Metsä Spring and Valmet have started construction of a 3D fiber product pilot plant in Äänekoski, Finland. The pilot plant will enable testing and further development of a novel process for producing a new type of packaging solution.
The greenfield building will host the pilot line, which converts wood fiber into ready-to-use 3D fiber products, which, in turn, can replace similar packaging solutions made from plastic and aluminum.
The goal of the pilot plant project is to develop a new competitive product and the supporting production process and equipment.
"Our project is a good example of our role as a pioneering company," said Jarkko Tuominen, Project Lead at Metsä Spring. "We have an ambitious goal to build a significant business based on the top-class know-how of Metsä Group, Valmet and several other companies. We use familiar, sustainably-produced wood fiber as our main raw material and strive to process it into first-class packages while minimizing the environmental impact."
Metsä Spring noted that the site of the pilot plant is ideal as it includes Metsä Fiber's bioproduct mill, Metsä Board's paperboard mill and Excellence Centre, Metsä Wood's veneer mill, Pro Nemus visitor center, and Metsä Spring's and Itochu Corporation's demo plant producing textile fiber from wood pulp.
Construction of the pilot plant has begun and the plant is scheduled to start operations in late 2021.
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