Metsä Board has announced that the renewed folding boxboard machine installation at its Simpele mill in Finland will take place in late 2025. 

The approximately €60m ($64m) investment, announced in April this year, is expected to improve the quality of folding boxboard and scale up production at the mill. 

The initiative is part of a broader investment programme designed to update the facility's operations. 

Metsä Board Simpele mill VP Toni Tahvanainen said that the improvements would particularly benefit MetsäBoard Classic FBB's surface quality and printability, which are crucial for demanding segments such as food and pharmaceutical packaging 

Tahvanainen said: "This investment will help us stay ahead in the tough international competition for premium end-uses." 

The technology for the upgrade was acquired in June.

"The shutdown will last about a month, during which we will complete the installation of the new predrying and the coating section," Tahvanainen added.  

The revamped board machine is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2025. 

Currently, the Simpele mill's annual production capacity stands at around 300,000 tonnes (t).

The modernisation will modestly increase this figure, adding approximately 10,000t to the mill's output.  

The investment programme aligns with Metsä Board's sustainability goals, particularly its ambition to eliminate fossil-fuel use in paperboard production by 2030.  

Tahvanainen said: "Currently, we use LPG [liquified petroleum gas] for drying the coating and also in sheet packing. The renewal will replace this with drying systems powered by fossil-free electricity."  

This modernisation represents the initial phase of the mill's comprehensive investment programme, which will also see upgrades in mechanical pulp production, the finishing area, and the construction of a new power plant.