Metsä Group announced plans for a significant investment program at its Mänttä tissue mill in Finland to develop the sustainability of the operations and to modernize and extend the lifecycle of the mill.
Metsä Group said it aims to develop the mill's production and environmental efficiency by investing in paper machine and converting line modernizations as well as improving the energy and water efficiency, supporting the company's target of all products and manufacturing sites to be fully fossil free by 2030.
"The investment program strengthens Finland's self-sufficiency in essential, locally produced hygiene products and enables modernizing our operations in Mänttä," said Joonas Kukkonen, Vice President, Supply Chain, Metsä Tissue Finland and Baltics. "The plans will strengthen our focus on high quality fresh fibre-based hygiene products that originate from the sustainably managed Northern forests."
According to Metsä Group, the investment plans are part of its tissue paper business' Future Mill strategy program aiming at world-class efficiency and environmental performance in tissue production. The planned program amounts to approximately EUR 100 million euros and the related investments are to be carried out over the period of next five years.
As part of the planned program, the company will first initiate an investment in a new hand towel line, which will produce fresh fibre-based hand paper towels especially for the Finnish market. Preparations for the new line are being started and the line is planned to be operational during 2025.
"The planned investment program in Mänttä mill is a logical continuation to our on-going Future Mill investment in Mariestad, Sweden, and our planned tissue paper mill investment in the UK, as well as several other investments in our international mill fleet. Now we will also modernize our operations in Finland," Kukkonen explained.
TAPPI
http://www.tappi.org/