The extended and modernized part of the UPM plywood mill in Savonlinna was officially opened

(UPM Plywood, Lahti, 14 June 2012 at 12:00 EET) – 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 the Mayor of Savonlinna, Janne Laine and the Executive Vice President of the UPM Engineered Materials Business Group, Jussi Vahanen.

“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”, said Jussi Vanhanen in his inauguration speech.

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 value add 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 was also 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.

For more information please contact:
Mr. Tommi Takanen, Mill Manager, UPM Savonlinna plywood mill, tel. +358 20 415 6151
 

UPM, Corporate Communications
Media Desk, tel. +358 40 588 3284
media@upm.com
www.twitter.com/UPM_News
 

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 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. UPM – The Biofore Company – www.upm.com  

UPM Plywood offers high-quality WISA® plywood and veneer products mainly for construction and transport industries as well as the formable UPM Grada^TM Plywood for furniture and manufacturing industries. The sales of UPM Plywood in 2011 were EUR 376 million and it has about 2,500 employees, of which, 1,700 in Finland. UPM has six plywood mills and a veneer mill in Finland and plywood mills in Russia and Estonia. – www.wisaplywood.com