Finnish forestry group Stora Enso has completed an €80-million project at Imatra Mills to centralise and modernise wood handling to improve production capacity for packaging board.
The project commenced in the first quarter of 2021 and will see water consumption at the facility down by 85%, or by 500 million litres per year.
Mill director Mikko Nieminen, stated, "Despite the challenges brought by the pandemic, construction progressed as usual, and the investment was completed on time and within budget.
"Most importantly, the work was completed safely. Co-operation between the various players was very smooth. The investment will serve Imatra Mills for decades to come."
Modernisation Project
The noise level at the Tainionkoski Mill will also decrease as wood handling operations at the facility will cease.
From now on, wood will be debarked and handled centrally on Kaukopää Mill’s new debarking line, the Finnish firm noted.
The project comprised the installation of a third debarking line, improvements to chip handling systems, and modifications to the infrastructure of the existing wood yard.
The centralised and modernised wood handling capacity will improve the stability and efficiency of the process.
In September, the forestry firm warned that fourth-quarter profit for its packaging business, its biggest division, would be hurt by soaring energy costs, sending its shares sliding.
For the third quarter, operational earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) came in at €527 million ($515 million), it said, beating the €465.3 million expected in a company-provided estimate.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest packaging news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
