Displaying items by tag: Metsä Board Corporation

Metsä Board is adding three new grades into its Express Board offering. The new eco-barrier paperboard MetsäBoard Prime FBB EB, uncoated folding boxboard MetsäBoard Natural FBB and MetsäBoard Pro FBB OBAfree are now available with enhanced availability and quick lead times via the Express Board service. 

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“The Express Board service helps our customers respond to last-minute orders and short-term promotions which are more and more common in the unpredictable world we live in today,” says Neil Fox, VP Sales FBB EMEA, Metsä Board. “The expansion to include MetsäBoard Prime FBB EB, MetsäBoard Natural FBB and MetsäBoard Pro FBB OBAfree means that all our FBB grades are now available via our Express Board service.” 

The Express Board service is designed for sheet orders with short lead times and for smaller order quantities. A wide variety of sheet sizes is available from a comprehensive cutter reel stock. The service is operated via locations in the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. Metsä Board continues to recommend direct mill orders for customers who know their product specification and volume well in advance of delivery. 

Published in European News

Kultasuklaa is a Finnish family enterprise, that has been making hand-finished chocolates at its factory in Finland since 1990. The company had one important wish for its new luxury ‘It’s all about love’ praline box: it had to have less plastic. In order to achieve its objective Kultasuklaa collaborated with Metsä Board, the leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards and part of the Metsä Group.

The new eco-barrier paperboard MetsäBoard Prime FBB EB was selected for the package due to it being plastic-free and providing suitable grease and moisture resistance. The paperboard is safe for direct food contact and provides high brightness, as well as a smooth surface with excellent printability. As the paperboard is plastic-free, it does not require plastic separation and can be easily recycled.

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The packaging was designed to reflect the pure and fresh paperboard. Its surface provides a pleasant touch and feel through the use of a soft touch varnish and hot foil. “The packaging does justice, not only to cocoa as a raw material, but also to the pralines which are pulled out from the side of the heart-shaped packaging; this reinforces the product as a luxury gift and creates a feeling of pleasure and high quality. The new design and use of the eco-barrier board has also achieved our objective of reducing the plastic content whilst protecting the delicate nature of the pralines inside,” said chocolate entrepreneur and owner of Kultasuklaa, Juri Kaskela.

The four-praline box has an innovative structure: the external packaging is made from a single piece of paperboard, which forms a heart. The pralines are protected by the eco-barrier paperboard on the packaging’s inner surface. The grid that keeps the pralines in place and separate is made from a single piece of eco-barrier paperboard. “By working in partnership with Kultasuklaa on this exquisite project, we have created a new functional heart-shaped box design that is eye-catching, but also protects the contents and reduces the plastic content,” said Ilkka Harju, Packaging Services Director, EMEA and APAC at Metsä Board. The packaging was converted by Prem and Cadpack in Finland.

Published in European News

The Better with Less – Design Challenge, organised by Metsä Board, the European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards and part of Metsä Group, is now in its second year. Its aim is to inspire designers to create more environmentally-friendly packaging solutions for e-commerce, cosmetics and food.

Submissions in the four categories: cosmetics, e-commerce, food packaging and a ‘wild card’ category, are open now until 5 January, 2020 at www.betterwithless.org. The competition invites professional packaging designers, as well as packaging design students, from all over the world to submit entries.

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The main prize for the Better with Less – Design Challenge is EUR 7,000, with the second prize EUR 2,000 and the third prize EUR 1,000. Additionally, Metsä Board will award one design student with the opportunity for an internship with its packaging design team at its Excellence Centre in Äänekoski, Finland. The winners will be announced in spring 2020.

The huge amount of plastic used in packaging is a global concern, in part because global plastic waste input into the oceans annually amounts to almost nine million tonnes. The Better with Less – Design Challenge is looking for innovative, sustainable and recyclable packaging solutions for everyday goods.

The Better with Less – Design Challenge was first launched by Metsä Board in 2017–2018, with great success – over 300 packaging designs from 38 countries were submitted. The  winning design found a truly innovative, environmentally friendly paperboard alternative to plastic bubble wrap.

A world-class jury of renowned packaging design experts includes: Alissa Demorest, Chief Editor of luxury packaging magazine Formes de Luxe; Andrew Gibbs, Founder, CEO & Chief Editor of The Dieline; Charles Ng, Founder & Chief Brand Consultant of MCL Group Hong Kong / China; Clark Goolsby, Chief Creative Officer of Chase Design Group; and Stefan Junge, Professor in Packaging Technology at Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin. The chairman, and member of the competition jury, is Ilkka Harju, Packaging Services Director, EMEA and APAC at Metsä Board.   

“We need to challenge the packaging world with new solutions – new ways of thinking and new innovations. This competition is all about lessening environmental impact without compromising brand experiences. We aim to help advance innovative and sustainable packaging design throughout the world,” states the competition’s chairman and member of the jury, Ilkka Harju, Packaging Services Director, EMEA and APAC at Metsä Board.   

The competition can be followed on social media with the hashtag #betterwithless  

Metsä Board’s Better with Less – Design Challenge is an initiative to inspire packaging designers all over the world to create packaging solutions that create better brand experiences with less environmental impact. www.betterwithless.org #betterwithless  

Metsä Board
www.metsaboard.com

Metsä Board is a leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards including folding boxboards, food service boards and white kraftliners. Our lightweight paperboards are developed to provide better, safer and more sustainable solutions for consumer goods as well as retail-ready and food service applications. We work together with our customers on a global scale to innovate solutions for better consumer experiences with less environmental impact. The pure fresh fibres Metsä Board uses are a renewable resource, traceable to origin in sustainably managed northern forests.

Metsä Group
www.metsagroup.com

Metsä Group is a forerunner in sustainable bioeconomy utilising renewable and sustainably managed northern forests. Metsä Group focuses on wood supply and forest services, pulp, fresh fibre paperboards as well as tissue and greaseproof papers. 

Published in European News

Metsä Board – part of the Metsä Group - has announced the start of a new WKL Common Stock Service to help streamline and enhance the order-delivery processes of white kraftliners in continental Europe.

As part of the commitment to develop customer focused services, Metsä Board has created this new service to improve the availability of white kraftliners and help corrugated converters be more responsive and competitive. The new Common Stock service, which was started in March, provides the converters with easy access and reliable availability to ready-made standard white kraftliner reels from Metsä Board’s warehouse in Lübeck.

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This service enables a genuine just-in-time delivery service based upon improved availability of local stock. It includes a comprehensive fixed offering consisting of industry standard specifications and stock items, optimised to market requirements.

“The service is designed to help corrugated converters become more competitive, win new business and manage special promotions as well as react to one-off orders and urgent jobs”, says Veijo Korkalainen, VP Sales, White Kraftliners. “We are delighted with the enthusiastic feedback we have received as our customers see Common Stock as a great solution to tighter deadlines.”

Metsä Board
www.metsaboard.com

Metsä Board is a leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards including folding boxboards, food service boards and white kraftliners. Our lightweight paperboards are developed to provide better, safer and more sustainable solutions for consumer goods as well as retail-ready and food service applications. We work together with our customers on a global scale to innovate solutions for better consumer experiences with less environmental impact. The pure fresh fibres Metsä Board uses are a renewable resource, traceable to origin in sustainably managed northern forests.

The global sales network of Metsä Board supports customers worldwide, including brand owners, retailers, converters and merchants. In 2018, the company’s sales totalled EUR 1.9 billion, and it has approximately 2,400 employees. Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

Metsä Group
www.metsagroup.com

Metsä Group is a forerunner in sustainable bioeconomy utilising renewable wood from sustainably managed northern forests. Metsä Group focuses on wood supply and forest services, wood products, pulp, fresh fibre paperboards and tissue and greaseproof papers.

In 2018, Metsä Group’s sales totalled EUR 5.7 billion, and it employs approximately 9,300 people. Metsäliitto Cooperative is the parent company of Metsä Group and is owned by approximately 103,000 Finnish forest owners

Published in European News

Metsä Board – part of Metsä Group – has created a new, enhanced folding boxboard portfolio, designed specifically to help brand owners and packaging converters tackle the big issues in packaging: saving resources, reducing carbon footprint and ensuring product safety.

Besides being better for the environment through lightweighting, the improved product range offers customer benefits by boosting brand appeal with its enhanced and balanced visual properties. The refreshed, simplified selection of products further helps improve Metsä Board’s folding boxboards’ already leading quality consistency, as well as supply reliability.

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“Packaging of the future is all about creating better brand experiences with less environmental impact. It is important that we continuously develop new solutions to make packaging even more safe and sustainable. For example, improvements to our new High Yield Pulp have enabled us to further enhance our paperboards thus providing even further opportunities for brand owners to lightweight their packaging,” states Ari Kiviranta, SVP Development, Metsä Board.

The new, improved Metsä Board range now offers even stronger performance in highly demanding end-uses, such as food, beautycare, healthcare or luxury packaging and graphics applications. The range consists of five grades:
 

MetsäBoard Natural FBB - NEW is an uncoated, rigid OBA-free grade that provides an on-trend natural surface to provide authenticity to high end product packaging.

MetsäBoard Classic FBB remains unchanged offering the same superior stiffness and high yield as before.

MetsäBoard Pro FBB OBAfree - NEW presents an improved OBA-free grade with high natural brightness combined with excellent printability.

MetsäBoard Pro FBB Bright - NEW is a multipurpose board with high brightness on top and reverse, now offering further opportunities for lightweighting.

MetsäBoard Prime FBB Bright - NEW combines superb brightness, new bluish white shade and high stiffness offering sustainable luxury for high end packaging.

The new improved grades will be available for samples and trials from May.

Metsä Board is the pioneer and innovation leader in premium lightweight paperboards that enable reduced environmental impact compared to conventional grades. They use less raw materials, energy and water, as well as enabling lower transport weights and reduced waste, all of which results in a lower carbon footprint during the whole packaging life cycle.

Metsä Board
www.metsaboard.com

Metsä Board is a leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards including folding boxboards, food service boards and white kraftliners. Our lightweight paperboards are developed to provide better, safer and more sustainable solutions for consumer goods as well as retail-ready and food service applications. We work together with our customers on a global scale to innovate solutions for better consumer experiences with less environmental impact. The pure fresh fibres Metsä Board uses are a renewable resource, traceable to origin in sustainably managed northern forests.

The global sales network of Metsä Board supports customers worldwide, including brand owners, retailers, converters and merchants. In 2018, the company’s sales totalled EUR 1.9 billion, and it has approximately 2,400 employees. Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

Follow Metsä Board: Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Instagram

Metsä Group
www.metsagroup.com

Metsä Group is a forerunner in sustainable bioeconomy utilising renewable and sustainably managed northern forests. Metsä Group focuses on wood supply and forest services, pulp, fresh fibre paperboards as well as tissue and greaseproof papers. 

Metsä Group’s sales totalled EUR 5.7 billion in 2018, and it employs approximately 9,300 people. The Group operates in some 30 countries. Metsäliitto Cooperative is the parent company of Metsä Group and is owned by approximately 103,000 Finnish forest owners.

Published in European News

The Helsinki Wholesale Market area launched, in October 2018, an innovation competition aimed at finding new ideas and solutions for the development of services and versatile entrepreneurship. From around 60 entries submitted, the best seven were chosen for a pilot phase. Metsä Board is delighted to announce that one of the selected entries is for its recyclable packaging concept targeted at restaurant takeaway services.

The Metsä Board’s project involves the whole packaging value chain, and these needs formed the basis for the packaging development. In addition, a consumer study was carried out at the beginning of the pilot stage. “The current takeaway packages used by restaurants either have functional challenges or consumers regard them as non-ecological. We also got feedback that current packaging does not fulfil the criteria of premium packaging,” says Leena Yliniemi, Technical Marketing Director from Metsä Board.

Metsä Board cup clamshell pouchMetsä Board cup clamshell pouch

The piloted packaging concept is manufactured from Metsä Board’s paperboard which is suitable for direct food contact and is recyclable. Furthermore, the packaging can be easily personalised to the restaurant. The packages are designed and manufactured by a Finnish company, Cadpack Oy. Package Testing & Research Oy is responsible for coordinating the pilot as well as for the consumer study. The pilot project will continue until the end of May 2019.

The innovation competition, funded by the City of Helsinki and Business Finland, was organised to find new technological and other innovative solutions specifically for food and food production, and also packaging, circular economy and clean technologies. The competition jury consisted of members representing the City of Helsinki, the University of Helsinki and the business sector.

Metsä Board
www.metsaboard.com

Metsä Board is a leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards including folding boxboards, food service boards and white kraftliners. Our lightweight paperboards are developed to provide better, safer and more sustainable solutions for consumer goods as well as retail-ready and food service applications. We work together with our customers on a global scale to innovate solutions for better consumer experiences with less environmental impact. The pure fresh fibres Metsä Board uses are a renewable resource, traceable to origin in sustainably managed northern forests.

The global sales network of Metsä Board supports customers worldwide, including brand owners, retailers, converters and merchants. In 2018, the company’s sales totalled EUR 1.9 billion, and it has approximately 2,400 employees. Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

Metsä Group
www.metsagroup.com

Metsä Group is a forerunner in sustainable bioeconomy utilising renewable wood from sustainably managed northern forests. Metsä Group focuses on wood supply and forest services, wood products, pulp, fresh fibre paperboards and tissue and cooking papers.

In 2018, Metsä Group’s sales totalled EUR 5.7 billion, and it employs approximately 9,300 people. Metsäliitto Cooperative is the parent company of Metsä Group and is owned by approximately 103,000 Finnish forest owners.

Published in European News

signature valmetMetsä Board Corporation has selected Valmet as the supplier for its new folding boxboard production line at Husum mill, Sweden. The new machine will produce high-quality folding boxboard with an annual capacity of 400,000 tons. The start-up of the machine is scheduled for the beginning of 2016.

The order is included in Valmet's fourth quarter 2014 orders received. The value of this size of an order is typically around EUR 60-70 million and it is part of Metsä Board's EUR 170 million investment in the mill.

"We selected Valmet as the technology provider for this strategic project because of their advanced and competitive solutions for high-quality folding boxboard production and our long history of working with Valmet," says Mika Joukio, CEO of Metsä Board. 

"This important order from Metsä Board is a good continuation for the active order year for Valmet. I am delighted that Metsä Board trusted us on this significant strategic project. It is a strong token of the competitiveness of our new OptiConcept M paper and board machine concept.  The order has an important employment impact for us especially in Jyväskylä, Finland," says Pasi Laine, the President and CEO of Valmet.

Technical information of Valmet's delivery

Valmet's delivery includes a wet end of the latest OptiConcept M design with headboxes, forming section and press section, as well as a rebuild of the off-machine coater, winder and the roll wrapping line. The wet end area of the machine features innovative OptiConcept M frame construction without the need for cantilever beams for fabric changes. The fabric changes will be carried out by means of fabric insertion units, which Valmet has sold 120 units globally so far.

"The wet end area introduces newest design which also adds safety and machine usability. The winder will be rebuilt with our unique dual unwind station for maximum capacity," summarizes Mikko Tani, Area Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Valmet.

The 6660 mm-wide (trim) machine, BM 1, will produce folding boxboard (FBB) grades in the basis weight range of 180-350 g/m2 at a design speed of 1000m/min.

About Metsä Board

Metsä Board is Europe's leading producer of folding boxboard and the world's leading manufacturer of coated white-top fresh forest fibre linerboards. It offers premium solutions for consumer and retail packaging. The company's sales network serves mainly brand owners, carton printers, corrugated packaging manufacturers, printers and merchants. Metsä Board is part of Metsä Group and its shares are listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. In 2013, the company's sales totalled approximately EUR 2.0 billion. The company has approximately 3,100 employees.

For further information, please contact:

Jari Vähäpesola President, Paper Business Line, Valmet, tel. +358 10 672 5260

Mikko Tani, Area Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Valmet, tel. +358 40 518 0567

Valmet Corporation is a leading global developer and supplier of services and technologies for the pulp, paper and energy industries. Our 11,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day.

Valmet's services cover everything from maintenance outsourcing to mill and plant improvements and spare parts. Our strong technology offering includes entire pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bio-energy production.

The company has over 200 years of industrial history and was reborn through the demerger of the pulp, paper and power businesses from Metso Group in December 2013. Valmet's net sales in 2013 were approximately EUR 2.6 billion. Valmet's objective is to become the global champion in serving its customers.

Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd.

Read more www.valmet.com , www.twitter.com/valmetglobal

Published in European News

2014-01-30 083551Metsä Board Corporation, part of Metsä Group, renews its management and reporting structure to enable successful implementation of the company’s growth strategy.

“Our main target is profitable growth of our paperboard businesses. At the same time we plan to take an exit from underperforming paper businesses. We have developed our paperboard offering actively in recent years in order to better serve our customers. Now we also change our management structure in order to secure successful implementation of these new growth and restructuring steps. Function based organization fits Metsä Board the best from now on”, comments CEO Mika Joukio.  

As of 1 January 2015 Metsä Board’s Corporate Management Team consists of the following persons:

- Mika Joukio, CEO

- Markus Holm, CFO

- Seppo Puotinen, SVP, Marketing and Sales

- Ari Kiviranta, SVP, Production and Technology

- Sari Pajari, SVP, Business Development

- Susanna Tainio, SVP, Human Resources

Tainio is a new member in the Metsä Board Management Team.

Metsä Board’s reporting segments from 1Q 2015 onwards are the following:

- Paperboard

- Non-core operations

Paperboard segment includes folding boxboard, fresh forest fibre linerboard, wallpaper base and market pulp businesses. Non-core operations include Husum’s standard paper business until the planned discontinuation latest by end 2017 and Gohrsmühle mill’s cast coated and label paper businesses. Reporting under Other operations will remain unchanged.

Accounting for the 24.9 per cent ownership in Metsä Fibre will remain unchanged. The associated company result of Metsä Fibre will be allocated to Paperboard segment.  

Metsä Board will announce the 2014 financial statements on 5 February 2015 based on the old reporting segments including Cartonboard and Linerboard and Paper business areas. The restated historical figures will be released during February 2015.

For further information, please contact:

Markus Holm, CFO, tel. +358 10 465 4913

Published in European News
Wednesday, 10 December 2014 12:17

Metsä Board grows its paperboard business

Metsä Board grows its paperboard business, plans to fully exit paper production and considers a rights issue to partially finance the final steps of transformation

2014-01-30 083551Metsä Board Corporation, part of Metsä Group, is introducing the final steps of transformation to a paperboard company and invests approximately EUR 170 million in a new folding boxboard machine at its Husum mill in Sweden. The production capacity of the new machine is approximately 400,000 tonnes per annum and it will start up in early 2016. Full production capacity is expected to be reached by the end of 2016. Husum mill’s paper production is planned to be discontinued mostly at the end of 2015 and fully by the end of 2017. These measures in Husum, including also the increasing fresh forest fibre linerboard sales volumes, are expected to improve Metsä Board’s operating result by approximately EUR 50 million per annum mostly in 2017 and fully from 2018 onwards compared to 1–3Q 2014 annualized performance.

Metsä Board is also planning new measures to eliminate losses of its Gohrsmühle mill in Germany. The primary target is to divest the mill during the first half of 2015. If the divestment does not materialize in the set time frame, Metsä Board will introduce other measures to eliminate the unit’s heavy losses. Gohrsmühle mill has approximately 480 employees and its main products are cast coated and label papers. The mill’s annual sales amount to approximately EUR 85 million and annualized operating loss to EUR 20 million based on the 1–3Q 2014 performance. 

Metsä Board’s associated company Metsä Fibre is planning to build a bioproduct mill with an investment cost of approximately EUR 1.1 billion to replace the current pulp mill in Äänekoski, Finland. The planned pulp capacity of the mill is 1.3 million tonnes leading to a net capacity increase of approximately 800,000 tonnes compared to the existing pulp production at the site. Metsä Fibre targets to make the final investment decision in spring 2015 and operations at the mill would commence during 2017. According to preliminary plans, the amount of capital invested by Metsä Board in the project would be maximum EUR 30 million. Metsä Board’s ownership share in Metsä Fibre remains at 24.9 per cent also after the planned Äänekoski investment.

These planned measures are expected to be financed by current liquidity, operating cash flow and potentially also by an approximately EUR 100 million rights issue, based on the Board of Directors’ authority granted by the AGM. The potential rights issue is targeted to be implemented in 1Q 2015. The company’s principal shareholder Metsäliitto Cooperative is committed to a pro rata investment of approximately EUR 43 million in the potential rights issue.

Metsä Board will renew its management and reporting structure tosupport successful implementation of the new growth and restructuring actions and to strengthen its position as the leading paperboard company. A separate stock exchange release related to this topic has been published today at the same time as this release.

“These final steps of our transformation to a paperboard company allow us to grow significantly our core business and exit the weak paper production. Our profitability will be raised to a new improved level without compromising the solid balance sheet,” comments CEO Mika Joukio.

Growth of paperboard business and planned exit from paper production

Metsä Board’s strategy is to grow profitably its fresh forest fibre paperboard business and reduce its exposure in the declining paper businesses. Measures announced today strengthen the company’s market leadership in fresh forest fibre paperboards and enable an exit from the weak paper operations. Thanks to these new measures Metsä Board’s total paperboard capacity will increase from 1.4 million to over 2 million annual tonnes by 2018.

“We have experienced good growth in our folding boxboard and linerboard businesses in recent years. Demand for our sustainable, safe and cost-competitive folding boxboards has recently increased especially in North America. In order to continue profitable growth, we must increase folding boxboard production capacity. After extensive planning work, we have decided to invest in the new folding boxboard machine at Husum, which is our biggest mill integrate including a large two line pulp mill, state of art coating technology, an efficient power plant, and own harbor. This is a very cost-competitive alternative to increase our capacity,” continues Joukio.

After the investment at Husum, Metsä Board’s total folding boxboard capacity will be approximately 1.3 million annual tonnes. The new folding boxboard capacity in Husum, approximately 400,000 tonnes per annum, is planned to be sold mainly to markets outside Europe, especially to North America, and also to the food service segment globally. Metsä Board entered the food service segment in early 2014. If the demand supply situation so requires in the coming years, Metsä Board has possibilities to adjust its production accordingly.

Metsä Board started to produce uncoated fully bleached fresh forest fibre linerboards at Husum mill in 2013 and expanded to coated grades in 2014. At the moment, the linerboard sales volume run rate is over 100,000 tonnes per annum. Husum’s linerboard annual production is planned to be increased to close to 300,000 tonnes by 2018. These volumes are expected to be sold both in Europe and North America increasingly also to new applications e.g. in food packaging.

Metsä Board plans to discontinue standard paper production at Husum mostly by the end of 2015. Total paper capacity planned to be ceased is approximately 600,000 tonnes annually. Personnel impacts will be clarified in the statutory negotiations that will be commenced immediately.

After the investment and the planned paper capacity closures, there will be two paperboard machines at Husum mill:

- Board Machine 1 with annual folding boxboard production capacity of about 400,000 tonnes.

- Board Machine 2 (current Paper Machine 8) with annual linerboard capacity of about 300,000 tonnes. Uncoated fine paper business reel production will be continued in the Board Machine 2 until the linerboard sales volumes have been grown to the full capacity of the machine.

The annual pulp production capacity at Husum is approximately 750,000 tonnes per annum including both softwood and hardwood grades. In addition to chemical pulp produced at the site, the new folding boxboard production at Husum will use majority of the BCTMP produced at Kaskinen mill in Finland from 2016 onwards.

Financial implications

Based on growth of the folding boxboard and linerboard businesses as well as the planned discontinuation of Husum’s paper production, Metsä Board’s annual sales is expected to remain rather stable. The positive impact of the new measures in Husum on Metsä Board’s annual operating result excluding non-recurring items is expected to be approximately EUR 50 million compared to 1–3Q 2014 annualized performance. Profitability improvement impact is expected to materialize mostly in 2017 and fully from 2018 onwards. Investment shutdown and accelerated depreciations of the paper capacity planned to be discontinued in Husum is forecast to impact operating result in 2015 negatively by roughly EUR 20 million.

Linerboard and Paper business area’s 4Q 2014 operating result will include approximately EUR 14 million in non-recurring costs related to planned discontinuation of paper production at Husum mill. Cartonboard business area’s 4Q 2014 operating result will include approximately EUR 27 million fixed asset impairments due to the weak performance of Gohrsmühle mill. A separate stock exchange release related to all non-recurring items in 4Q 2014 has been published today at the same time as this release.

METSÄ BOARD CORPORATION

For further information, please contact:

Mika Joukio, CEO, tel. +358 10 465 4300

Markus Holm, CFO, tel. +358 10 465 4913                                                                  

Juha Laine, Vice President, Investor Relations and Communications, tel. +358 10 465 4335

Metsä Board organizes a conference call and webcast presentation for investors and analysts today 10 December at 4 p.m. (EET). Conference call participants are requested to dial in and register a few minutes earlier on the following numbers:

Europe: +44 (0)20 7162 0077
USA: +1 334 323 6201
The conference ID is 950178.

Published in European News

Metsä Board Corporation Financial Statements 1 January–31 December 2012, 7 February 2013 at 12:00 noon

Full year result for 2012

-Sales were EUR 2,108 million (Q1–Q4/2011: 2,485).

-The operating result excluding non-recurring items was EUR 74 million (59). The operating result including non-recurring items was EUR 220 million (-214).

-The result before taxes excluding non-recurring items was EUR 30 million (0). The result before taxes including non-recurring items was EUR 176 million (-281).

-Earnings per share excluding non-recurring items were EUR 0.13 (0.02) and including non-recurring items EUR 0.53 (-0.83).

-The Board of Directors proposes that a dividend of 0.06 euros per share be distributed for the financial year 2012.

 

 Result for the fourth quarter of 2012

-Sales were EUR 509 million (Q3/2012: 532).

-The operating result excluding non-recurring items was EUR 25 million (25). The operating result including non-recurring items was EUR 41 million (22).

-The result before taxes excluding non-recurring items was EUR 12 million (10). The result before taxes including non-recurring items was EUR 27 million (8).

-Earnings per share excluding non-recurring items were EUR 0.08 (0.02) and including non-recurring items EUR 0.13 (0.02).

Events in the fourth quarter of 2012

-Delivery volumes decreased from the previous quarter mainly due to seasonal reasons.

-Average price of linerboard increased. Pulp price took an upward turn. The average prices of folding boxboard and papers declined slightly.

-The new biopower plant owned by Pohjolan Voima and Leppäkosken Sähkö was commissioned at Metsä Board Kyro mill.

Events after the period

The Alizay mill site in France, including machines, equipment and buildings, was sold to Conseil General de l’Eure for EUR 22 million.

“The operating result excluding non-recurring items in the last quarter of 2012 was at the third quarter level, as expected. Folding boxboard delivery volumes were at a normal level, although slightly lower than in the previous quarter due to seasonal effects. Demand for linerboard continued to be strong, and the price increase had a positive impact on the result in the last quarter of the year. The price of pulp also increased, and demand was good in the last quarter. Instead, demand for and price level of papers decreased in Europe, which weakened the profitability of our paper production.

The year 2012 was a significant milestone for our company. We successfully completed our strategic review, launched in 2006, which has resulted in the transformation of the company from a paper producer to the leading paperboard company. The measures to eliminate the last heavy losses of our paper operations were successfully completed. In the fall of 2012, we completed our EUR 120 million investment programme, related to which we increased our annual folding boxboard capacity by approximately 150,000 tonnes, modernized  the Kemi linerboard mill, and increased the use of bioenergy in our production.

Our main targets for the year 2013 are the full utilisation of our expanded folding boxboard capacity, development and expansion of our current paperboard product portfolio and improvement of the profitability and cash flow of the paper and market pulp units”.

Mikko Helander, CEO

Near-term outlook

Folding boxboard delivery volumes in the last quarter of 2012 were at a normal level, although seasonally slightly lower than in the previous quarter. Folding boxboard order volumes are expected to gradually improve at the beginning of the year and delivery volumes to increase slightly in the first quarter of 2013, compared to the previous quarter. As a result of the completed annual folding boxboard contract negotiations the volumes are increasing in 2013 compared to 2012 and no material price changes are expected.

Demand for linerboard is expected to continue to be very strong, and delivery volumes are expected to increase slightly in the first quarter of 2013, compared to the previous quarter. No significant changes are expected in the price of linerboard in the coming months.

Delivery volumes of uncoated fine paper are expected to increase slightly in the first quarter of 2013, compared to the previous quarter, and delivery volumes of pulp are expected to be at the previous quarter level. No considerable changes are on the horizon in the price of uncoated fine paper. The currency-denominated price increase of long-fibre pulp is expected to continue at the beginning of the year.

The market situation of coated paper has weakened further since the year end, and delivery volumes and prices are expected to decrease slightly in the first quarter of 2013.

Production costs are expected to increase slightly in the first quarter of 2013, compared to the previous quarter, primarily due to increased energy costs.

Metsä Board’s operating result for the first quarter of 2013, excluding non-recurring items, is expected to improve slightly from the fourth quarter of 2012.

Disclosure procedure

Metsä Board Corporation follows the disclosure procedure enabled by Standard 5.2b published by the Finnish Financial Supervision Authority and hereby publishes its Financial Statements 2012 enclosed to this stock exchange release. Metsä Board's complete Financial Statements is attached to this release in pdf-format and is also available on the company's web site at www.metsaboard.com.

Published in Financial News
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