Koskisen will carry out an investment in Kärkölä worth EUR 48 million, with production scheduled to start up in summer 2023. The new unit’s annual production will initially be 400,000 cubic metres of softwood sawn timber. The investment is a continuation of the further processing capacity expansion carried out in 2020 and the power plant investment in which heat production was converted entirely to biofuel.
Koskisen is the biggest industrial employer in the Päijät-Häme region in terms of number of employees. The investment will increase the company’s annual net sales by tens of millions of euros, a significant share of which will come from export revenues. The business growth will support well-being in the Päijät-Häme region through salaries, stumpage revenues and the use of various contracting services. The employment impact during the construction phase is estimated at approximately 70 person-years.
“This investment is the largest in the company’s history and extremely significant strategically speaking. The new production line, coupled with our major processing capacity, makes Koskisen’s Sawn Timber Industry one of the most competitive players in its field, with one of the highest degrees of further processing,” says Koskisen Group’s CEO Jukka Pahta.
“The use of renewable materials, especially wood, is expected to increase significantly in the future. Responsibly managed Nordic forests and wood products made with the environment and effective use of raw materials in mind offer solutions for sustainable development. With this investment, we secure our place as a driver of this development towards carbon neutrality,” Pahta adds.
Geared towards eco-efficiency and a 40% increase in productivity
The starting point for Koskisen’s integrated mechanical wood processing operations in Järvelä is high eco-efficiency and the highest possible utilisation of the wood material. The investment project will involve moving the sawmilling operations from the centre of Järvelä to the sawn timber finishing and further processing operations, 4 kilometres away from the current location. This will create synergies in production and significantly reduce the emissions from the sawmill’s internal logistics.
“The new production line will increase sawmilling productivity by up to 40% and enable the utilisation of a broader range of log diameters. This will allow us to offer our customers new products, and the wood raw material can be used even more effectively for end products that store carbon for a long time,” explains Koskisen Sawn Timber Industry Director Tommi Sneck.
For more information:
Jukka Pahta, CEO, tel. +358 050 3894 499, jukka.pahta@koskisen.com
Tommi Sneck, Director, Sawn Timber Industry, +358 40 5498 218, tommi.sneck@koskisen.com
The sawmill and panel industry leader Koskisen is a Finnish family-owned company. With more than 900 employees, Koskisen realises a turnover of EUR 270 million, processing Finnish wood into sustainable wood products. Koskisen’s production facilities in Järvelä form Finland’s biggest mechanical wood processing integrate, where almost 100% of the wood raw material is used in its own processes. Koskisen’s products are shipped to quality-conscious customers around the world. At Koskisen, responsibility means working to increase the well-being of the environment, society and people.