Sustainability has been at the heart of operations, not least because of the riverside location of the mill.
cent of the blue-collar workforce was hired from the local area. It was very important for the company to provide the necessary knowledge to the people who would oper- ate the machinery. This took some time, perhaps two or three years of learning, training and building the working culture.” The initial production of up to 200,000 cubic metres per year was less than the planned mill capacity, but increases were achieved by automating the sorting process, for ex- ample, and a drive to attract the best qualified and most motivated workforce. Although the Covid-19 pandemic caused a dip in 2020, production volume in most years increased by 10,000 cubic metres, to the point where a figure of 300,000 is possible for 2021. Quality requirements for the Metsä Svir sawmill are exactly the same as for the company’s other production sites. According to customers, Metsä Svir also achieves these goals and delivers top-quality sawn spruce timber for their purposes. Sustainability has always been at the heart of operations, not least because of the riverside location of the mill. “We decided to operate our own circulating water sys- tem. We take water from the river, use it in a closed cycle and return it after treatment at the end of the log watering season,” says Kanatov. “Improving and maintaining water quality involved big investments. Regulations in Russia in this respect are as strong as, if not stronger than, those in the rest of Europe.” STABILITY IN A CHANGING MARKET Attention to the environment is high on a list of customer considerations, along with attentive service, efficient dis- tribution, good communications and product quality, says Galina Busuyok , Sales and Supply Coordinator.
“Our main customer industries are living & joinery, construction, and furniture,” she says. “We have customers in various European countries, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The market is not stable and is influenced by global changes, so it is changing all the time, but our high quality sawn timber is consistent. We know how to keep improving our service and our customer survey has given us good information about what we need to improve.” As a member of the Metsä Group, the sawmill adheres to Group policies and values. Following Metsä Group systems for safety, rules and instructions in tandem with Russian state regulations can be a challenge, but it is all part of the process of developing and following best prac- tices, says Kanatov: “Metsä Fibre’s personnel in Finland share their best prac- tices with us, and we can share our improvements and attitudes with them, so it works both ways. We are proud of our technical development and human resources – they are among the best in Russia!” •
METSÄ SVIR The sawmill was established 2006 by Metsä Fibre. • On the Svir River, between Europe’s biggest lake, Ladoga, and its second biggest lake, Onega, in the Leningrad Oblast, northwest Russia • Employs 117 persons • Produces sawn spruce timber for cladding, furniture, woodworking, etc. • 95 per cent of products exported • Exports by container to China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan; by ship to Germany, Ireland, France; by truck elsewhere in Europe
Vyacheslav ‘Slava’ Kanatov General Manager, comes from a family of foresters. He joined Metsä 16 years ago, moving from timber to sawn wood – from ‘round wood to square’ – in 2015.
Pavel Gusev Mill Manager and, as head of production at Metsä Svir, prides himself on his awareness of customer needs.
Galina Busuyok Sales and Supply Coordinator, has been working at Metsä Svir since the beginning of the mill’s history in 2005.
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