Fresh fiber paperboards producer Metsä Board is set to build a paperboard and packaging excellence centre in Äänekoski, Finland.

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Image: Metsä Board will build new paperboard and packaging excellence centre in Finland. Photo: courtesy of Metsä Group.

The new centre will combine packaging design and R&D excellence under one roof to help develop new paperboard and packaging solutions for the future.

The new facility will be located in a bioeconomy ecosystem that is unique in the world, said Metsä.

Metsä’s new paperboard and packaging excellence will comprise of offices, laboratory, R&D facilities and packaging design studio with modern technology, in addition to the customer feedback centre.

The company will start the construction planning of the project in the summer, while the facility is scheduled to be operational in 2020.

The site will be shared with multiple businesses, including Metsä Group’s next-generation bioproduct mill, Metsä Board’s board mill, Pro Nemus visitor centre and demo plant for Metsä Spring’s demo plant, as well as Japanese Itochu’s facility for textile fibres.

Metsä Board sales and marketing SVP Sari Pajari said: “The new Excellence Centre will enable a wide variety of collaboration, especially in the area of holistic packaging design, throughout the value chain.

“We will be able to organise packaging design workshops and innovation days together with our customers and partners in order to demonstrate the full potential of our lightweight, fresh fibre paperboards.”

In April this year, Metsä Board has introduced a new folding boxboard portfolio to better serve brand owners and packaging converters.

The new folding boxboard portfolio holds capacity to tackle major issues in packaging such as saving resources, reducing carbon footprint and ensuring product safety.

Metsä Board is involved in the production of premium paperboards, including folding boxboards, food service boards and white kraftliners.

The company’s lightweight paperboards can be used in different applications, including consumer goods, retail-ready and food service packaging.

Its product portfolio is comprised of both PE extrusion coated paperboards, as well as an eco-barrier board that comes with a special bio-based barrier treatment.