UPM inaugurated its newly revamped Kymi pulp mill in Kuusankoski following a EUR 160 million investment in production expansion. Finland's Prime Minister Juha Sipilä officiated the proceedings by signing the charter together with UPM President and CEO Jussi Pesonen.
UPM invested EUR 160 million in the Kymi pulp mill to strengthen its position in the growing end-use segments of the global pulp market. As the result of this investment, annual production capacity at the Kymi mill will increase by 170,000 tonnes to 700,000 tonnes of bleached northern softwood and birch pulp.
The Kymi project was started in February 2014 and completed by the end of 2015. The new debarking plant started operation in June and the modernised softwood fibre line was commissioned in August along with new pulp drying machine, which was the largest single investment in the project. Other improvements made last summer include the expansion of the wood yard and the introduction of a new railway and wagon-loading system.
In his speech, Jussi Pesonen thanked the project team and all of the Kymi personnel, suppliers and partners for an excellent achievement.
"The construction of a competitive forest industry mill complex requires perseverance, and Kymi has maintained its competitiveness through operational efficiency and investments. In the past ten years, UPM has invested approximately EUR 550 million in the Kymi pulp mill and so far in the 21st century over EUR 900 million in total in the Kymi mill region," said Jussi Pesonen.
Looking to the future competitiveness of the Finnish forest industry, Pesonen emphasised the significant impact of the operating environment and the role of the government. The government must keep its promise not to increase costs for the industry through political decisions, he said. The labour market furthermore needs to be able to negotiate local agreements in order to ensure operational efficiency and delivery reliability to customers in varying demand situations. In addition, Pesonen highlighted the importance of an efficient wood supply chain and measures to ensure a stable wood supply from private forest owners.
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