Metsä Board’s new centre provides a collaboration platform for customers and technology partners across the globe
Metsä Board has opened a new excellence centre for paperboard and packaging in Finland. (Credit: Metsä Group)
Fresh fibre paperboards producer Metsä Board has opened a new excellence centre in Äänekoski, Finland.
The new excellence centre has been developed to support the development of new paperboard and packaging solutions.
The new centre will help boost material and packaging innovation
Metsä Board’s new centre, which will help advance material and packaging innovation, offers a collaboration platform for customers and technology partners across the globe.
With an area of 1,500m², the excellence centre comprises research and development (R&D) facilities, packaging design studio, customer feedback centre and an advanced laboratory that offers over 100 different measurement methods and analytics.
Metsä Board has also added a virtual store and a computer-aided engineering (CAE) tool to facilitate efficient simulation and analysis of packaging performance
The new centre allows to share Metsä Board’s own competencies and expertise in fibre-based solutions with various experts and partners such as material suppliers, technology providers, start-up companies, universities and research companies.
In addition, virtual collaboration workshops were developed to facilitate joint development and co-creation activities when physical meetings are not possible.
Metsä Board CEO Mika Joukio said: “As the amount of packaging continues to grow, new, sustainable solutions are needed to replace fossil-based materials and ensure circularity.
“The Excellence Centre concept enables paperboard and packaging solutions that look at the entire value chain, and not just at its separate parts. With the material knowhow, competence and tools now available, we can optimise performance throughout the packaging lifecycle.”
Metsä Board provides premium lightweight folding boxboards, food service boards and white kraftliners for consumer goods packaging as well as retail-ready and food service applications.
In June this year, Metsä Board, along with Finnish start-up company Esbottle, is developing a new concept for an ecological paperboard flute cup for celebration drinks.