NEW INVENTIONS BOOST BUSINESS
METRIS FOX MONITORS PULP QUALITY The Metris FOX index is a quality index developed by Metsä Fibre which was sold roughly a year ago to the international technology com- pany Andritz. Andritz supplies equipment and services to the pulp and paper industry. The Metris FOX tool, based on online data gathered at a pulp mill, monitors and fore- casts the quality of pulp from the beginning of a process right to the end product. The results given by the Metris FOX tool allow mills to optimise their processes, so they can maintain the best possible quality of pulp. “We’ve run customer pro- jects on paperboard, grease- proof paper and magazine paper, for example. We’ve noticed that the higher the Metris FOX index is, the less refining energy the process needs,” says Kirsi
Metsä Fibre’s Business Develop- ment Manager Jukka Rantamäki is a little bit like a scientist and explorer in his work: he follows the competition, gathers data and supervises development projects in which Metsä Fibre’s profes- sionals come up with new ideas in cooperation with the company’s partners. These projects may progress all the way to patents. Rantamäki began working in his new job in September 2019. ”This is unnoticeable but highly important work. We get to be at the cutting edge of devel- opment, and that’s something.” The monitoring includes keeping an eye on any patent applications filed by competitors which may pose a challenge to Metsä Fibre’s business operations. During the opposition period, a patent can be challenged by showing that the idea has already been presented elsewhere at an earlier date. Right now, Metsä Fibre is par- ticularly focused on the develop- ment of biocomposites. “There’s potential for new opportunities on that front. The global market is rather big.” One of the companies engaged in the industry is Aqvacomp, which makes a biocomposite
from pulp at Metsä Fibre’s Rauma mill. The bioplastic polyactide, or PLA, could also be used as a bind- ing agent in composites. Other plastic replacements are also being studied. Superabsor- bents are used in nappies, for example, and while these absorb a large amount of liquid in propor- tion to their weight, they can also be unecological. “Perhaps we’ll be able to make something nearly as efficient out of fibre.” Metsä Spring’s textile product mill aims to produce pulp-based fabrics for the fabric industry. Rantamäki would also like to study lignin, which is used as an energy source for mills. “We’re kind of heading back to the 1970s, when stores mostly provided paper bags to their customers. These degrade in the ocean and do not end up in fish or mammals. Paper and paperboard are good packaging materials. We also have premium sawn timber, which can replace plastic and concrete.” These new applications of pulp secure the continuity of Metsä Fibre’s business. “It’s also reasonable to foster a better, greener lifestyle to pre- serve the environment.” •
Hirvonen , Development Manager of Metsä Fibre.
GOLD RATING IN CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL AND
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Metsä Fibre has been awarded a gold medal in recognition of CSR achievement. EcoVadis Gold rating was given to Metsä Fibre for the work the com- pany has done related to envi- ronment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. In the overall score, Metsä Fibre is in the top 3 per cent of companies assessed by EcoVadis in the Manufacture of pulp, paper and paperboard industry.
“It’s also reasonable to foster a better, greener lifestyle to preserve the environment.”
The occupational safety indicators that are monitored in Metsä Fibre encourage to continuously develop the operations. The aim is to decrease the TRI (Total Recordable Injury) frequency to 3 by 2025, when in 2018, it was 17.1. The long-term goal is zero accidents.
Photos PETRI LYYTIKÄINEN & METSÄ GROUP
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