Metsä Board, part of the Metsa Group, will create a Center of Excellence in Cardboard and Packaging in Äänekoski, Finland. It will combine packaging design and R&D excellence under one roof in order to drive the development of new carton and packaging solutions of the future.
“The new Center of Excellence will allow a wide variety of collaborations, especially in the area of comprehensive packaging design, throughout the entire value chain. We will be able to organize packaging design workshops and innovation days together with our customers and partners to demonstrate the full potential of our lightweight virgin wood cartons, ”said Sari Pajari, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing at Metsä Board.
The center is located in a unique bioeconomy ecosystem in the world. The site is shared with many companies, including the Metsä Group's next generation bioproducts factory, the Metsä Board cardboard factory, the Pro Nemus visitor center, and a demonstration plant for Metsä Spring and the company. Japanese Itochu Corporation, which will start the production of textile fibers at the end of 2019. It will have offices, a laboratory, R&D facilities and a modern technology packaging design studio, as well as a customer information center.
The project will continue with construction planning starting in the summer with the goal of having the center operational by 2020.
