Metsä Board inaugurates Europe's largest and most modern folding boxboard machine in Husum, Sweden

Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, inaugurated its upgraded folding boxboard machine in Husum, Sweden, on the 11th of April. Invited to the inauguration ceremony were, among others, project partners and representatives of Örnsköldsvik municipality, Swedish parliament and the forest industry.

In 2016, Metsä Board started up a new folding boxboard machine, BM1, in Husum with a capacity of 400,000 tonnes/year. An investment of EUR 230 million was completed in 2023 to increase the annual capacity of the BM1 folding boxboard machine to respond to the growing demand for sustainably produced packaging materials that support the circular economy. With an increased annual capacity of 600,000 tonnes of folding boxboard, the BM1 is Europe's largest and most modern of its kind and is run with 98% renewable energy.

"With the investment in the folding boxboard capacity at Husum, Metsä Board is well positioned to meet the growing demand for fibre-based packaging materials. We are dedicated to supporting our customers with high quality and resource-efficient solutions that help replace fossil-based materials and support the circular economy," says Mika Joukio, CEO, Metsä Board.

The project has included upgrades to the entire board mill as well as increasing the warehouse capacity at the port. The main parts of the investment are the extension of the board machine's drying section, a new winder and an automated reel handling system. The new, fully automatic machine roll transfer and control system is unique in the paperboard industry. "The combination of most modern available technologies with a very high degree of automation solutions gives us both a safer mill as well as lots of new improvement opportunities," says Olov Winblad von Walter, VP Husum Board and Pulp Mill.

Metsä Board Husum has undergone an extensive investment programme between 2019-2023. The first phase was completed in December 2022, including a new recovery boiler and turbine at the Husum pulp mill with an investment cost of EUR 380 million. The new modern equipment and processes enables Husum mill to significantly increase bio-based energy production and energy efficiency, contributing to Metsä Board's target of fossil free mills by the end of 2030.

The Husum mill is one of Örnsköldsvik municipality's largest employers and plays an important role for the region and in the large-scale conversion to the bioeconomy. Husum's products play an important role in providing alternatives to fossil-based materials in consumer packaging globally, the main markets being Europe and North America.

Metsä Board Husum mill in Sweden is an integrated board and pulp mill producing folding boxboard, uncoated white kraftliner and bleached chemical pulp.

Link to photos

Information for image captions:

1 Ribbon cutting:
Mika Joukio, CEO, Metsä Board; Viveka Beckeman, CEO Skogsindustrierna and Jussi Linnaranta, Chairman of the Board, Metsäliitto Cooperative

2 Panel discussion participants:
Johanna Nordqvist, Port, Warehouse and Logistics Manager, Metsä Board, Peter Selemark, Chief Growth Officer, Örnsköldsvik kommun, Malin Nygren, Production Director, Board mill, Metsä Board, Olov Windblad von Walter, VP Husum Board and Pulp Mill, Metsä Board

3 Viveka Beckeman, CEO Skogsindustrierna

4 Mika Joukio, CEO Metsä Board, opened the event with a welcome speech

5 Mika Joukio, CEO Metsä Board with moderator Helena Godotter Karlberg

6 Anna-Belle Strömberg, Member of the Riksdag

7 Olov Windblad von Walter, VP Husum Board and Pulp Mill, Metsä Board with moderator Helena Godotter Karlberg

8 Jussi Linnaranta, Chairman of the Board, Metsäliitto Cooperative

9 Husum mill

For further information:
Marjo Halonen, VP Communications, Metsä Board
Mobile: +358 (0)50 598 7046
Email: [email protected]

Metsä Board
metsagroup.com/metsaboard

Metsä Board is a producer of lightweight and high-quality folding boxboards, food service boards and white kraftliners. The pure fresh fibres we use in our products are a safe, renewable and recyclable resource, that can be traced back to northern forests. We aim to have completely fossil free mills and raw materials by the end of 2030. We promote a culture of diversity, equality and inclusion.

Metsä Board is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki. In 2023 our sales totalled EUR 1.9 billion, and we have around 2,300 employees. Metsä Board is part of Metsä Group, whose parent company Metsäliitto Cooperation is owned by over 90,000 Finnish forest owners. The sales of the whole Metsä Group were EUR 6.1 billion.

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