Metsä invests €30m in Vilppula sawmill

The Finnish Metsä Group intends in 2013 to expand its whitewood sawmill in Vilppula at a cost of roughly €30m. The company reports that the plant, which has until now produced roughly 450,000 m³ of lumber per year, will be equipped with a completely new sawing line and a new lumber-sorting system. In addition, other parts of the sawmill are to be modernized. The new sawing line will replace the two existing sawing lines and is to be capable of handling both small- and large-dimension logs. Apart from more efficient sawing, the line will also be able to produce a broader range of lumber. Metsä reports that although the existing capacity of the plant will not be appreciably increased as a result of the investment measures, those measures will mean that the plant work force will probably be reduced by 40.