Metsä Board has launched the installation phase of a major board machine modernisation at its Simpele mill in Finland, marking a key step in its €60 million investment programme.
The project, set to begin in September, aims to enhance the performance of the company’s flagship folding boxboard, MetsäBoard Classic FBB, while accelerating the site’s transition to fossil-free production.
The upgrade includes the adoption of curtain coating technology, which will deliver a smoother print surface and sharper detail for high-quality packaging applications. Metsä Board says this improvement will strengthen the product’s competitiveness in demanding sectors such as food and healthcare packaging.
Currently, 89% of the energy used at the Simpele mill is fossil-free. The investment is expected to raise that share to 98% by the end of 2025, in line with the company’s target of achieving fully fossil-free mills and raw materials by 2030.
The five-week shutdown will see more than 430 specialists on-site to complete a full coating section modernisation, expand the coating kitchen, and install a new pallet packaging line. The upgraded production line is scheduled to restart in early October.
“Our goal is to offer brand owners an even more competitive packaging option, both in terms of quality and sustainability,” said Esa Kaikkonen, CEO of Metsä Board. “This is increasingly vital as regulatory demands and sustainability targets become more stringent.”
Metsä Board is a European producer of lightweight, high-quality folding boxboards, food service boards, and white kraftliners. The company uses fresh wood fibres from renewable, traceable Northern European forests. Metsä Board aims to achieve completely fossil-free mills and raw materials by 2030. In 2024, its sales totaled EUR 1.9 billion, and it employed around 2,300 people. Metsä Board is part of Metsä Group and is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
