Sulzer to supply pumps and mixers to the new bioproduct mill in Kemi, Finland

Metsä Fibre, part of the Finnish forest industry company Metsä Group, and Sulzer Pumps Finland have signed an agreement for the supply of process pumps, medium-consistency pumps and mixers for the main processes of the bioproduct mill that will be built in Kemi. The delivery will include several hundred devices.

Metsä Fibre is a leading producer of wood-based bioproducts, such as pulp, sawn timber, biochemicals and bioenergy. The EUR 1.6 billion project in Kemi is the largest investment ever in the wood-processing industry in Finland. The Kemi bioproduct mill will produce approximately 1.5 million tons of softwood and hardwood pulp annually. The pulp will be used as raw material for board, tissue, printing paper and special products, as well as various bioproducts.

The Kemi bioproduct mill is planned to be operational in 2023 and will be a global leader in environmental, energy and material efficiency. It will operate completely without fossil fuels. Sulzer has extensive experience in energy-efficient pumping and mixing solutions for the pulp, paper and board industry, and systematically strives to reduce its environmental footprint. The company is heavily involved in the development of new products from wood-based raw materials together with leading players in the industry.

“We have set high material, energy and environmental targets for the Kemi bioproduct mill. Only the best available technology will be used. That is why we require that our partners also provide the most technically reliable solutions and that they are familiar with our processes and needs. Based on our experience, Sulzer’s solutions fall into this category,” says Jari-Pekka Johansson, Director of the bioproduct mill project at Metsä Fibre.

Metsä Fibre and Sulzer are long-term partners. Sulzer also supplied pumps and mixers to the company’s next generation bioproduct mill in Äänekoski, which was completed in 2017. At that time, a service agreement for the maintenance of the equipment was also signed. Sulzer’s smooth execution of the Äänekoski project in cooperation with Metsä Fibre contributed to the choice of supplier for the Kemi bioproduct mill.

“It’s great that Metsä Fibre has chosen to work with Sulzer in this huge project and to be involved in the development of new generation pulp technology,” says Jukka Vanhala, Sales Manager at Sulzer Pumps Finland Oy.

About Sulzer

Sulzer is a global leader in fluid engineering. We specialize in pumping, agitation, mixing, separation and purification technologies for fluids of all types. Our customers benefit from our commitment to innovation, performance and quality and from our responsive network of 180 world-class production facilities and service centers across the globe. Sulzer has been headquartered in Winterthur, Switzerland, since 1834. In 2021, our 13’800 employees delivered revenues of CHF 3.2 billion. Our shares are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: SUN). The Flow Equipment division specializes in pumping solutions specifically engineered for the processes of our customers. We provide pumps, agitators, compressors, grinders and screens developed through intensive research and development in fluid dynamics and advanced materials. We are a market leader in pumping solutions for water, oil and gas, power, chemicals and most industrial segments.

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