Metsä Board to Suspend White Kraftliner Production During Extended Kemi Mill Shutdown

Metsä Board will suspend white kraftliner production during an extended maintenance shutdown at Kemi in Finland in the fourth quarter of 2026, as work to renew the cooking process at Metsä Fibre’s Kemi bioproduct mill requires a longer-than-usual stoppage.

According to Metsä Board’s interim report for January–September 2026, the shutdown will be extended to accommodate the renewal. Metsä Fibre has selected Andritz as the technology supplier for the wood chip feeding process, which is intended to ensure the mill’s full production capacity in the future.

Metsä Board did not specify the exact duration of the shutdown in the report.

The planned stoppage comes as the company continues to adjust production to market demand. In its outlook for October–December 2026, Metsä Board expects paperboard delivery volumes to decline seasonally compared with the previous quarter. The company expects previously implemented price increases to support profitability, while energy costs are forecast to rise from third-quarter levels.

Metsä Board reported sales of EUR 402.3 million in the third quarter of 2026, down from EUR 441.2 million a year earlier. Its comparable operating result improved to EUR 5.5 million from a loss of EUR 45.6 million in the same period of 2025.

The company said paperboard market conditions had improved as capacity closures in Europe and North America helped rebalance supply and demand. Market conditions for white kraftliner strengthened during the reporting period, supporting price increases.

Metsä Board also reported that white kraftliner deliveries reached 380,000 tonnes in January–September 2026, compared with 356,000 tonnes in the corresponding period of 2025.

The Kemi maintenance shutdown is part of the company’s scheduled 2026 mill maintenance programme. The interim report does not indicate a permanent closure of the Kemi facility.