Reliability

​Our success is based on long-term cooperation with our stakeholders. We appreciate each other’s work and competence and we strengthen the confidence of our various stakeholders through our consistent and predictable operations.

Cooperation

​We develop our operations in cooperation with our customers and share information and best practices with each other. Operating as one group of companies, we harness mutual synergies and rely on common benefits.

Responsible profitability

​We bear our responsibility for the environment, our partners and each other to ensure successful business activities and forestry. Profitability is vital for the continuous development of operations.

Renewal

​We are aware of the challenges of the future and have the courage to question old practices in order to provide better products and services to our customers in support of their business operations.

The story of Metsä Fibre began in Kaskinen

​Oy Metsä-Botnia Ab was founded in 1973 for the purpose of building a pulp mill in Kaskinen. The founders of the company were the financing company Metsäpohjanmaa, Nokia Corporation and G.A. Serlachius. Manufacturing of bleached sulphate pulp began in Kaskinen in August 1977.

Greater environmental efficiency at the mills

​A second pulp mill was built in Äänekoski. Upon its completion in 1985, the Äänekoski mill was one of the largest and most efficient single-line pulp mills in the world. Special attention was paid in the design of the mill to protecting waterways and creating a high-quality factory milieu.

The production capacity of Metsä Fibre mills has been systematically increased through investments in equipment and processes, which have also improved the standard of environmental protection. At the end of the 1980s, a far-reaching decision was made to begin developing a bleaching process to replace gaseous chlorine with oxygen compounds. Production of ECF (elemental chlorine-free) pulp bleached with oxygen compounds and chlorine dioxide was launched in Kaskinen in 1989.

Merger of the Kemi mill

​In 1986, Metsäliitto Teollisuus and G.A Serlachius merged and founded Metsä-Serla, which became the principal owner of Metsä-Botnia. The next change in the ownership base occurred in 1989 when Nokia Corporation divested its ownership and United Paper Mills became the second primary owner of Metsä-Botnia.

The pulp and board manufacturer Kemi Oy merged into Metsä-Botnia in 1991. The Äänekoski mill separated from Metsä-Botnia and became the independent Metsä-Sellu corporation owned by Metsä-Serla.

Mill investments and M&As: Rauma, Joutseno and Äänekoski

​The principal owners of Metsä-Botnia decided to build a TCF (totally chlorine-free) pulp mill in Rauma. Founded as a separate company, Oy Metsä-Rauma Ab went on stream in 1996, and at that time it was the biggest producer of softwood pulp on a single line. Metsä-Rauma merged with Metsä-Botnia in 2000. The mill will commemorate its 20th anniversary in 2016.

In 1997, Metsä-Botnia acquired the Joutseno Pulp mill from UPM, and at the same time the company regained ownership of the Äänekoski mill.
The Joutseno mill was fully modernised during 1998–2001.

Going international

Metsä Svir sawmill started up in 2006

​The Svir Timber (Metsä Svir) saw mill began operating in Podporozhje, Russia in 2006. Svir Timber is a fully-owned subsidiary of Metsä Fibre, which also owns two Russian wood procurement companies, ZAO Petrovles-Pasha and ZAO Petrovles Podporozhje.

Uruguay pulp mill launched in 2007

Metsä-Botnia's pulp mill investment in Fray Bentos, Uruguay, was completed in November 2007. The mill increased the company's production capacity by one million tonnes of bleached eucalyptus pulp.

Beginning of a new era

​In 2009, Metsä-Botnia became a subsidiary of Metsäliitto Cooperative: the ownership of Metsäliitto Cooperative and M-real in Metsä-Botnia increased to 83 per cent and the share of UPM decreased to 17 per cent. In December 2009, UPM also acquired the Fray Bentos pulp mill. Metsä-Botnia's oldest mill in Kaskinen closed.

Metsä Group strengthened its ownership when Metsä-Botnia bought back shares from UPM-Kymmene, increasing the total holding of Metsäliitto Cooperative and M-real to 89 per cent.

In 2012, Metsä-Botnia became Metsä Fibre as part of the overhaul of Metsä Group's corporate image.

In that same year, Metsäliitto Cooperative, Metsä Board and Itochu Corporation from Japan agreed on a transaction whereby Itochu acquired a 24.9 per cent strategic stake in Metsä Fibre. After the transaction, Metsäliitto Cooperative owns 50.2 per cent, Metsä Board 24.9 per cent and Itochu Corporation 24.9 per cent of the total share capital of Metsä Fibre. 

Continous improvement and big investments

​The 2010s has been a decade of continuous development and huge investments at Metsä Fibre.

Investments at Joutseno mill

At the beginning the 2010, the focus of our development investments was on the Joutseno mill. First in 2012 the new bark gasification plant was taken into use which made the Joutseno pulp mill Finland's first carbon-neutral production facility during normal operation. In 2014 the renewal of Joutseno mill's recovery boiler constructions and chip silo of the digester improved runnability of the mill and decreased air emissions.

The most significant investment at the Joutseno mill was made in 2013, when the new polysulphide pulp production process was introduced. With the cooking process using polysulphide, Metsä Fibre brought the Botnia Nordic Plus softwood pulps to the market, which won the Quality Innovation of the Year 2013 competition, organised by Laatukeskus Excellence Finland.

New bioproduct mill in Äänekoski

The bioproduct mill being built in Äänekoski mill area is the most remarkable investment of Metsä Fibre in the decade. With a value of EUR 1.2 billion, it is the largest investment of the forest industry in Finland. Once completed in 2017, the mill will produce 1.3 million tonnes of pulp per year – nearly three times the annual production of the current pulp mill.