P. 18

MIDDLE EASTERN CONNECTION PARTNERS IN PULP

P. 12

GREEN GROWTH

PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY

PULP VISION

P. 6

FORESTRY FRONTRUNNER

ECHO ISSUE 1 / 2016 STAKEHOLDER MAGAZINE

FIBRE INTELLIGENCE

2 ECHO — 1 / 2016

FIBRE FACT ÄÄNEKOSKI

Due to ramp up in the third quarter of 2017, Metsä Fibre’s next-generation bioproduct mill will be the largest wood processing plant in the northern hemis-phere. As the first facility of its kind, the mill will respond to the growing global demand for softwood pulp.

The business model of the bioproduct mill will be based on an efficient network of partners, with pro cessing of new products emerging as the outcome of collabo-ra tion between various partners in the value chain. The mill has been designed from the outset to enable a broad and diverse range of products from a unique bioeconomy ecosystem of manufacturing businesses. In addition to high-quality pulp, the bioproduct mill will produce a wide range of bio-based products such as tall oil, turpentine, lignin raffinates, bioelectric power

A UNIQUE BIOECONOMY ECOSYSTEM

Use of side streams

100%Annual pulp manufacturing capacity

1.3 MILLION TONNESShare of other bioproducts in turnover

20%Mill self-sufficiency in electric power

240%Total investment

EUR 1.2 BILLION

Certified wood

ABOUT 90%

and wood-based fuel. Potential new products available from manufacturing side streams include gene rator gas, sulphuric acid, textile fibres, bio composi tes, fertilisers and biogas. More highly refined products will boost the competitiveness of the business ecosystem and increase supply to the growing market for wood-based bioproducts.

The Metsä Fibre bioproduct mill will be entirely free of fossil fuel, using wood to generate its entire bio energy requirements. Generator gas from wood bark will replace the fossil fuels that were traditionally burned in the lime kiln.

The bioproduct mill is Metsä Fibre’s response to the challenges of the future, making the company a pioneer in the emerging bioeconomy.

4 ECHO — 1 / 2016

ECHO

PEFC/02-1-01

METSAFIBRE.COM

CONTENTS

26186

INTELLIGENCE INNOVATION

ALLIANCE

2FIBRE FACTA UNIQUE BIOECONOMY ECOSYSTEM

5EDITORIALREALISING INNOVATION

6–11 PULP VISIONHARVESTING THE REWARDS OF INNOVATION

12–15 GREEN GROWTHENSURING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

16–17MARKET REVIEWQUALITY AND DEMAND BOTH ON THE RISE 18–25PARTNERS IN PULPTHE ROYALTY OF TISSUE

26–30FIBRE TECHINNOVATION MEANS COLLABORATION

31 COLUMNPULP TO BE PROUD OF

32–33 SEEDLINGSMILLS OF THE FUTURE, NEW OUTPUT RECORDS, STATE-OF-THE-ART DISTRIBUTION CENTRE & ECHO ONLINE

34–35BRANCHING OUTWRAP, COOK, BAKE, STEAM, SERVE, PIPE, ROLL OUT…

METSÄ FIBRE ECHO. ISSUE 1/2016. METSÄ FIBRE, PO BOX 30, FI-02020 METSÄ, FINLAND. WWW.METSAFIBRE.COMPublisher: Metsä Fibre, Sales and Customership. Editor-in-Chief: Saija Tuomikoski, Editorial board: Ari Harmaala, Mikael Lagerblom, Ursula Lumme, Tom Nickull and Saija Tuomikoski.

Production: Miltton. Producer: Minna Salama. Layout: Riina Walli. Printed by: Erweko Oy. ISSN 2324-0199 (printed) ISSN 2324-0202 (online)ECHO is published in English, Finnish, German and Chinese.All magazines are available at www.metsafibre.com.Cover: Carta Integra 190 g. Paper: Galerie Art 130 g.

REALISING INNOVATIONWhat is our recipe for leading innovation activities? I see them as the result of two distinct dimensions of our work.

Firstly, Metsä Fibre has a clear vision and strategy, and our syste matic target setting – along with diligent monitoring of concrete achievements – gives our daily work its focus and direction. We rely heavily on the expertise of our personnel, and emphasise continuous improvement in every aspect of our activities. We challenge ourselves continuously, and strive for better results by making observations and improvement suggestions as part of our own work.

Secondly, we consciously seek to develop a culture of openness that encourages innovation. We have a positive attitude towards new ideas and aim to have every employee participate. We provide the tools and processes necessary to turn one individual’s eureka moment into a real development that can improve or provide a new angle to our business.

These two ways of achieving ideas and innovation may seem contra dictory – the structured, disciplined, day-to-day extraction of better performance versus the freedom to explore ideas as they arise, without undue pressures. But having realised the importance of each, we have made sure that Metsä Fibre’s work represents a good balance of the two.

What unites them, of course, is the importance of collaboration. As you will find in this issue of Echo, the Innovation Forum tool enables our employees to contribute to each other’s ideas across the artificial boundaries of location and expertise. Raw ideas can be refined into real innovations when bringing competencies from different business processes together.

Teamwork is also fundamental to the innovation that takes place when working with our customers. With our Botnia IdeaBooster concept, we aim to understand our customers’ businesses, and develop business innovations in true collaboration with them. On this topic also, you will find more in the pages that follow.

One other important source of innovation is the long-term research and development work we do with universities, research institutes and our other collaboration partners. This is also the basis for creating new bioproducts, which support the competitiveness and renewal of our industry.

The role of innovation is to increase value and improve business performance. Let’s make it happen together!

Kaija Pehu-Lehtonen, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Metsä Fibre

18 PARTNERS IN PULPQHPM are living testament to the potential of high-quality paper production in the Gulf countries.

06 PULP VISION 12 GREEN GROWTH

26 FIBRE TECH

An effective innovation culture has made Ponsse one of the world’s leading manufacturers of forestry machinery.

Pulp promotes all 17 sustainable development goals set by the UN, says Anna Maija Wessman.

FIBRE INTELLIGENCE

1 / 2016 STAKEHOLDER MAGAZINE

Innovation at Metsä Fibre touches upon a huge variety of topics and areas of activity for the company.

6 ECHO — 1 / 2016

PULPVISION

The forest machine company Ponsse Corporation celebrated its 45th anniversary last year. This family business continues to be based in Vieremä, the small town in the Northern Savonia region of Finland where founder Einari Vidgrén originally established the company to build a more durable and stronger forest harvesting machine for his own requirements, and where the 11,000th harvesting machine rolled off the assembly line in spring of this year.

“Einari was still personally involved at the early stages of designing our new Scorpion harvester in 2010. He told us to brook no compromise and aim to create the best harvester on the market, so we took a substantial risk with Scorpion by making the leap to an entirely new level of timber harvesting technology. Some 80 per cent of the tech-nology applied in this harvester was completely new,” explains Ponsse technology and R&D director Juha Inberg.

Inberg also observes that the shallow hierarchy of this family business and the hands-on approach of its owners have clearly strengthened the company’s operations, with decisions made swiftly and straightforwardly when the owners, R&D and manufacturing departments all work together on the same premises.

“Our core competencies are entirely within our own hands, and we have always felt that direct hiring is the right way to bring in the required skills and people. Another major difference that sets us apart from our two main com-petitors is that they are large international corporations in which the forestry machinery business is only a small part of overall Group operations. By contrast, we focus solely on forest machines designed for the cut-to-length system,” Inberg says.

Specialisation and an effective culture of innovation have made Ponsse one of the world’s leading manufacturers of forest machines, with an R&D programme that encourages ambitious ideas and also takes risks when required.

HARVESTING THE REWARDS OF INNOVATION

TEXT: TIMO NYKÄNEN PHOTO: JESSE KARJALAINEN, PONSSE

T

8 ECHO — 1 / 2016

PULPVISION

The cut-to-length system is a Nordic approach to the logging process that involves cutting the tree trunk to the dimensions re-quired for its eventual use. While the technique is currently only applied in about 20 per cent of the world’s timber harvesting, this proportion is growing. Its benefits include high labour productivity and environmental friendliness, enabling precise and economical use of wood even from smaller holdings.

Ponsse is currently the world’s second- largest operator in its field, with a market share of about 26 per cent. Its principal market areas are Finland, Sweden, Russia, Germany, France and North and South America, and the company has 11 subsidiaries around the world.

AT THE FOREFRONT OF TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS

Innovation is one of the values of Ponsse Corporation, and the company invests heavily in R&D. Inberg explains that the company’s customers are intimately involved in its R&D programmes, with all new products tested by end users before transitioning to production.

“Our standard practice is to create a proto-type as quickly as we can. We then let the customer try it out in practice and tell us how it performs. Only after this concept stage can we proceed with commercialisation.”

Inberg stresses that ergonomics and the driver’s ability to cope with the work are a key design principle. The principal consideration applied in the Scorpion harvester, which entered regular production in 2014, was to place the vehicle operator literally at the centre point of the machine in order to optimise visibility and manoeuvrability. The Scorpion features advanced levelling and stabilising systems that help the machine to remain stable and keep the operator’s cab horizontal in all types of terrain.

Ponsse also has patent applications pending for the associated technologies.

“Forestry machines using the cut-to-length system have long represented the most advanced technology applied in the working machine sector. We introduced the first measuring device for controlling cutting in a harvester model back in 1986, and in 1993 we deployed the first PC-based solution. Information has been directly exchanged between the harvester and the forestry company ever since,” Inberg explains.

One advantage that Ponsse enjoys is that the company has developed its own proprietary information system products since the very beginning. The corporate group includes the technology company EPEC based in Seinäjoki, which manufactures PCs and controller modules for harvesters.

Another example of innovation was the eight-wheeled harvester launched by Ponsse in 2009.

“We originally aimed the eight-wheeled harvester at the Central European market, but with the global trend towards harvesting timber on increasingly steep slopes, we have found that this model now accounts for some 80 per cent of the harvesters that we sell. An even distribution of weight also minimises pressure on the ground, which is important for reducing environmental damage, especially when harvesting in softer terrain.”

PRODUCTIVITY, RELIABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES

Inberg explains that besides ergonomics and com-fortable operation, the motivation for R&D in forestry machinery includes pressure to improve productivity, energy efficiency and reliability.

“A high machine-utilisation rate and reliability under all conditions – from the biting cold of Siberia to the sweltering heat of Brazil – are naturally essential, and we should also minimise

INNOVATION INVOLVES TAKING RISKS. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO DEVELOP ANYTHING THAT IS COMPLETELY NEW.

JUHA INBERGTECHNOLOGY AND R&D DIRECTOR, PONSSE

10 ECHO — 1 / 2016

PULPVISION

From wood sourcing and harvesting to the final product, Metsä Fibre insists on promoting responsi-bility throughout the value chain. Independent forest certification advances this process, not only by ensuring the origin of wood and safeguarding forest biodiversity, but also by respecting the rights of the people who work in the forest.

Executive Vice President Juha Mäntylä of Metsä Forest explains that increased use of pulpwood, for example when the Äänekoski bioproduct mill begins operating, will require the company to pay even greater attention to issues of corporate responsibility and the ecological sustainability of the forest. The condition of lush wooded areas, baked slopes and decaying trees left standing is crucial for maintaining forest bio-diversity and conserving endangered species.

“Issues of responsibility become tangible when a tree harvester moves over the terrain and its operator makes decisions. Even when valuable natural sites have been marked off in advance, for example, decisions in logging areas quite often have to be made one tree at a time, and so the operator becomes a crucial link in the process,” Mäntylä says.

He explains that the concerns of Metsä Group over harvesting technology include ensuring that harvesters are increasingly energy-efficient, and that the trans-portation process never loses sight of the ongoing need to reduce energy consumption. Efforts are also made to minimise the impacts of harvesting on the terrain.

“The latest innovation in this field uses laser scanning technology developed in Finland to gather more data on logging areas before operations begin. This pro-vides precise details of such aspects as how wet the ground is, enabling us to direct the harvesting pro-cess more effectively and avoid damaging the terrain and water system.”

RESPONSIBLE FORESTRY FROM START TO FINISH

Issues of responsibility become tangible when a tree harvester moves over the terrain and its operator makes decisions.

HARVESTING THE REWARDS OF INNOVATION

FIND OUT

MORE ABOUT

METSÄ FIBRE’S

SUSTAINABLITY

PERFORMANCE AT

WWW.METSAFIBRE.

COM/EN/

SUSTAINABILITY

MOREINFO

fuel consumption. The latest releases in our model ranges are also largely setting the standard under increasingly strict emissions regulation for diesel engines in Europe. Interest in biofuels, bio-oils and eco-friendly cooling fluids has also in-creased, influencing trends in engine techno logy.”

Inberg notes an increasing worldwide empha-sis on greater environmental responsibility, even in bidding-stage specifications.

The entire Ponsse range was re-launched in 2015 with a completely new design and appearance. The leading star of the new range is the Scorpion, which has won awards for innovation and design. The company has already shipped more than two hundred of these state-of-the-art harvesters.

The company’s basic harvester range currently comprises a total of 21 product families. All products are manufactured to order and custom-ised with an individual selection of requested features.

“One interesting idea would be a dynamic servicing concept, whereby the machine reports its condition in real time. These reports could be combined with weather information and other details, enabling us to work out the right time for servicing. Obviously this would depend on the availability of local data communication links. Networks are not always as highly devel-oped as they are in the Nordic countries.”

FREEDOM TO DREAM

Inberg feels that an effective innovation culture fundamentally depends on the complete freedom of team members to dream up and implement technical solutions without excessive micromanagement.

“We have a long in-house tradition of R&D work done by a highly experienced and capable team. My own managerial style also gives people plenty of scope and responsibility, without constraining innovation under preconceived stipulations. The Scorpion design is yet another good example of how innovation involves taking risks. This is the only way to develop anything that is completely new.”

Inberg also believes that it is important to make sure that everyone has a common and clear vision of where the company’s product and tech-nology strategy is going, and that information is made available to everyone transparently. The shallow hierarchy at Ponsse helps to strength-en staff motivation and encourage teamwork. Inberg explains that a new rule on employee inventions that was recently introduced at the company also provides an additional incentive to creative thinking. This rewards staff members for each employee invention report, patent appli-cation and patent secured.

“Working as such a close-knit unit here in Vieremä, we can sometimes have difficulty iden-tifying the requirements of customers in various countries quickly enough to be able to feed these ideas into the innovation process. Here I think the most important thing is to have genuine and meaningful access to customers, visiting them regularly to get first-hand information.”

To back up its innovation work, Ponsse also arranged its first hackathon event this spring, inviting all interested designers and other stake-holders with an interest in forestry machine technology. The aim of this event was to find fresh ideas for the use of information technology from the point of view of machine operators, and of fleet management and servicing.

“This also illustrates our innovation culture, insofar as we are willing to listen to new concepts and completely unconventional ideas, even from people who do not work with forestry machines on a daily basis,” Inberg explains.

FIRST STEPS IN THE INTERNET OF THINGS

Even though the forest machinery industry already has long experience of applying informa-tion technology and data communications, Inberg feels that this is still only the beginning. Digitalisation and the much-debated Internet of things promise massive potential.

“It should be possible to make more detailed use of the information available from forestry machines, not only to support the operations of machinery manufacturers and forestry com-panies, but also to serve the needs of our own servicing network and R&D. Such information is still used only to a limited extent for purposes like developing preventative maintenance solu-tions,” Inberg says.

Ponsse also has many machines under comprehensive servicing agreements that make the company responsible for servicing customer machines until they have operated for a certain number of hours.

12 ECHO — 1 / 2016

GREEN GROWTH

ENSURING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

TEXT: TIMO NYKÄNEN PHOTO: KAROLIINA EK SOURCE: UN ASSOCIATION OF FINLAND

The pulp industry manages a product that optimally satisfies the goals of global sustainable development, says EPIS Secretary General Anna Maija Wessman.

New sustainable development goals applying to all Member States of the United Nations took effect at the beginning of 2016. The development programme specifies

a total of 17 principal goals to remain in force until 2030 with a view to eradicating extreme poverty and securing sustainable development for the environment, the economy and human beings. The universal objectives are a continuation of the UN Millennium Development Goals for developing countries.

A significant breakthrough was achieved in work to combat climate change at the end of last year when the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris managed to secure the commit-ment of a majority of countries to a comprehensive agreement seeking to keep the average global temperature rise below two degrees Celsius.

Anna Maija Wessman, Secretary General of the European Pulp Industry Sector (EPIS) business lobbying organisation, was delighted at the historic accord concluded in Paris, which will have a substantial impact on future generations and all of humanity.

“One example of the practical significance of emission reduction targets for various industries is that they will lead to increasing concern over the

carbon footprint of products and the forms of energy that are used for manufacturing them. The forest industry and pulp-based products already emerge as clear winners under any such scrutiny, compared to industries that rely on fossil raw materials. A product that is made from a renewable raw material using renewable energy by a process that generates a surplus of renewable energy – and on top of that is also recyclable – is bound to satisfy sustainability requirements completely”, Wessman says.

Wessman is the founder and CEO of Sustinendo, a consultancy enterprise that promotes business in accordance with the principles of sustainable develop ment, and she also has extensive inter-national experience of various leadership roles in the pulp and paper industry.

THE FAR-REACHING IMPACT OF PULP MANUFACTURING

Wessman reports her satisfaction, on initially reviewing the UN goals for sustainable develop-ment, at how pulp and pulp-based products effectively promote all 17 goals, and she notes how this material affects all aspects of human life.

In the first place, paper in the form of educa-tional and other materials enables the goal of effec-tive education that seeks to ensure open, equitable and high-quality schooling and lifelong learning

N

14 ECHO — 1 / 2016

GREEN GROWTH

240% ENERGY SELF-SUFFICIENCY RATE OF ÄÄNEKOSKI BIOPRODUCT MILL

87% OF WOOD USED BY METSÄ FIBRE IS CERTIFIED.

Metsä Fibre is doing its bit to support the goals of sustain-able development as a major operator in the bioeconomy. The company’s bioproduct mill now under construction in Äänekoski is one of the largest bioeconomy investments in Europe. According to Riikka Joukio, SVP Sustainability and Corporate Affairs at Metsä Group, the innovative and ambitious bioproduct mill project embodies many UN goals for sustainable development.

“As a modern manufacturing plant that only uses renewable energy sources, the bioproduct mill is a perfect example of sustainable industry that respects climate targets. The wide range of bioproducts made at this plant will respond to the challenge of sustainable consumption, and its side streams will also generate a large surplus of bioenergy,” Joukio explains.

The energy self-sufficiency rate of the bioproduct mill will be a staggering 240 per cent. It will increase the share of renewable energy used in Finland by more than two per-centage points. Two-thirds of Finland’s renewable energy is already generated by the pulp and paper industry.

A diverse network of businesses will develop around the Äänekoski pulp manufacturing operation, tapping the potential of new bioproducts in a way that encourages innovation and enterprise, and benefiting the local com-munity and society more generally. The new solutions will also replace the use of fossil resources in the everyday lives of consumers.

“The most important contribution of the UN goals from the perspective of Metsä Group is that they link the work of our company to global objectives for eradicating poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring well-being for everyone. We can easily see how our own operations are part of this, and we can apply these objectives when reviewing our relevance,” Joukio says.

Riikka Joukio reports that Metsä Group intends to study these themes in greater depth this year and examine how the company can promote the UN objectives through its own operations and products.

THE FOREST SETS THE PACE

RIIKKA JOUKIO SVP, SUSTAINABILITY & CORPORATE AFFAIRS, METSÄ GROUP

opportunities for all. With only a tiny fraction of the world’s schoolchildren having access to digital technology, paper remains crucial for learning. This also incorporates the drive for equality between the sexes and reduced disparities within and between countries.

“I believe that ensuring the access of women and girls to schooling is an absolutely fundamen-tal factor for greater equality. It links to several UN goals, from promoting dignity at work and sustainable economic growth to advancing peace and justice, and fostering co-operation and partnership. Employment is also naturally linked to the goal of eradicating poverty and hunger. School education naturally helps with this point,” Wessman observes.

The 16th UN sustainable development goal involves the idea that non-violence, respect for human rights, transparency and accountability are the pillars of peaceful societies and there - fore of a sustainable future. Under goal 17, achieving the aims of sustainable development will correspondingly require a global partnership of various stakeholders, common goals and values, long-term investment and measuring of results.

A MODEL STUDENT OF THE CIRCULAR

BIOECONOMY

Pulp is used for making numerous specialty products, such as medical supplies and hygiene items, that help to promote UN sustainable development goals 3 and 6 by providing universal access to good health, well-being and sanitation. Building materials and home furnishing products such as wallpapers and paints also use pulp and its by-products, and they contribute to quality of life by improving our surroundings.

“I also think that culture in a broader sense – in the form of art, literature and music – help to promote human well-being and enhance our quality of life in many ways. Even orchestral musicians continue to read music from sheets made from pulp,” Wessman says.

Any study of the fundamentals of pulp manufacturing as a whole will soon confirm Wessman’s point that sustainable forestry is an absolutely integral factor in the global carbon economy and carbon cycle.

“The rate of consuming fossil raw materials exceeded the ecological carrying capacity of the

Earth a long time ago, and we really must get the planet back onto a sustainable path. I can person-ally think of no other product that promotes this objective more effectively than pulp. It generates much more renewable energy than is required to maintain the manufacturing process, and does so specifically from production side streams and not from burning wood. This supports the UN goal of ensuring modern energy sources, giving optimal substance to the ideas of a circular economy and the cycle of nature.”

Forest reserves that serve as carbon sinks and those that are sustainably managed are directly linked to combating climate change and to the goals of promoting sustainable consumption and produc-tion methods. The pulp and paper industry is also an example of a sector that enables jobs, infrastruc-ture and innovation in the bioeconomy, which may in turn promote the UN goal of establishing cities and communities built on a sustainable basis.

RESPONSIBLY ON LAND AND WATER

Wessman nevertheless feels that the pulp and paper industry still has some unfortunate public image problems for one reason or another, despite its pro-gressive and responsible manufacturing methods.

“Output has grown considerably, but we have seen a sharp fall in emissions to air and water from pulp mills over the last 25 years. The pulp and paper industry has actually handled its water pollution control really well, thereby serving UN goals for protection and sustainable use of the oceans.”

It should also be noted that even enterprises operating with the abundant water resources of the Nordic countries do not impair the water use opportunities of their neighbours.

Responsible forestry is similarly in line with the objectives for life on Earth, and is a condition of future forest growth. Goal 15 calls for the pro-tection and remediation of terrestrial ecosystems, promotion of their sustainable use, and an end to soil erosion and loss of biodiversity. We respond pre-cisely to these requirements by processing renewable wood from responsible sources in a way that extracts everything from this raw material.

“All sustainable activities are naturally based on the idea of not wasting resources, living beyond one’s means, or exceeding the carrying capacity of human beings or the environment. In this respect, making new bioproducts from industrial side streams is something quite new and different from merely burning wood, which I think is a terrible waste,” Wessman observes.

16 ECHO — 1 / 2016

The Middle East as a whole is enjoying a favourable trend in terms of growing pulp demand, with the leading nations being UAE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia – most prominently UAE, where eco-nomic growth is strong and the need for consumer goods is in near- constant expansion.

During the past decade, many paper machines have arrived in these markets, particularly to satisfy consu-mer demand for tissue paper. These machines, as always, represent lar-ge-scale investments, and to enable their use in production of high-quali-ty tissue, their owners also require high-quality fibre. This is where Metsä Fibre fits in, as a supplier of softwood fibre in particular.

Kustaa Laine, Metsä Fibre’s Sales Director in the region, sees this pro-mising growth as just the beginning. “Demand for high-quality softwood pulp has been increasing in these markets during recent years, and we predict that this growth will also conti-nue in the future.”

As in certain other growth markets around the world, the standard of living is gradually increasing in these territories, with more and more con-sumers joining the rapidly expanding middle class. “We have observed that when countries are undergoing social development of this kind, demand for high-quality paper will grow immedia-tely,” Laine continues. “As a matter of fact, the demand tends to grow faster than certain other key metrics – GDP, for example – and this is exactly what we see in the Gulf region.”

FACIAL TISSUE THE FLAGSHIP PRODUCT

Adam Bonner of Ekman Group, Metsä Fibre’s partner in the Middle East points out what makes this market so distinct. “There’s an interesting thing concerning these markets – and North Africa also – which is the popularity of facial tissue. This has always been a major

MARKET REVIEWMETSAFIBRE.COM

IN UAE, ECONOMIC

GROWTH IS

STRONG AND

THE NEED FOR

CONSUMER

GOODS IS IN

NEAR-CONSTANT

EXPANSION.

TEXT: IAN FENTON PHOTO: VELHOT / VAIDA VAITK

QUALITY AND DEMAND BOTH ON THE RISEThe Middle East is a region already demonstrating strong demand for Metsä

Fibre’s products, and this trend looks set to continue. But what makes this

region so distinct among the world’s most active pulp markets?

Facial tissue has always been a major product in the Gulf countries.

product, as it’s ubiquitous in the Gulf countries. Western visitors might notice that when travelling in taxis, for example, there is always a box of tissue paper handy. It’s a convenience which has come to be looked at as a necessity.”

With tissue paper firmly ancho-red in consumer expectations, the trend has indeed been towards improvement in quality on the part of the paper producers. This typically means more fresh fibres are used to create tissue, and less recycled fibres. In the self-perpetuating cycle we have become accustomed to in Western markets, this higher quality level becomes the “new normal” and

consumer expectations increase yet again. This need for sustainably produced fresh-fibre pulps, drawing upon northern wood from sustainably managed forests, has led Metsä Fibre to label the Gulf states as key markets for growth, and the company looks forward to sustaining the needs of its paper producers and fuelling demand on the part of consumers.

Factoring in the additional capacity offered by Metsä Fibre’s forthcoming Äänekoski bioproduct mill, and the range of value-added services the company is able to offer its custo-mers, the future of pulp in the Gulf states certainly looks to be a bright one.

18 ECHO — 1 / 2016

PARTNERSIN PULP

Already a proven success story, and with expansion in the pipeline, Queenex Hygiene Paper Manufacturing LLC (QHPM) are living testament to the potential of high-quality paper production in the Gulf countries.

THE ROYALTY OF TISSUE

TEXT: IAN FENTON PHOTO: VELHOT / VAIDA VAITK

“The tissue paper business is like white gold.”

MEDHAT SALEHPLANT MANAGER, QUEENEX HYGIENE PAPER MANUFACTURING LLC

20 ECHO — 1 / 2016

PARTNERSIN PULP

The super absorbent towel in your kitchen or the soft and fragrant facial tissue in your hand is not just a branded representation of pulp and

technology but also a complex mixture of commerce and legalities. The consumer paper and packaging industry – once considered a costly luxury in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman – has significantly risen from its humble beginnings to reveal a future of profitable returns. This is despite the fact that the GCC is comparatively modest in its paper production owing to the scarcity of water and fibre in the region. This phenomenal intensification over the last ten years can be attributed primarily to an increased inflow of population in the region, creating a demanding consumer base. Such an exponentially growing market has not only succeeded in drawing the attention of investors from around the globe but the trend has also led both local and regional players to expand their investments in an industry now valued at $500 million (Dh 1.83 billion) in the UAE alone.

The foundations for Queenex Hygiene Paper Manufacturing LLC (QHPM) were laid in 2010, when the project was initiated by current Deputy Chairman and partner Mr Mohamed Hamad Al Hajeri.

What began as the brainchild of Chairman and owner Mr Hamad Rashid Al Hajeri, in the form of a single company called Queenex Tissue Factory (QTF) in 1978, soon branched out into all the major paper-related areas such as the Queenex Corrugated Factory and the National Packaging and Printing establishment (NPP). Because of his interest and experience

T

THE ROYALTY OF TISSUE

STEPPING INTOHYGIENE PAPER PRO-DUCTIONHAS PROVEN PROFITABLE FOR QHPM.

in the paper industry, and an uninhibited urge for strategic investment in paper production, QHPM grew into a limited company and started production by 2012.

GENERATING THE FIBRE OF SUCCESS

Stepping into hygiene paper production has proven profitable for QHPM, which is already manoeuvring to expand after only four years of business, having created a successful hold on the market.

“The tissue paper business is like white gold,” says Medhat Saleh, Plant Manager at QHPM. “Its demand will never stop or decrease anywhere in the world. Increasing populations and changing lifestyles that lay stress upon disposable hygiene products rather than their traditional alternatives, are the major contribu-tors that will keep demand at an all-time high. Standing at a current production level of 28,000 metric tonnes of tissue paper per annum, our share in the UAE is still only 18 per cent, and in Saudi it is 6 per cent. We are also exporting hygiene paper to other countries such as South Africa and the UK. Although we are well ahead in our targets and amongst the market compe-tition, when looking at the vast appetite of the market, we are hopeful and working towards acquiring an even greater market share, with a second production line being planned in the near future.”

Currently, with one production line with a design capacity of 30,000 metric tonnes of tissue paper per annum, QHPM has already spread its wings wide. “Demand and supply play a major role in this business. Saudi is the biggest supplier and also the largest consumer market in the GCC, followed by UAE, Kuwait and Qatar. Kuwait, for example, with its one paper mill

equalling a production capacity of almost 1,000 tonnes a month has been importing about 4,000 tonnes of tissue paper per month,” explains Mr Saleh, highlighting the wide gap. This does not only ensure steady growth for the industry in the years to come, but also puts paper in the forefront as a viable candidate for boosting the non-oil industrial sector within the broader Gulf economy.

“We have positioned ourselves not only in the GCC market, but have also made our mark in the global competition,” he continues. “The company’s owner has been quick in investing in the best technology and highly skilled labour, which, combined with a flexible business strat-egy that allows us to jump from one target to another, has given us a substantial lead.”

QHPM aims to position itself in the supplier market as a superior quality paper manufac-turer that can be trusted and graded by global standards. Mr Saleh is confident in his compa-ny’s approach to building a lasting impression on their customers, not just by creating and supplying a graded standard of high quality product but also by providing efficient after-sale and troubleshooting services. “We strive at all times to maintain the best relationships with our clients as well as our suppliers.”

The variety of hygiene paper being produced at QHPM requires several varieties of pulp. QHPM sources a large percentage of its raw materials from Metsä Fibre, working through its partner in the region, Ekman. Metsä is well represented in the UAE, where its high stand-ards as regards quality are valued.

“We have been in an efficient relationship with Metsä Fibre, primarily through Ekman who is responsible for all our day to day deal-ings,” explains Mr Saleh. “Quality is a pivotal

22 ECHO — 1 / 2016

PARTNERSIN PULP

QHPM aims to position itself in the supplier market as a superior quality paper manufacturer that can be trusted and graded by global standards.

THE ROYALTY OF TISSUE

24 ECHO — 1 / 2016

PARTNERSIN PULP

point for both of us, and that has made this relationship a very fruitful one.”

He indicates that the two companies may also collaborate in extending QHPM’s business into Europe in the near future. “Consistency in running the business, quality and customer support are the three attributes of Metsä Fibre that have resulted in our continued relationship with them.” An open channel for regular com-munication has worked greatly in cementing the bond and establishing trust. Having maintained a mutually profitable relationship for more than four years, QHPM and Metsä Fibre have good reason to look forward to successful future ventures, particularly in light of the increased capacity which the latter’s Äänekoski bioproduct mill will bring to bear upon the global markets.

WIPING OUT THE CHALLENGES

Mr Saleh is very clear on the drivers affecting QHPM’s business. “Pricing is one of many vital factors affecting the growth of GCC-based manufacturers,” he says. “This in itself is affected by many factors, including the political situation in some neighbouring countries, as well as mar-ket dynamics. Today’s customer is as conscious of price as he is of quality. And this makes it a very sensitive issue.” Mr Saleh does not hide his concern when looking at the open trading policy of UAE in the face of mega-producers such as

China. “At times, other exporting countries push additional products into the country with much lower prices. It is then difficult for a local manufacturer to judge their actual position in the market. For the UAE’s own products to compete, some sort of government strategy protecting local producers is sorely needed, at least for some specific industries such as ours.”

QHPM is nevertheless hopeful of working out solutions to challenges such as this with support from Metsä Fibre and Ekman. To face such competitive prices from outside sources head on, the company is researching strategies to reduce costs at their end. “Raw material repre-sents nearly 70 per cent of our total costs. It thus becomes very important to have Metsä Fibre’s advice to maximise the utilisation of the pulp we procure,” suggests Mr Saleh. By leveraging Metsä Fibre’s expertise in fibre production and processing, he believes it will be possible to de-velop more efficient paper production, reducing costs without compromising on the quality of the finished product.

“Despite the attendant challenges, we have all the ingredients to be the fastest-growing player in the region, and hopefully in the next few years, we will expand elsewhere also”, concludes Mr Saleh, striking a positive note that sounds entirely justified.

“Quality is a pivotal point for both of us, and that has made this relationship a very fruitful one.”

MEDHAT SALEH PLANT MANAGER, QUEENEX HYGIENE PAPER MANUFACTURING LLC

AN OPEN COMMUNICATION CHANNEL HAS CEMENTED THE BOND BETWEENQHPM ANDMETSÄ FIBRE.

THE ROYALTY OF TISSUE

26 ECHO — 1 / 2016

FIBRE TECH

a series of communications messages reminding employees to take part.

Steadily increasing in activity and usefulness, the Innovation Forum has become a successful method of allowing employees to share ideas that would other-wise have remained isolated moments of inspiration.

FOCUSED CUSTOMER COLLABORATION

Metsä Fibre are always keen to push their relation-ships with customers beyond merely supplying pulp. With vast papermaking experience and in-house competences across the entire value chain, the company is in a position to help customers improve their businesses in a number of ways, ranging from process improvements all the way to product development.

Development Manager Raili Koponen explains the origin of this approach: “It all comes down to knowing the customers and trying to create a win-win situation with them.”

“By deepening the trust in our relationships,” continues Development Manager, Business Development, Pirkko Liias, “we begin by support-ing their every-day problem-solving things before progressing to R&D-related projects and other more ambitious undertakings.”

One useful tool to facilitate this has been the Botnia IdeaBooster Day, a joint event at which key personnel from across both Metsä Fibre and the customer’s organisations share time together, discussing ideas and planning steps towards their implementation.

Such collaboration can also take place remotely thanks to the development of a tool named IdeaBooster Online. Taking online idea collection, polling, and discussion into account, the IdeaBooster can be used either independent-ly or in conjunction with an IdeaBooster Day to help make the best use of participants’ time, and provide the freedom to generate ideas outside the pressures of a workshop environment.

“It’s very interesting to see how the IdeaBooster’s flexibility can give rise to un-expected results,” says Koponen. “While we might begin reflecting together on one idea, side conversations can develop, and soon a whole new topic for innovation might be in full flow.”

Metsä Fibre’s customers have responded very positively to these collaborations. “They are often very pleased with this kind of joint work,” enthuses Liias. “It shows we are going the extra mile, and taking their business into account,

INNOVATION MEANS COLLABORATIONInnovation is a hugely important term for Metsä Fibre. It touches upon a huge variety of topics and areas of activity for the company, extending outwards from its credo of continuous improvement – internalised by every employee – into the hundreds of projects underway daily, large and small, which each necessitate critical thinking and a broad base of engineering skills.

TEXT: IAN FENTON PHOTO: METSÄ GROUP

MILL MANAGER CAMILLA WIKSTRÖM DISCUSSES PROGRESS MADE ON THE ÄÄNEKOSKI CONSTRUCTION SITE.

Innovations are created at Metsä Fibre as a result of buoyant collaboration, both internally and in cooperation with its customers and partners.

While the methods and tools may differ, the restless and creative spirit underlying each case invariably makes itself felt.

HELPING PEOPLE SHARE

Running a number of mills with distinct sets of personnel in the age of the intranet made Metsä Fibre’s top management realise the importance of sharing innovative ideas across such bound-aries. To that end, the company’s Innovation Forum was constructed. Jukka Rantamäki, Development Manager, Business Development, who works with a team of ‘idea catalysts’ to promote ideation at Metsä Fibre, is responsible for this employee-only web site.

“With the Innovation Forum,” he points out, “we’re looking for ideas which are not necessar-ily ready to be implemented. They often need work, whether in planning or implementation. Generally speaking, someone makes a discovery and thinks: ‘Hey, couldn’t we do this better?’”

The Innovation Forum site is reminiscent of an Internet discussion forum. When an em-ployee has their idea, they document it there as a new topic, and it becomes available immediately online for others to read, express their enthusi-asm or otherwise, and contribute towards.

Rantamäki’s responsibilities include develop-ing the site’s growth in terms of the number of potential innovations contributed, the number of responses ideas receive once they are online, and the organisational diversity of the employees contributing. In doing so, he is firmly convinced that one of Metsä Fibre’s advantages is its close-knit community of employees.

By touring the company’s various facilities regularly, he is able to meet the mill management who routinely benefit, just to give one example, from the efficiency improvements provided by the forum. Such conversations have helped the Innovation Forum to take shape over time.

Rantamäki’s main tool for increasing awareness of the forum has been the company intranet, where he highlights certain key areas in which innova tions would be particularly welcome. These function almost like competi-tions or challenges, with a time stipulation and

I

THE INNOVATION FORUM HAS ALLOWED EMPLOYEES TO SHARE IDEAS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE HAVE REMAINED ISOLATED MOMENTS OF INSPIRATION.

28 ECHO — 1 / 2016

FIBRE TECH INNOVATION

MEANS COLLABORATION

and a number of very promising projects have resulted from it so far.”

THE PARTNERSHIP CONNECTION

Another recent area of innovation that has been a significant topic for Metsä Fibre in recent months is the strong contribution to the bioeconomy the company’s new Äänekoski bioproduct mill represents.

The mill shares the broader aims espoused by the Finnish government and the wider international community in seeking to reduce dependence on fossil resources, facilitate eco-nomic development and create new jobs.

“The bioproduct mill in Äänekoski is one of the largest investments in the bioecon-omy in Europe,” enthuses Riikka Joukio, Metsä Group’s Senior Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs. “It’s a prime example of combining the old and the new. It will produce pulp, but the other constituents of wood will also be separated out during the production process. These side streams will be used to manufacture a wide selection of bioproducts, and the pulp will be processed into wholly new products.”

“From the mill’s very first planning stages,” explains Mill Manager Camilla Wikström, “we aimed to look at the facility from a wider industrial perspective. We considered the idea of different types of partners making use of the side streams – an area which is already active to a more limited extent at other mills of ours – and began strengthening the tech-nical processes needed to make this a defining feature.”

“THE BIO-PRODUCT MILL IN ÄÄNEKOSKI IS ONE OF THE LARGEST INVEST-MENTS IN THE BIO-ECONOMY IN EUROPE.”

RIIKKA JOUKIO SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF SUSTAINABILITY AND CORPORATE AFFAIRS

GETTING MORE OUT OF BOTNIA FOX

Botnia FOX (Fibre Online Index) is a real-time quality control method for pulp that was deployed at Metsä Fibre mills in 2013. This quality index enhancing efficiency throughout the pulp manufacturing value chain won the Quality Innovation Award of Excellence Finland in 2012. The method relies on Botnia RFID tracking technology that labels each pulp unit with a unique RFID tag, enabling the customer to check the deployment date and Botnia FOX values of the pulp batch in the papermaking machine by consulting the Botnia FibreOnline tool.

“Before Botnia FOX we had no way of monitoring the strength potential of pulp with such precision, with measuring results obtained only slowly and infrequently. Now that we have a genuinely real-time instrument and system for getting information to the customer immediately, we have continued work to develop new tools that rely on the quality index,” says Esko Pekuri, Fibre Technology Manager in the technical customer service team at Metsä Fibre.

Pekuri explains that the method finally patented at the end of last year emerged from a joint project of the company’s R&D and technical customer service departments a few years ago that studied variables in industrial re-fining with a view to creating a control system. The aim was to apply Botnia FOX and RFID for monitoring changes in pulp refinability Pekuri shares credit for this invention with R&D manager Outi Poukka.

“Implemented on the scale described in the new patent, this method could also give customers a control parameter enabling them to take immediate pulp refining optimisation decisions at the papermaking mach-ine. Obviously they would then need to use the quality index and RFID tag-ging,” Poukka explains.

QUALITY IS THE SUM OF SEVERAL VARIABLESThe precise and continuous measurements provided by Botnia FOX have provided far better opportunities for assessing the consistent quality of products. The quality index is calibrated using data obtained from customers.

Work to develop a method based on the new patent will continue this spring as researchers compare results from paper mills of varying type using a range of refining standards. This will provide insight into how well Botnia FOX tracks changes in refinability. The findings of a pilot project give cause for optimism.

“Customers have been surprised at how clear the quality index can be at the paper mill, meaning that an evident connection can be demonstrated between Botnia FOX and paper machine runnability,” Poukka explains.

“For example paper mills could previously add more softwood pulp to their product only after observing changes in output quality. With direct and accurate information on pulp refinability, they can also adjust the pulping process to compensate for any variation in the end product.”

SIDE STREAMS FOR SHARED SUCCESS

This emphasis signalled the idea of a thriving ecosystem surrounding the Äänekoski mill. “The production process of pulp gives rise to a number of by-products,” continues Riikka Joukio. “Some of these amount to side streams that we can make use of ourselves – for energy production, for example – and then there those that are either too small or best suit a business that we are not active in.”

With an ecosystem of partners – both small- and medium-sized companies – these opportunities can be captured in a way that encourages innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as benefitting the local communities and society at large.

Potential new products from the bio-product mill’s side streams include product gas, sulphuric acid, textile fibres, biocompos-ites, lignin products, fertilisers and biogas. In some cases, existing partners will extend their cooperation to capitalise on these resources. In others, Metsä Fibre is collaborating with universities and other research bodies to establish further processes and production paths, with the aim of signposting the next phase of products to be derived from the bioeconomy.

Once again, collaboration is the key term. Across the organisation and within all its relationships with other stakeholders, Metsä Fibre has capitalised on the potential of working together. Wherever the initial spark for innovation comes from, for the work that follows it to succeed, nothing is more fundamental.

CUSTOMER SOLUTIONS

KEY ACCOUNT MEETINGJOINT R&D

PROJECTS

IDEABOOSTER DAY

IDEABOOSTER ONLINE

BOTNIAIdeaBoosterTM

30 ECHO — 1 / 2016

FIBRE TECH

When comparing the Nordic, North American and South American va-rieties of softwood pulp, it’s difficult to make a general statement about which is superior. That said, when considering the range of applications each may be suitable for, Nordic softwood pulp does have the strong advantage of versatility. While South American softwood may find its most suitable applications limited to bulky paper products, its Nordic counterpart can be deployed in a range from strong packaging paper to hygiene products – tissue for instance – or for paper with excellent printability, or even writing paper.

When we look at the world’s markets, there are certain growth areas in which this versatility can be a definite boon. Generally speaking, the hygiene market is expanding a great deal, and here consistency – a strength asso-ciated with Nordic softwood pulp – is

PULP TO BE PROUD OF

COLUMN PETER AXEGÅRD, PHDVice PresidentDirector of Business Area Biorefinery StrategyINNVENTIA AB

a key property. Consistency has a strong effect on quality when it comes to paper- and board-making. In this respect, Nordic pulp offers a vast im-provement on that of its equivalents, which can contain larger variations in raw material supply. Another emerging market is for various types of food packaging. We eat more and more pre-prepared and frozen food, and fibre-based packag-ing, be it paper or board, is an area that continues to grow. Consistency is important here too: a more even material means a better end result, something that pulp- purchasing customers – and end users shopping for household goods – notice. Nordic pulp’s reputation for sustainability is another key advan-tage in this market.

A NORDIC AFFAIRThe Nordic region’s development of forestry is the main factor enabling these distinctions, I would suggest. Responsible practices – most visible to the layman in the various forms of forest certification – have been incorporated earlier and more com-prehensively across Nordic forests than anywhere else in the world.

The modern and remarkably efficient infrastructure of the forestry industry itself is another important feature. Here in the Nordic countries, we have pushed for more expansive usage of the side streams associated with the pulp production process, which is, in itself, a mark of efficiency.

BOTNIA IDEABOOSTER

Using as much of its raw materials as possible, minimising water use and waste, and striving for high energy efficiency have become the hallmarks of Nordic pulp production, and with demand for sustainable pulp around the world increasing hand-in-hand with sustainability performance (reduced emissions to air and water, and lower carbon footprints), it’s easy to see this trend of continuous im-provement continuing in the future.

FIBRE KNOW-HOWIt’s important to point out that this expertise extends beyond production techniques into knowledge of the fibres themselves. Understanding the properties of various fibre types and how they can interact in the pulp- making process is at the heart of the Nordic pulp and paper industries.

The applications of this knowledge have vast potential. On one hand, this could represent a task as straightfor-ward as developing a more sellable fibre from certain raw materials either at hand or easily available, but it can also extend into more innovative are-as. Reducing weight without sacrific-ing strength is one great example of Nordic fibre know-how at work.

This all seems to feed into the same set of circumstances, aims and am-bitions shared across the Nordic pulp industry. From forestry to process and fibre knowledge, pride in one’s work is overwhelmingly the main motivator. In the Nordics, at least, nothing beats the satisfaction of a job well done.

32 ECHO — 1 / 2016

SEEDLINGS

Metsä Fibre is reorganising its operations by piloting a new ‘Mills of the Future’ operating format based on autonomous independent teams and shared leadership. The new operating format was initially deployed at the Rauma mill in January 2016, and another pilot project for the Äänekoski site began at the start of April. The aim is to clarify details of the new format before deploying it throughout the company.

In practice, autonomy and shared leadership mean that teams have no supervisor, with shift staff taking independent decisions and agreeing the division of duties according to common objectives. The conventional approach is for work at a mill to be directed by the shift supervisor. Autonomous teams will do justice to the versatile expertise of Metsä Fibre staff in an entirely new way.

“Metsä Fibre has a great deal of know-how and potential that can be applied to far greater effect under a new operating format that enables each employee to perform more responsible and diverse duties,” explains Metsä Fibre CEO Ilkka Hämälä.

The Mills of the Future operating format emerged from staff interviews and workshops involving about 200 Metsä Fibre employees in 2015. This reorganisation of operations is part of a programme at Metsä Fibre to remain competitive and stay at the cutting edge of progress in the global pulp and paper industry.

‘MILLS OF THE FUTURE’ INCREASES STAFF AUTONOMY

At the beginning of this year Metsä Fibre began trials of an operating format based on autonomous shift staffing and shared leadership.

TEXT: TIMO NYKÄNEN PHOTO: METSÄ GROUP

OUTPUT HITS NEW RECORD

TEXT: TIMO NYKÄNEN PHOTO: METSÄ GROUP

Metsä Fibre once again managed to increase mill availability substantially in 2015, reaping the rewards of sustained efforts to achieve smooth and trouble- free operations. The company’s new output record of 2,353,000 tonnes exceeded the 2014 output figure by 96,000 tonnes.

Output in Joutseno was 64,000 tonnes higher than in the preceding year, setting a new record of 657,906 tonnes. This was more than 52,000 tonnes higher than the previous record set in 2012. This record performance is primarily due to the pro-active attitude of all mill staff in work to improve availability.

A similar record was set in Kemi where the total output of 585,402 tonnes clearly exceeded the previous record of 564,454 tonnes achieved in 2013. This again reflected a pro-active approach in work to enhance availability, together with advances in drying-line performance achieved under a programme of continual improvement.

Metsä Fibre’s new bioproduct mill in Äänekoski will have an annual pulp production capacity of 1.3 million tonnes. The full output of the mill will be transported via an automated distribution centre where the pulp units will be buffered, sorted and distributed for transportation. The centre’s 33-metre high warehouse is equipped with two high-capacity stacker cranes and two roof cranes specifically for wagon loading.

“As far as I know this type of high-bay warehouse is the first of its kind to be used anywhere in the pulp industry,” says Matti Alanen, Vice President, Logistics Finland at Metsä Fibre.

The roof cranes have been developed together with crane manufacturer Konecranes. The semi-automated cranes have tailor-made grips and can simultaneously lift altogether 32 tonnes worth of pulp units directly into train wagons waiting in the loading area, which has a total length of 200 metres.

“One of the main considerations when planning the new distribution centre – besides Äänekoski’s large production capacity – was our need for a highly efficient pre-transportation system serving our main export harbour some 350 kilometres away in Helsinki,” Alanen says.

Construction work on the distribution centre will commence at the beginning of June this year, to be finished before the test operation of the bio product mill starts in June 2017.

STATE-OF-THE-ART DISTRIBUTION CENTRE

The bioproduct mill in Äänekoski will also lead the way in logistics.

TEXT: TIMO NYKÄNEN PHOTO: KONECRANES

Metsä Fibre’s website is now home also to a new ECHO online section, accompanying this stakeholder magazine and offering extra material. In addition to the articles published in this current issue of ECHO and an archive of previous issues, the site offers a convenient way to read all the latest articles, information, events and trends from the world of pulp and other bioproducts.

Metsä Fibre is one of the world’s leading producers of bioproducts and related services. Echo Online supports the company’s pioneering status by offering Metsä Fibre’s customers and other stakeholders an up-to-date view into the world of innovative and sustainable solutions.

ECHO Online is available in English, Finnish and Chinese.

Take a closer look at www.metsafibre.com/en/echo.

THE NEW HOME OF FIBRE INTELLIGENCE

The new ECHO Online site brings together all the latest knowledge from the world of pulp and other bioproducts.

TEXT: TIMO NYKÄNEN

34 ECHO — 1 / 2016

FIBRES OF SUCCESS INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS FROM CELLULOSE FIBREBRANCHING

OUT

A TRENDY PRODUCT

The megatrends of urbanisation and rising living standards have made consumers increasingly interested in ecologically sustainable products that facilitate cooking.

SOURCE: SAGACOOK.COM PHOTO: SAGA / METSÄ TISSUE

Botnia Nordic pulps from the sustainably managed and certified forests of northern Europe are also used for making high-quality cooking papers. Thanks to their cleanliness, virgin-fibre pulps are ideal for use in products that come into direct contact with food.

WRAP, COOK, BAKE, STEAM, SERVE, PIPE, ROLL OUT…

Cooking in a sealed baking-paper bun-dle or package conserves the aromas and vitamins in food. You may also steam, boil or prepare these bundles in an oven, as baking paper withstands high temperatures, humidity and boiling. There is no need for a special steamer. Simply add a little water to an ordinary saucepan and drop the bundle in.

Aromatic cooking is a gentle method of preparing such dishes as fish and chicken. The subtle aromas of fresh herbs will also emerge and remain within the bundle as it steams. The sealed bundles then keep the food warm until the diners are ready for the wonderful experience of opening them to release the aromas on the plate.

RETAINING AROMA

Baking paper is a versatile aid in cooking that saves time, bother and washing dishes. It can be folded for cooking, frying, protecting dishes and worktops, and for decorative and individual presentations. A skilled baker can fold it into a piping bag, a stencil, an underlay for a cake or an aid to rolling dough. Only your imagination sets the limits!

SMALL WONDERS IN THE KITCHEN

RECIPE TIP

Thai-style sweet and sour king prawns, and many other recipes at sagacook.com/en/Cookbook.

ECHO ONLINE The new home of fibre intelligence.

Offering an up-to-date view into the world of pulp and other bioproducts.

www.metsafibre.com/echo