Finpro notes that China is renewing its pulp and paper manufacturing and will increase production by 30% over the next five years.
"The Chinese Paper Association has proposed that we bring Finnish pulp and paper technology expertise together into a single entity. Investments of up to EUR 40 billion will be made to acquire an estimated 30 - 50 new paper machines and modernize dozens more," says Hannu Kivelä, Finpro's head of industry, Forest Industry and Bioenergy.
China will be renewing its paper manufacturing over the next five years and will increase paper production capacity by approximately 20 - 30 million metric tons, according to Finpro. Total paper production in China, it adds, was about 93 million metric tons in 2011, compared with Finland's annual production of 12 – 15 million metric tons.
"Investments have been accelerated by stricter requirements concerning energy efficiency, emissions reduction, and water consumption combined with quality and efficiency targets. Rather than building new factories, China is modernizing old production lines and building new ones in conjunction with existing factories," Kivelä explains.
"Large Finnish forest industry companies already have a presence in China, but now we're opening the door for small and medium-sized companies to enter the Chinese market. Although paper and pulp production is growing primarily in Asia and South America, technology export is a chance for Finnish companies to turn the market change to their advantage," Kivelä.further explained.
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