Metsä Group’s Pro Nemus visitor centre celebrates its fifth anniversary this year. Housed in Metsä Group’s integrated mill area in Äänekoski, the visitor centre was opened to the public in May 2018.
Its name, Pro Nemus, is Latin and means ‘for the forest’. Through its interactive exhibition stands, the centre offers a new way to learn about Metsä Group’s business, products, innovation and sustainability and about the opportunities provided by the bioeconomy.
“Pro Nemus has become a key part of our mill tours. We do our best to ensure that all customer groups that visit Äänekoski have the opportunity to tour our visitor centre,” says Ari Harmaala, Metsä Fibre’s Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing.
Making mill processes understandable
At Pro Nemus, complex processes are explained in a visually attractive and easy-to-grasp way. Harmaala explains that this provides significant added value to mill visits.
“During a visit, we always have limited opportunities to present our operations, because much of the process takes place in areas that are off-limits to visitors for safety reasons. Starting the tour at Pro Nemus provides them with a clear idea of the process, making the actual mill visit more informative.”
Harmaala says Pro Nemus has received positive feedback from customers, especially for the Industrial ecosystem, which introduces the bioproduct mill and other operators in the integrated mill area. Visitors also appreciate the harvester simulator and the Photo Booth.
Pro Nemus has become a key part of our customer visits. The centre provides our customers with a clear idea of the process, making the actual mill visit more informative.
Ari Harmaala
Sustainability and responsibility presented interactively
Sofidel, from Italy, is a leading company in the global tissue paper market. The company’s purchasing team visited Pro Nemus in the autumn of 2022.
“The purpose of the visit was to show the Sofidel team that the concept of sustainability underpins everything Metsä does, from forest management to production,” says Laura Rotatori, Metsä Fibre’s Sales Manager.
Pro Nemus met this objective. By the end of the visit the Sofidel participants knew exactly how sustainability is implemented throughout Metsä Fibre’s supply chain.
“The participants were actively engaged at the various stations of the visitor centre and liked the way that the exhibition stands explained the facts interactively and even playfully.”
The regularly updated exhibition offers constant new experiences
To date, Pro Nemus has had more than 20,000 visitors. Some of the visitors are so fascinated by the centre that they return again and again.
“Some of our guests have been to Pro Nemus three or four times,” says Sonja Rinne, Metsä Fibres’s head mill guide.
She believes that the appeal of Pro Nemus is the result of its content being updated regularly.
“The exhibition always offers new experiences. We take various visitor groups into consideration when designing the content to ensure that the centre caters to as wide a range of visitors as possible. I believe that everyone can find something of personal interest at Pro Nemus.”
Pro Nemus is open to forest owners, customers, students and other stakeholders at Metsä Group’s invitation. Further information about Pro Nemus and booking a visit is available at www.metsagroup.com/pronemus.