UPM Inaugurates Modernized Plywood Mill in Finland


Helsinki, Finland, 14 June 2012 – The extension and the modernization work which began in 2012 at the UPM plywood mill in Savonlinna have been finished. The improved mill was officially opened by Janne Laine, the mayor of Savonlinna, and Jussi Vanhanen, the executive vice president of the UPM Engineered Materials Business Group.

“The extended and modernized plywood mill in Savonlinna represents modern plywood manufacturing at its best. In accordance with the UPM Biofore vision, environmental efficiency, energy efficiency, and occupational safety have remarkably improved. The energy that is needed in manufacture comes almost entirely from renewable energy sources. Also, the wood waste of the plywood manufacturing is used for energy production and, thus, the manufacturing does not produce any solid waste,” Vanhanen said.

The extension and modernization project, which has now come to an end, was part of the mechanic woodworking reorganization in Finland announced by UPM 2009. The goal of these arrangements has been to improve the long-term competitiveness of the plywood business and to raise the added value of the products made in Finland.

During the extension and modernization, a whole new production hall was built as part of the mill and the majority of the existing manufacturing equipment was modernized and reorganized. The basic infrastructure of the mill also was reformed by widely rebuilding the electricity supply and the heat supply. In addition to the increased production capacity and the improved cost-effectiveness, occupational safety and working conditions have improved significantly.

UPM leads the integration of bio and forest industries into a new, sustainable and innovation-driven future. The company's products are made of renewable raw materials and are recyclable. UPM consists of three Business Groups: Energy and pulp, Paper, and Engineered materials. The Group employs around 24,000 people and it has production plants in 16 countries. UPM's annual sales exceed EUR 10 billion. UPM's shares are listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange. Additional information is available at www.upm.com.

UPM Plywood offers high-quality plywood and veneer products mainly for construction and transport industries, and plywood for furniture and manufacturing industries. The sales of UPM Plywood in 2011 were EUR 376 million and it has about 2500 employees, of which, 1700 are in Finland. UPM has six plywood mills and a veneer mill in Finland and plywood mills in Russia and Estonia. For additional information, visit www.wisaplywood.com.