Metsä Group is to establish a new procurement district in Kajaani as of 1 January 2023. The new procurement district is part of Metsä Group’s preparations for future wood supply to the Kemi bioproduct mill.
The bioproduct mill under construction in Kemi will come online in the third quarter of 2023. The new mill’s wood consumption will exceed that of the current pulp mill by 4.5 million cubic metres, totalling 7.6 million cubic metres of softwood and hardwood pulpwood.
“Our wood supply in Finland will increase considerably, and this will affect our wood purchases, harvesting and wood transports in the country,” says Juha Mäntylä, COO of Metsäliitto Cooperative. Increased wood supply will mean notably higher stumpage income for forest owners and contracting income for Metsä Group’s contractors.
Metsä Group’s wood supply in Finland is currently organised into 14 procurement districts. The establishment of the Kajaani district will increase this to fifteen.
“The new procurement district encompasses the county of Kainuu and the sub-regional unit of Koillismaa. Areas from the current procurement districts of Oulu, Kemi and Joensuu will also be added to it,” says Juha Jumppanen, who is in charge of Finnish wood trade and forest services.
Recruitment to begin
“The establishment of the Kajaani procurement district will strengthen our wood supply and enable us to provide increasingly better service to Metsä Group’s owner-members in the district. Our goal is to procure the wood needed at the bioproduct mill primarily from our owner-members in Finland. We will initiate employee recruitment for the new district this autumn. First, we will recruit the district manager, who will be in charge of setting up the new district organisation in 2022. Some employees from the existing districts will transfer to the new one, but we will also recruit new staff,” says Jumppanen.
The Kemi bioproduct mill’s wood supply will focus on Lapland, North Ostrobothnia and Kainuu. According to forest resource data, wood supply can be increased sustainably in the area.
“For example, there’s a need for thinning to ensure that the trees left standing will grow to produce sturdy log wood. Through our own activities, we want to ensure the vibrance, good growth and sustainable use of forests,” says Jumppanen.