paper- board’s print quality and visual uniformity. In addition, the coating drying systems will be modernised by replacing the current LPG-powered dryers with electric dryers, ensuring the energy used during the drying process will be entirely fossil free. The main equipment purchases have been made, and the modernisation work will begin in the autumn of 2025. Benefits for customers: Following the modernisation of the paperboard production line, the product quality will further improve, strengthening the product’s performance in premium food and healthcare packaging. The fossil free production process will further reduce the product’s carbon footprint, supporting the CO 2 reduction targets of customers. The invest- ment project will also increase the mill’s production capacity by 10,000 tonnes to 310,000 tonnes.
Elina Hovinen, photos: Metsä Group and Metsä Board
M etsä Board has several investments under- way the impacts of which will be felt decades from now. “A long-term approach, vision and understanding of business development needs are key to investment ac- tivities. It’s essential to look far into the future,” says Harri Pihlajaniemi , SVP, Production and Technology at Metsä Board. With its investments, the company wants to ensure its customers receive premium quality across all services. “From a customer’s point of view, the most impor- tant thing is that they receive a product matching their needs, and it’s delivered to them at the agreed time,” adds Pihlajaniemi. Customer satisfaction is extremely important to Metsä Board, and it is measured regularly. The goal of all in- vestments is to meet the customer needs, keep the prod- uct portfolio competitive, and minimise emissions and waste.
Three types of investments are important:
Strategic investments Investment projects are extensive strategic projects, and one aim is to achieve Metsä Board’s goal of fossil free operations by the end of 2030. An excellent example of this is the significant investment project launched in Simpele. Development investments There are several development investments ongoing that typically involve the development of product quality, improvements to the cost and production efficiency of mills, and occupational safety. Maintenance investments Maintenance investments ensure that the production units remain competitive and that the occupational wellbeing and safety of employees are at a high level. Maintenance investments are required annually to en- sure undisrupted operations and safe production.
Grade produced at the mill: MetsäBoard Classic FBB
Personnel Capacity kt/a 270 300
Produced in Simpele, MetsäBoard Classic FBB is known as a forerunner on the market for its light weight and converting efficiency.
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