Stora Enso to Install New Containerboard Machine at Ostroleka Mill in Poland
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Stora Enso Oyj, Finland, this week reported that it will strengthen its position in corrugated packaging in the growth markets of Central and Eastern Europe by expanding containerboard capacity at its Ostroleka Mill in Poland. The EUR 285 million investment project is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2013.
With the ability to produce a modernized product, the new, high-capacity containerboard machine will not only renew the product offering, it will also improve Stora Enso's overall cost position through efficient internal supply of light-weight containerboard made from recycled fiber. In conjunction with the startup, the company plans to shut down containerboard machine No. 2 at Ostroleka Mill.
"Strengthening our competitive position in corrugated packaging in the growing markets of Central and Eastern Europe is at the core of our growth strategy. The investment at Ostroleka is another concrete step in building sustainable and profitable growth for the Group," said Jouko Karvinen, CEO of Stora Enso.
Mats Nordlander, EVP, Packaging Business Area, added that "customer demand for modern light-weight corrugated packaging is increasing rapidly. This investment supports Stora Enso's objective of offering demanding customers new packaging solutions. Recycled fiber is the dominant raw material for corrugated packaging and continues to win share from virgin fibers. The markets for transport packaging in Central and Eastern Europe have grown and will continue to grow by more than 5% per year. This investment will support our growth and increase Stora Enso's self-sufficiency in containerboards from 35% to 60%, and will also clearly improve the cost competitiveness of Stora Enso's Industrial Packaging segment. Stora Enso's integrated RCP collection network in Poland, the new efficient power plant just completed, and this new state-of-the-art containerboard machine will make Ostroleka the benchmark in both cost and product offering in Europe," Nordlander explained.
Stora Enso's corrugated packaging product portfolio includes transport and consumer packaging, packaging design, and machinery. The Group's 20 corrugated packaging plants in Finland, Sweden, Russia, Poland, Hungary, and the Baltic States,
The annual capacity of Ostroleka Mill, which is part of Stora Enso's Industrial Packaging segment, is currently 270 000 metric tons of containerboard and kraft paper. The annual capacity of the new containerboard machine will be 455,000 metric tpy, and the annual capacity of PM 2 is currently 85,000 tons of containerboard.
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