It is a privilege to do precisely this job with precisely this group of people. We have unique projects, clear goals, and a strong motivation to achieve them. I’m lucky in that I’ve experienced precisely the above during my career. It’s easy to go to work in the morning when you enjoy your work. This is something I wish everyone could experience. A chance for a one-of-akind experience is now opening up for a large group of people at Rauma, where Metsä Group builds the world’s most modern and efficient sawmill.
The recruiting for Metsä Group’s Rauma sawmill has been prepared carefully ever since the preliminary planning phase. This means that a hundred people will be given an opportunity that comes by “once in a lifetime”, in that they will have the chance to participate in a unique, world-class project of the kind none of us see very often. All in all, the project is estimated to create 500 new jobs within its value chain. The employment impact of the construction phase is 1,500 person-years.
Although the planning of the Rauma sawmill started from what can be referred to as a clean slate, the integrate benefits offered by the adjacent pulp mill have, of course, been taken advantage of. Technological leaps and the sawmill’s implementation as a greenfield project – in other words, its construction on a previously unbuilt plot of land – also allow for new operating models in work. Instead of working at separate workstations, we are moving to a single control room in which different teams carry out the tasks of their respective departments. The working environment is tidy and safe also during the field rounds, which set the pace of shifts and during which we carry out process observations, quality measurements, and maintenance tasks according to the preventive maintenance programme.
Internal recruitment for Rauma sawmill operator tasks started in May and external recruitment will open in August. Those selected for the jobs will participate in a programme which familiarises them with the new technology and operating models before the sawmill even starts up. The right attitude, motivation, and enthusiasm for learning new things are the number one priority for those applying for the training programme. Experience in the sawmill or maintenance sectors will be an advantage but not a necessity, given that skills will be ensured during on-the-job learning periods to be completed at other Metsä Group sawmills. The Rauma sawmill’s programme is an excellent channel by which to seek a career in the forest industry, as are all our apprenticeship training programmes, for that matter.
The training programme provides the sawmill’s employees with a chance to become a reliable team before the real action begins – Common goals and taking responsibility guide the activities of the entire personnel. Getting the job done together with skilled co-workers is not limited to anyone’s team alone. The cooperation of multi-skilled employees and experts during every shift ensures that our processes remain operational in all situations. After the training programme, personal competence development will continue throughout each person’s career.
Working at a sawmill is a sustainable act: Metsä Group processes the wood of northern forests sustainably into different products and works to mitigate climate change. Sawn timber stores carbon for a long time and is an excellent material for many purposes. Metsä Group is aiming for fossil free production by 2030. At Rauma, the integration shared by the sawmill and the pulp mill represents a big leap towards this goal.
The first application round for the apprenticeship programme of the Rauma sawmill has begun. Now is a good time to think about whether this could be your “once in a lifetime” experience. Welcome aboard!
Liisa-Maija Perävainio
Mill Manager, Rauma sawmill, Metsä Fibre