Metsä Tissue, Espoo, Finland, part of the Metsäliitto Group, this week announced a three-year investment program to be launched in Poland. The EUR 55 million investment is the biggest ever in Metsä Tissue’s history and will be targeted at developing the company’s Krapkowice mill in southern Poland into a state-of-the-art production facility.
The investment will ensure the development of operations in Krapkowice and related job opportunities, which is positive for the entire region. The program includes two new tissue machines, related assets, and infrastructure, as well as a smaller rebuild of PM 6 in Krapkowice. Two old machines (PM 11 in Konstancin-Jeziorna close to Warsaw and PM 5 in Krapkowice) will be closed.
The investment program in Krapkowice will enable a net tissue base paper capacity increase of approximately 35,000 metric tpy in Poland, according to Lars Warvne, SVP, Technology and Operations. "Additionally, a new Away-from-Home converting line will be installed and a new rental converting and warehousing building will be constructed. The move from the old warehouses to one efficient unit will further improve the efficiency of goods handling and delivery service," Warvne adds. Paper machines and related infrastructure will be supplied by Voith Paper, Germany.
Hannu Kottonen, CEO of Metsä Tissue, noted that "the planned actions will strengthen Metsä Tissue’s offering to existing and new customers, consumers, and end-users. The investment program will contribute to our productivity and sustainability and ensure that we will further develop ourselves as a reliable long-term partner. This investment is also crucial for the brand growth that Metsä Tissue is pursuing."
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