Just a few weeks ago Stora Enso Timber’s mill in Imavere, Estonia, shipped its first containers of glulam beams to Japan.
Built at a cost of €13.2m – Stora Enso’s biggest investment in Estonian value-added processing to date – the new beam mill is a vital component in the company’s plan to supply all elements of Japan’s traditional housing needs, one of the company’s key markets.
“Our strategy is to be a full sortment supplier for the traditional Japanese post and beam house market,” said Matti Mikkola, senior vice-president, business line construction. “Together with a post mill in Ybbs, Austria, the Imavere beam mill makes Stora Enso Timber a major supplier of glulam products in Japan.”
The new facility includes planing and stress-grading facilities for refining the lamella raw material which is then glue-laminated into beams. Full capacity of 80,000m3 will be reached in 2006 – providing enough material for about 15,000 houses in Japan.
Situated in central Estonia, the beam mill will build on the long-term competitiveness of Imavere which now comprises a large-scale sawmill, a planing and finger-jointing line, a component line and a beam mill. Annual production capacity is 400,000m3 of sawn wood products, of which 120,000m3 is further processed.
Other investments
Four of Stora Enso’s 25 sawmills are located in Estonia and the company has been making major investment in adding value at its other production facilities in the country.
Another considerable investment in further processing is under way in Pärnumaa, Paikuse sawmill where a planing mill is being constructed. Strength-graded products are an integral part of Stora Enso Timber’s product family for housebuilding industries around the world. The planing mill production will be targeted at industrial building sectors in Europe and abroad.
“Stora Enso Timber can effectively offer standardised products for a timber frame building in different parts of the world. We are constantly expanding our product range and also increasing the volume offering to meet the needs of our customer base,” said Mr Mikkola.
The €3.6m investment comprises a planing mill and expansion of the log sorting line with 20 additional log pockets.
Improved efficiency
The strategy behind the Paikuse investment is to improve production efficiency and to increase the proportion of value-added products. The annual production capacity of 220,000m3 of sawn wood products will remain unchanged, but 80,000m3 will be planed. The planing line is part of the production process so part of the sawn production is planed online. Production is due to start this month and full capacity will be reached by the end of the year.
In addition, Stora Enso Timber has invested in a new profile planing line at Näpi to meet demand for consumer-packaged Stora Enso WoodPax products in both local and German markets. Investment has doubled production volume at the Viljandi component mill and Stora Enso Timber has also developed its activities in the local wood products market through its distribution company Puumerkk.
