Timber customer magazine 2022/2023

Rauma sawmill

Growing together with customers

The Rauma sawmill is a response to the growing demand for high-quality sawn timber. In the future, Metsä Fibre will be able to supply its customers with even larger volumes of pine sawn timber of consistent quality. A responsible supply chain and data collection that cuts through the whole production chain will ensure that our customers have access to first-class strong Nordic pine sawn timber.

Efficiency throughout the value chain The Rauma sawmill uses the latest measuring methods to ensure con- sistently high product quality. Quality assurance for sawn timber starts at the tree’s place of origin, because only a well-managed forest produces wood suitable for demanding applications. The origin and supply chain of logs arriving at the Rauma sawmill are known precisely, and the same pre- cision applies to monitoring the properties of the timber on the sawline. “Metsä Fibre’s customers also benefit from meticulous monitoring. For example, well-planned felling ensures that the right wood is deliv- ered to the sawmill for further use. If our customer produces window frames, we do not just supply them with sawn timber. We provide them with the most suitable raw material to produce the best possible window frames,” says Harmaala. The Rauma sawmill also produces unique digital data on quality, which Harmaala says is intended to improve the efficiency of the whole chain. “We use the data ourselves and will also be able to offer it to our cus- tomers in the future. Using this data, we can achieve industrial efficien- cy throughout the value chain: from the forest, through the sawmill, to the final product for our customers’ customers.” High product quality is ensured by the most modern measurement methods.

“We are bringing state-of-the-art production technology to Rauma, which will allow a significant increase in capacity. We will be able to efficiently produce large volumes of sawn timber of very consistent quality,” says Metsä Fibre’s CEO Ismo Nousiainen . The production of the new sawmill will focus on demanding products such as for the component and woodworking industries. Most of the pro- duction will be exported. Nousiainen notes that Metsä Fibre intends to transform itself from a traditional producer of raw materials into a partner that solves customer challenges and creates significant added value. “High quality makes a lot of demands in terms of expertise and the process itself. Line solutions in the drying process are examples of this. With our expertise and new technology, we can offer our customers really high-quality products.” Consistent sawn timber quality for demanding applications Consistent quality is particularly important for customers that manu- facture highly processed products or components for housing and con- struction. Demand for these products is growing on the global market. “We make demanding products for manufacturers of glulam boards, furniture and window components, and so on. The products need to be dried to low final humidity levels without moisture variation, cracking or deformation. We can do this with high-quality drying technology,” says Ari Harmaala , SVP for Sales and Customership at Metsä Fibre. The sawn pine timber produced by the sawmill is particularly suitable for windows, doors and joinery products, log houses, the furniture indus- try, industrial planing, high-quality glulam solutions, heat-treated wood and solutions for the packaging industry.

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