UPM has completed employee consultation process in Finland

The investment in new bleaching technology will increase the capacity of the mill and support Stora Enso’s ambitious climate targets. In addition, it will improve operational performance, enhance the overall efficiency of mill maintenance and thus reduce the site’s carbon footprint. Delivery is on EPC basis and includes the installation of two COMPACT PRESS wash presses, a new reactor, an effluent fiber filter, and MC equipment – all from ANDRITZ. The COMPACT PRESS wash press is characterized by its small footprint and high availability, including extremely good washing efficiency, thus ensuring high-quality production and highest pulp cleanliness. For added sustainability and circularity, the mill will reuse the Stora Enso Oulu mill’s bleaching reactor (also supplied by ANDRITZ) and some of the mixers there.

UPM Timber and the Finnish Industrial Union have signed a business-specific collective agreement concerning UPM's sawmill business. The new agreement is valid for three years starting 1 January 2022. Negotiations started in May and the agreement was reached well before the end of the current contract period. UPM Timber's business management, sawmill directors, employee representatives of each sawmill and representatives of the Industrial Union were involved in the negotiations. In this way, the discussions provided diverse points of view and also made it possible to better take into account the wishes of the personnel as well as the special features of UPM's sawmill business.

Sappi Limited is pleased to announce that it will bolster its biorefining expertise through the acquisition of the Xylex® and Versalac® technologies owned by Plaxica Limited. The transaction will result in Sappi acquiring the sugar clean up technologies which includes the patents, knowhow, equipment and key technical staff of Plaxica. The size of the transaction does not require regulatory disclosure. Since 2013, Sappi has advanced its efforts to expand its biorefining expertise. Part of the strategy is to extract and clean-up C5 hemicellulose sugars from our Pre-Hydrolysis Kraft (PHK) liquors for further value add to higher value products. Commenting on the transaction, Louis Kruyshaar, Executive Vice President of Sappi Biotech said “Plaxica’s Xylex® solution is rated as one of the most advanced to offer optimum efficiency and economics for separation and clean-up of C5 sugars from pulp mill hydrolysates.” Click Read More below for additional detail.