Metsä Board completes modernisation at Simpele mill and launches enhanced Classic FBB

Packaging Solutions

Metsä Board has completed an €60 million modernisation project at its Simpele paperboard mill, marking a significant milestone in product performance. The upgraded board machine is now fully operational, and the renewed MetsäBoard Classic FBB folding boxboard is available for customer deliveries.

MetsäBoard Classic FBB is one of the market’s leading consumer packaging boards, trusted across food and healthcare sectors for its exceptional consistency and reliability. The latest upgrades elevate its quality to a new level, while supporting the company’s transition toward fossil free production. The introduction of modern curtain coating technology enhances print quality and visual uniformity – delivering sharper, more vibrant print results for demanding packaging applications.

Esa Kaikkonen, CEO at Metsä Board, views the investment as a strategic advantage for brands navigating evolving packaging demands and tightening regulations, saying: ‘Our customers face increasing pressure to meet stricter sustainability and safety standards, while also managing cost efficiency and waste reduction. We want to help our customers stay ahead and lead the pack – by offering solutions that are safe, reliable, and deliver excellent material efficiency, with a high quality print surface for brand promotion. That is also the aim with our Simpele investment, which is now completed.’

The investment included a full rebuild of the coating section, expansion of the coating colour kitchen, and installation of a new pallet packaging line. More than 430 professionals contributed to the project. 

Previously, 89% of the energy used in production at the Simpele mill was fossil free. With the new technology now in place, that figure will rise to 98% – reinforcing Metsä Board’s commitment to achieving fossil free mills by 2030.