Metsa Board, part of Metsa Group, inaugurated its upgraded folding boxboard machine in Husum, Sweden, on the 11th of April. Invited to the inauguration ceremony were, among others, project partners and representatives of Ornskoldsvik municipality, Swedish parliament and the forest industry. In 2016, Metsa Board started up a new folding boxboard machine, BM1, in Husum with a capacity of 400,000 tonnes/year.

An investment of EUR 230 million was completed in 2023 to increase the annual capacity of the BM1 folding boxboard machine to respond to the growing demand for sustainably produced packaging materials that support the circular economy. With an increased annual capacity of 600,000 tonnes of folding boxboard, the BM1 is Europe's and most modern of its kind and is run with 98% renewable energy. The project has included upgrades to the entire board mill as well as increasing the warehouse capacity at the port.

The main parts of the investment are the extension of the board machine's drying section, a new winder and an automated reel handling system. The new, fully automatic machine roll transfer and control system is unique in the paperboard industry. Husum has undergone an extensive investment programme between 2019-2023.

The first phase was completed in December 2022, including a new recovery boiler and turbine at the Husum pulp mill with an investment cost of EUR 380 million. The new modern equipment and processes enables Husum mill to significantly increase bio-based energy production and energy efficiency, contributing to Metsa Board's target of fossil free machines by the end of 2030. The Husum mill is one of Ornskoldvik municipality's largest employers and plays an important role for the region and in the large-scale conversion to the bioeconomy.

Husum's products play an important role in providing alternatives to fossil-based materials in consumer packaging globally, the main markets being Europe and North America. Metsa Board Husum mill in Sweden is an integrated board and pulp mill producing folding boxboard, uncoated whiteraftliner and bleached chemical pulp.