Metsä Fibre aims to transform from a traditional supplier of raw materials into a partner that solves customers’ challenges.
customers’ challenges. Customers have increasing quality requirements, and Metsä Fibre wants to meet their needs by developing its own service offering. “If a customer makes window frames, we do not just supply them with sawn timber. We provide them with the most suitable raw material to produce the best possi- ble window frames,” explains Ari Harmaala , Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing. Implementing the Timber FOX quality index is part of this new service offering. “Going forward, we will supply our customers with sawn timber and all related data for the product. It will help them use raw materials more efficiently and get exactly the right raw material with an appropriate strength grade for their applications.” Metsä Group is a responsible and sustainable producer covering the entire supply chain from the forest to the end use. “Sawn timber is the perfect carbon storage. The best possible carbon balance in our customers’ products is a significant competitive advantage for them. The best dense-grained Nordic pine is also a valued high-quality raw material thanks to its strength and visual properties.” COMPETENT PERSONNEL FOR TROUBLE-FREE SAWING Liisa-Maija Perävainio , Mill Manager of Rauma sawmill, explains that all operations can be handled from a single control room, thanks to advanced automation and ma- chine vision, as well as the information system used for production control and monitoring. This is a new oper- ating mode in the sawmill world. Another new feature is the increased role of operators, even in maintenance. “Operators monitor the continuous sawing process, prepare for switching batches and report maintenance needs. They manage the operation and are responsible for process observations and measurements to verify that the process is functional, and the quality is as it should be. They are also responsible for proactive maintenance. The new sawmill operators go through a special training programme, in which the mill equipment suppliers are also actively involved. Competent operators play a key role in the production of quality sawn timber.” •
The logs arriving at the sawmill are X-rayed to measure knots and knot frequencies, and to detect hidden quality deviations. After measurement, the control system divides the logs into sawing batches and allocates them to end products. Drying of sawn timber is also precisely controlled to ensure consistency in the required quality. “We produce demanding customer products for manu- facturers of glulam board, furniture and window compo- nents. We have to be able to dry the products down to their low final moisture values without variation in moisture, fractures or deformations,” Haapaniemi says. AN INTEGRATED FOSSIL-FREE MILL The sawmill investment supports Metsä Fibre’s 2030 sus- tainability objectives. By investing in a sawmill alongside Rauma pulp mill, the company is creating a unit that can operate entirely without fossil fuel. Electricity and heat for the sawmill are generated at the adjacent pulp mill, where the wood chips from sawing are used in pulp production, and the bark and sawdust in bioenergy generation. The sawmill and pulp mill also work together in trans- porting wood feedstock. “We use the existing road and rail infrastructure in the area and the nearby harbour, where our contract partner takes care of all shipping and storage operations,” says Haapaniemi. SERVICES ADDING VALUE FOR CUSTOMERS Metsä Fibre is investing heavily in developing the me- chanical forest industry. It aims to transform from a tra- ditional supplier of raw materials into a partner that solves
Rauma sawmill in numbers
INVESTMENT EUR 200 million
WOOD FOR WALLS AND ROOF BEAMS
Wood plays a visible role in the structures of Rauma sawmill. Metsä Group’s sawn timber, plywood, glulam and laminated veneer lumber are used for floor and roof structures, for the bat- tens on top of the external clad- ding, and for the control room and office facilities. Wood will be visible in the interior, such as the floors of the production facilities. Project Director Harri Haapaniemi says that when choosing the sawmill's building materials, the aim was to highlight Metsä Group’s own wood prod- ucts. New hybrid elements developed by Metsä are used in the log sort- ing facility, in which the sandwich structure combines concrete, thermal insulation and sheet made from laminated veneer lumber. These elements are half the weight of equivalent concrete elements and offer a significantly lower carbon footprint. “We are using the wood sensibly with other materials and accord- ing to the building’s intended use. We have really focused on using wood and have created various fire simulations to ensure that the new sawmill can operate safely and in accordance with regula- tions,” says Haapaniemi.
DOMESTIC CONTENT OF THE INVESTMENT 70 %
EMPLOYMENT EFFECT OF THE CONSTRUCTION STAGE 1,500 person years PEOPLE DIRECTLY EMPLOYED 100 PEOPLE EMPLOYED ACROSS ITS DIRECT VALUE CHAIN 500 ANNUAL PRODUCTION 750,000 m³ of pine sawn timber for demanding component and woodworking industry products PRODUCTION WILL START AT THE SAWMILL IN Q3/2022
Ismo Nousiainen Metsä Fibre’s CEO. Rauma will greatly boost our output of consistent sawn timber with its ultra-modern produc- tion technology, he says.
Harri Haapaniemi Project Director of Rauma sawmill project. He says that sawmill’s sawing and handling speed will be three times faster than the traditional method.
Liisa-Maija Perävainio Mill Manager of Rauma sawmill. Thanks to automation, machine vision and the information system, all operations can be handled from a single control room, she says.
Ari Harmaala Metsä Fibre’s Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing. Sawn timber is simply the perfect carbon storage, he says.
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