Metsa Group’s Kerto LVL mill in Äänekoski

 Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Metsa Group plans to open its new Kerto LVL mill in Äänekoski to produce beam and panel products. The investment is worth EUR 300 million and the mill will start working in late 2026. Besides the well-planned business expansion, the company also aims to encourage the spread of sustainability in the construction industry. Highlighting the intention to increase the usage of wood, Jaakko Anttila, Executive Vice President, Metsa Wood says, “Most of the carbon footprint of construction comes from the building materials. The construction industry is now seeking more sustainable alternatives, so we are seeing growing interest in construction material based on renewable raw materials. Thanks to its material efficiency, Kerto LVL is a competitive and sustainable solution for the increasing use of wood in construction.” Thus, this new project comes with a responsible target while its annual production capacity is approximately 160,000 cubic meters, which indicates an increase in the company’s total Kerto LVL capacity by 50 percent.

The new Kerto LVL mill will be on the Äänekoski integrated mill site and it will be using around 400,000 cubic meters of log procured from Finland. The integrated mills can make use of 100 percent of the side streams produced in the production of Kerto LVL. The established mill will also produce employment creating some 150 new jobs which will add some 200 person-years to the direct value chain. Metsa Group directed their attention towards the larger production of Kerto LVL products to reduce the carbon footprints that other construction materials usually produce. Highlighting their mission Ilkka Hämälä, President and CEO, of Metsa Group says, “Metsä Group’s mission is to efficiently process the wood of Finnish forest owners into renewable products for people’s everyday needs globally. We are investing in world-class mills that will ensure our competitiveness in a changing business environment and increase wellbeing in society far into the future. Our next investment will be in the production of Kerto LVL, which offers long-term carbon storage.”

Tags: Kerto LVL, Metsa Group, wood, wood and panel, woodworking, woodworking and manufacturing, woodworking and processing, woodworking event, woodworking industry, woodworking UK