Efficiency made easy – UPM Grada Plywood premiers at the Interzum

(UPM Plywood, Lahti, 2 May 2011 at 10:00)  – UPM’s new ground-breaking UPM Grada Plywood will be introduced to the furniture industry at the Interzum trade fair in Cologne, Germany, 25-28 May 2011 (stand C-080 in hall 5.1). UPM Grada Plywood enables furniture manufacturers to revolutionize their form pressing supply chain, cut costs and to enhance production efficiency easier than ever before.

UPM Grada Plywood is based on UPM’s patent pending Grada composite technology which enables plywood to be formed after manufacturing. Whereas the current form pressing process contains much labour intensive and low value phases, UPM Grada Plywood only needs to be heated, formed and cooled. Heating and forming can also be applied to a selected part of the board, enabling even very large objects to be formed affordably. Furthermore, form pressing with UPM Grada Plywood can be fully automated making significant efficiency improvements easy to achieve.

Due to the special adhesive used in UPM Grada Plywood, components made of it are stronger and more stable than traditional form pressed components. UPM Grada Plywood’s glue line is highly homogenous and behaves in a uniform way on every press. As a result, variation between formed components is minimized. This, together with higher overall strength, will reduce production rejects and quality claims dramatically.

Furniture made of UPM Grada Plywood has major benefits also to the end users. The adhesive is free from formaldehyde and other harmful compounds. This makes UPM Grada Plywood particularly suitable to conform to ever growing demand for safer furniture. As the furniture is also stronger, their durability in hard wearing uses is better, reducing need for maintenance and renewal. UPM Grada Plywood is manufactured of certified wood raw material, ensuring that sustainable forest management and harvesting practices have been followed. The material can also be safely recycled or used as a carbon neutral source of energy at the end of life.

UPM at the Interzum

UPM’s stand at the Interzum is C-080 in hall 5.1. During the fair, UPM will showcase – in practice – how easy form pressing is with UPM Grada Plywood. There is a fully functional form press at the stand manufacturing form pressed giveaways for the stand visitors. In addition to stand activities, UPM will give a presentation titled “The Magic in Plywood” at the Speakers’ Corner in hall 5.1 on 25 May, 2011.

Furniture at the UPM stand features new innovative design demonstrating the exceptional capabilities of UPM Grada Plywood. The meeting room chairs – courtesy of Isku – feature the seat and armrests made from one single piece of UPM Grada Plywood.  The chairs have been designed by the awarded Finnish designer Mikko Laakkonen as a concept of form pressed furniture which has been impossible to make affordably until now.

In addition to UPM Grada Plywood, UPM will also have its WISA-veneers presented at the fair.

For further information please contact:
Ms Samantha Kiljunen, Venture Manager, UPM Plywood, tel. +358 400 152461
Ms Susanna Rinne, Product Manager, UPM Plywood, tel. +358 40 574 1270


UPM leads the integration of bio and forest industries into a new, sustainable and innovation-driven future. Our 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 22,000 people and it has production plants in 15 countries. In 2010, UPM's sales amounted to EUR 8.9 billion. UPM's shares are listed on the Helsinki stock exchange. UPM – The Biofore Company – www.upm.com

UPM Plywood offers high-quality WISA® plywood and veneer products mainly for construction, transport and furniture industries. The sales of UPM Plywood in 2010 were EUR 347 million and it has about 2,600 employees. UPM has 6 plywood mills and 2 veneer mills in Finland, a plywood mill in Russia and a plywood mill in Estonia. www.wisaplywood.com

UPM GradaTM is UPM’s new patent pending technology to manufacture layered composites. UPM Plywood has applied the technology in plywood manufacturing and developed a range of formable plywood products which can be used to make bent wooden structures easily and efficiently. www.upmgrada.com