Metsä Wood inaugurates new birch plywood mill in Pärnu, Estonia

Metsä Wood’s new birch plywood mill inaugurated in Pärnu, Estonia. The investment in the birch plywood mill in Pärnu is worth Euro 55 million. Once the mill is operating at full capacity, it will employ around 200 people.

For Metsä Wood, the Pärnu mill is a strategically important investment in birch plywood speciality products. The most important applications for birch plywood include construction and transport industry, which are increasing globally as a result of enhanced urbanisation.

“Metsä Wood has been implementing its industrial efficiency strategy for five years, to great effect. The inauguration of the birch plywood mill in Pärnu is the culmination of the company’s Euro 100 million investment programme, which improves production excellence and competitiveness in the market. Today, we are witnessing another new beginning for Metsä Group’s strong growth,” said President and CEO Ilkka Hämälä.

The annual production capacity of the Pärnu birch plywood mill is 50,000 cubic metres. This increases Metsä Wood’s total net production capacity by around 30,000 cubic metres.

The birch plywood mill in Pärnu uses birch veneers as a raw material. The veneers are produced in Äänekoski in central Finland. The wood is acquired from Finland, mainly from the forests of Metsä Group’s owner-members. The veneer mill at Äänekoski and the birch plywood mill in Pärnu constitute a mill complex, in which the two parts must work seamlessly together. The Pärnu mill is expected to reach its full capacity during 2019.