Metsä Board completes capacity expansion at Äänekoski

The company’s 2011-2012 investment programme boosts cumulative virgin fibre board capacity by a total of 150,000 t to 935,000 tpy. Sheeting capacity expansion at Äänekoski will follow in autumn.

Metsä Board has finalised the rebuild of the board machine at its Finnish Äänekoski mill, raising the mill’s total capacity by 30,000 t to 240,000 tpy of coated BCTMP board. According to the company, normal production was restarted in early May.

The machine rebuild project at the Äänekoski mill is part of a bigger investment announced by Metsä Board, formerly M-real, back in 2010-2011. Under this programme, Metsä Board has also rebuild board machine at Simpele and Kyro in 2011, increasing folding boxboard production capacities at the two mills by a total of 120,000 tpy.

Metsä Board is currently working on the expansion of sheeting capacities at the Äänekoski mill. The project would be finalised in autumn, the company said.