“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 production 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 manufacture highly processed products or components for housing and construction. 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 industry, industrial planing, high-quality glulam solutions, heat-treated wood and solutions for the packaging industry.
High product quality is ensured by the most modern measurement methods.
Efficiency throughout the value chain
Rauma sawmill uses the latest measuring methods to ensure consistently 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 Rauma sawmill are known precisely, and the same precision 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 delivered 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.
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 customers in the future. Using this data, we can achieve industrial efficiency throughout the value chain: from the forest, through the sawmill, to the final product for our customers’ customers.”
This article was originally published in Timber Magazine issue 2022-2023.