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Metsä Board: Capacity expansion in Husum soon to be completed

The expanded BM1 folding boxboard machine at Metsä Board's Husum mill in Sweden is scheduled to go into operation in the second half of 2023. It is expected to reach full capacity by the end of 2025.

Metsä Board is in the final stages of expanding its folding boxboard capacity at its Husum mill in Sweden. The expanded BM1 folding boxboard machine is scheduled to go into operation in the second half of 2023.

The machine is expected to reach its full capacity by the end of 2025. Then it will deliver 600,000 tonnes of high-quality, lightweight folding boxboard for packaging every year for consumer and food service packaging worldwide. However, the machine expansion is only part of this project.

"For our customers, the most important result of this project will be the increased availability of sustainable, lightweight products. These will help to reduce the carbon footprint of packaging. BM1 produces the products MetsäBoard Pro FBB Bright, MetsäBoard Natural FBB, MetsäBoard Pro FSB Cup and MetsäBoard Natural FSB Cup. The formulations of these popular and proven products will not change, but there will be more of them available and they will be produced even more consistently, predictably and sustainably."

Jonas AdlerProduct Manager for folding boxboard in Husum

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Apart from the expansion of the board machine itself, there is a lot more work to be done in Husum as part of the expansion project. For example, the company is installing a new winder and a Metsä Board automatic roll handling system. "The handling and transport of jumbo rolls is automated from the coating machine to the roll store", explains Adler. "This is not only more efficient, but also safer." Increasing the level of automation also means that production staff can concentrate on what they do best: producing high-quality, sustainable cardboard.

The Metsä Board plant in Husum/Sweden.
The Metsä Board factory in Husum/Sweden. (Image: Metsä Board)

There is currently an interim storage facility for finished products in the port of Husum. This will ensure that there is no interruption in supply when the BM1 is shut down in autumn 2023 for the expansion work. In addition built a new warehouse especially for castors destined for customers in the USA. This is because customers there are currently trying to replace plastic in their packaging. This is increasing the demand for lightweight paperboard from Metsä Board. "Efficiency is the word that best describes the aim of the entire project," says Adler. "We are working hard to make the entire workflow in the mill even smoother and more efficient. For example, we will Set up a temporary storage facility for rolls to cushion production peaksand we will set up automated handling of customer rolls for cassettes for the US market."

The new recovery boiler and turbine at the pulp mill in Husum were put into operation at the end of 2022 and supply the bio-based steam and electricity for the capacity expansion. Together, they are expected to increase electricity production by around 330 gigawatt hours per year. This means that the plant's level of self-sufficiency with electrical energy rises to over 80 per cent. "The recovery boiler ensures more stable Metsä Board vapour production, which translates into more consistent board production and quality. Better quality and consistency means less waste for our customers. So it's another way to improve the sustainability of our products," says Adler.

With a length of 213 metres and a capacity of 600,000 tonnes per year Husum's revamped BM1 will be the largest and most modern board machine in Europewhen it has reached its full capacity in 2025.

SourceMetsä Board

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