Known for producing the high-quality and lightweight MetsäBoard Classic FBB product, used for premium food and healthcare packaging, the Simpele mill will undergo significant upgrades in the second half of 2025.
Valued at around €60m (£50m), the investment includes the modernisation of the pre-drying section and the installation of a new coating section on the production line.
Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, said these enhancements would further improve the print quality and visual consistency of the MetsäBoard Classic FBB product while enabling the company to shift to fossil free alternatives in its paperboard production process.
Markku Leskelä, senior vice president of development at Metsä Board, said: “This project marks an important milestone in our shift toward fossil free paperboard production at the Simpele mill and is in full alignment with Metsä Board’s goal of achieving fossil free production across all mills by the end of 2030.
“The mill upgrade will also further solidify our leading position in the food and pharmaceutical segments, offering customers a product with an even higher print quality, better visual uniformity, and a reduced carbon footprint.”
Announced by the company last April, the modernisation of the Simpele mill is being implemented in stages and the group said it was progressing according to schedule in all areas.
The technology purchases for the project were mostly completed in June, and detailed planning with equipment suppliers is ongoing.
The building permit was granted earlier this year and the first visible work at the mill has already started. Most tasks, such as the installation of the new pre-drying and coating sections, will be completed during a scheduled maintenance shutdown at the mill in September.
Metsä Board said it would ensure “uninterrupted service and consistent product availability” by careful planning in close collaboration with its customers. The upgraded Simpele mill is expected to start up in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The modernisation of the board machine is part of a planned wider investment programme at the Simpele mill. Plans also include renewals in the mechanical pulp production, in the finishing area of paperboard as well as a new power plant. The company has not yet taken investment decisions on these.
