Metsä Board Starts-up BM1 at Husum Mill after Folding Boxboard Capacity Expansion Project
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Metsä Board announced that the project to expand folding boxboard production capacity at the Husum integrated pulp and paperboard mill in Sweden has been completed. With the modernization of the board machine 1 (BM1), the annual production capacity of folding boxboard (FBB) will be increased by 200,000 tons to reach 600,000 tons.
Metsä Board first announced pre-engineering plans to increase the annual production capacity of folding boxboard on BM1 in January 2021. In July 2021, the company determined the investment would be EUR 210 million.
According to Metsä Board, the expansion of folding boxboard capacity is in response to the growing demand for packaging materials made of renewable resources. BM1 produces folding boxboards that are lightweight, without sacrificing strength properties, which saves on raw materials usage and helps to reduce the carbon footprint of packaging.
"By increasing Husum's production capacity, we are responding to the growing demand for packaging materials that support the circular economy," said Mika Joukio, CEO of Metsä Board.
The capacity expansion involved extending the length of the BM1 and adding more drying capacity. However, the machine extension is only part of the extensive project. Improvements have also been done in other parts of the machine line to improve runnability and quality consistency. The off-machine coater has been upgraded to accompany higher speeds and larger jumbo rolls. At the same time the logistics of transporting on site jumbo rolls between the board machines, coater, extrusion coating line and winder is now fully automated.
Full production capacity is expected to be reached by the end of 2025.
The additional capacity will be directed mainly to the North American and European markets, where the demand growth for Metsä Board's premium lightweight paperboards is expected to continue.
Husum BM1 produces market-leading premium lightweight folding boxboards with a basis weight range of 175-355 g/m2. The products are used for packaging dry food and frozen food, chocolate, confectionery, pharmaceutical and healthcare products, beauty care products as well as for food service and graphic applications.
