Metsä Board has its roots in two long-established Finnish forest-industry companies: Metsäliiton Teollisuus Oy and G.A. Serlachius Oy. After extensive growth through acquisitions in the 1990s and early 2000s, the decision was made to focus on paperboard production in response to the megatrends shaping our industry. Today Metsä Board is a pure paperboard company with market-leading products, pulp self-sufficiency, a long history of innovation and solid profitability.
Our story
Today Metsä Board is a pure paperboard company with with market-leading products, pulp self-sufficiency, an impressive innovation track record and solid profitability. Our story has its roots in the Finnish forest and has seen us transform from Europe's largest paper producer into a leading producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards.
Metsä Board’s timeline
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1868
The first mill starts up
G.A. Serlachius establishes a groundwood mill in Mänttä, south-central Finland
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1930-1970
Paperboard production begins
1932 Folding boxboard production starts at the Tako mill in Tampere, southern Finland
1966 Metsäliiton Teollisuus begins board production in Äänekoski, central Finland
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1980-2000
Mergers and acquisitions
1986 Metsä-Serla is born when Metsäliiton Teollisuus and G.A. Serlachius merge
1990s–early 2000s Growth through acquisitions: Metsä-Serla acquires several production units around Europe, including the Kemi, Kyro and Simpele mills in Finland and Husum mill in Sweden
2001 Metsä-Serla changes its name to M-real
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2005-2016
Focus on paperboard
2005 A decision is made to focus on paperboard; the divestment of paper mills starts
2012 M-real changes its name to Metsä Board, emphasising its Finnish forest heritage and what is now its core business
2016 The new folding boxboard machine starts up at the Husum mill; the company enters food service board packaging markets
2016 Paper production ends
2016 Production of wallpaper base at the Kyro mill ends
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2017-
Investments in responsible and profitable growth
2017 New extrusion coating line starts up at the Husum mill
2020 The renewal of the Husum pulp mill starts
2020 Metsä Board opens an Excellence Centre in Äänekoski Finland to accelerate paperboard and packaging innovations
2021 Metsä Board sells a 30 percent stake in Husum pulp mill to Norra Skog
2021 Development programme initiated for the Kemi board mill to increase annual white-top kraftliner capacity by approx. 40,000 tonnes
2021 Decision on folding boxboard capacity increase by 200,000 tonnes at Husum mill with expected ramp-up in autumn 2023.
