RUSSIA –Following successful growth investments in Finland and Estonia over the past few years, UPM Plywood expands its Chudovo plywood mill in Russia by investing EUR 50 million.

The project will increase the mill’s production capacity by 45,000 to 155,000 m3 while also broadening the mill’s product portfolio.The project is estimated to be completed by the end of 2019. During the expansion production at the mill will continue normally.

“The expansion of the Chudovo mill is an important step in executing our strategy. Our goal is to further strengthen our leading position in priority end-use segments. New competitive birch plywood capacity improves our ability to respond to growing demand in our key markets, while delivering industry-leading quality and reliability”, says Mika Sillanpää, Executive Vice President of UPM Plywood.

The machinery and equipment for the expansion will be supplied by Raute Corporation of Finland a global leading technology and service company that operates worldwide. Raute’s customers are companies operating in the wood products industry that manufacture veneer, plywood, LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) and sawn timber.

UPM Plywood manufactures high-quality plywood and veneer products under the WISA brand mainly for construction and transport industries, and the new thermo-formable UPM Grada® wood material for the form pressing industry. At the end of last fiscal the UPM Plywood operated 9 factories in Europe with 2470 employees and generated sales of EUR 444 million.