Mondi [on May 9] held a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the beginning of an EUR 125 million project to expand and upgrade production of semi-chemical fluting at its Kuopio mill in Finland.
ProVantage Powerflute®, the semi-chemical fluting produced at the mill, is a high performance and top quality containerboard grade used for fresh fruit and vegetable trays and boxes as well as specialized applications.
Regional and local officials joined Mondi's Group CEO and other senior leaders at the event.
"We are delighted with the investment in the future of this competitive and cost-advantaged asset," said Andrew King, CEO of Mondi Group. "Over 18% of Finland's exports come from the forestry and paper industry, and we are proud to be a growing part of that. Our site provides jobs for 240 people — value-added jobs involving a wide range of skills and with the potential for upward mobility."
According to Mondi, the investment will increase the facility's capacity by around 55,000 tonnes per year to meet growing customer demand; enhance product quality and cost-competitiveness; and strengthen the mill's environmental performance.
Juha Koukka, Managing Director of Mondi Kuopio, said, "The investment in Kuopio further improves Mondi's local environmental performance and contributes to the Group's ambitious plans to take action on climate as part of its MAP2030 sustainability commitments. The state-of-the-art equipment and process improvements will reduce noise and odour emissions as well as effluent emissions per unit of production. It will also mitigate wood loss in processing, boost energy efficiency and enhance occupational safety."
The project includes an upgrade of the wood yard, fiber line, evaporation plant and paper machine.
Start-up is planned for the fourth quarter of 2023.
TAPPI
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