The Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund (Eesti Töötukassa) today recognised its best partners and the most outstanding employers in Estonia. The title of Employer of the Year 2018 for Pärnu County was awarded to Metsä Wood’s birch plywood mill. Having only launched operations in August, the mill already employs more than 100 people. When running at full capacity, it will have around 200 workers in total.
“Two years ago, representatives of Metsä Wood came to us here at the Unemployment Insurance Fund and told us that the mill they were setting up in Pärnu would need 200 workers in the coming years,” recalled Gerli Mets, who heads the fund’s Pärnu Department. “They really stand out as a partner because they care about their workers and do everything to make sure they enjoy working for them. Metsä Wood launching operations in Pärnu is important to the county as a whole, since it’s produced a lot of much-needed new jobs.”
“It’s a real honour to be awarded the title,” said Merite Liidemaa-Pärn, HR Manager at the Pärnu mill. “We’ve recruited more than 100 workers in the last 12 months, and it’s been a really intense, fast-paced and exciting time. The support and experience of the Unemployment Insurance Fund have been of enormous help to us. I’ve no doubt we’ll continue to work very well with them, since we’re hiring new employees all the time.”
Metsä Wood’s Pärnu mill produces birch plywood, which is mainly used in the construction and transport industries. The mill has an annual production capacity of 50,000 cubic metres, which means an increase of 30,000 cubic metres in Metsä Wood’s total capacity.
“We offer all our new employees comprehensive training, which gives them the qualification to work at a number of different lines in the mill,” Liidemaa-Pärn explained. “We don’t expect them to have previous experience in industrial work when they walk through our door. It’s more important that they’re interested in the field, prepared to work in a team and able to work in shifts.” The new mill provides a safe working environment, and workers have convenient and modern facilities at their disposal.
The birch veneers used as raw material in the mill are produced in Äänekoski in Central Finland. Veneers are made from wood of Finnish origin, the majority of which is sourced from forests belonging to Metsä Group’s owner members. Together, the Äänekoski veneer mill and Pärnu plywood mill form one integrated unit, both parts of which need to function seamlessly as one. Full capacity is expected to be achieved at the Pärnu mill by the end of 2019.
Construction of the mill began in April 2017 and was completed in spring 2018. It was built by the local company Nordecon AS. Production officially began on 27 August. The key equipment for the mill were supplied by the Finnish companies Raute Oyj and Pinomatic Oy.