Metsä Board, a European manufacturer of premium virgin fibre cartonboard and part of the Metsä Group, is now in the final phase of expanding its folding box board capacity at its factory in Husum, Sweden. The BM1 advanced folding box board machine is set to go into operation in the second half of 2023.

The 213-metre-long machine should achieve its full capacity by the end of 2025, providing 600,000 tonnes annually of high-quality, lightweight folding box board for packaging for consumers and food service packaging worldwide. But the machinery expansion is only one part of this project.

Jonas Adler, Product Manager for folding box board in Husum, commented, “For our customers, the most important result of this project will be the greater availability of sustainable, lightweight products that contribute to reducing the CO2 footprint of packaging.” The BM1 produces a wide range of varieties. Nothing will change in the recipes for these popular, tried and true products. Mr. Adler emphasised, “But greater quantities will be available and they will be manufactured in a manner that is even more consistent, predictable and sustainable.”

Aside from the expansion of the board machine itself, there is a wealth of other work being conducted in Husum as part of the expansion project. For instance, the company is additionally installing a new roll cutter and automated roll handling. “Handling and the transport of jumbo rolls will be automated from the coating machine to storage of the rolls,” explained Mr. Adler.

The harbour at Husum currently has an intermediate warehouse for storing finished products, ensuring that there will be no interruption of supply when the BM1 is shut down in the autumn of 2023 for the expansion work to be conducted. In addition, a new warehouse is being built especially for rolls destined for customers in the USA. Customers over there are currently seeking to replace plastics in their packaging, increasing the demand for lightweight boxes from Metsä Board.

“‘Efficiency’ is the word that best describes the aim of the entire project,” says Mr. Adler. “We’re hard at work making the entire working process at the factory even smoother and more efficient. For example, we will construct an intermediate warehouse for rolls to buffer production peaks, and we will set up automated handling of customer rolls for cassettes for the US market.”

The new recovery boiler and the turbine of the pulp mill in Husum began operation at the end of 2022, providing the bio-based steam and electricity for this expansion of capacity. Together, they should increase the production of electricity by around 330 gigawatt hours annually, signifying an increase in the factory’s degree of self-sufficient electricity up to over 80 percent. “The recovery boiler provides more stable steam production, which is then reflected in more consistent cartonboard production and quality. Better quality and stability mean less waste for our customers. So this is yet another possibility for improving the sustainability of our products,” said Mr. Adler.