The mill, located in Nuottasaari, Oulu, close to the city center with a population of over 200,000, is part of Stora Enso's Oulu business unit.
The business unit includes the sawmills in Oulu, Oulaisen, Kalajoki and Veitsiluoto, timber reception, a pulp mill with production lines converted from paper machines to board machines, and a port operator in the Port of Oulu.
The newest consumer packaging board line at Stora Enso's Oulu mill, which will be launched in 2025, will have an annual capacity of 750,000 tonnes. Renewable, sustainable and recyclable wood-based packaging will replace plastic.
Almost all of the factory's production is exported.
After the conversion of the new and already completed second machine in 2021, the Oulu mill will produce unbleached pulp, corrugated board facestock and consumer packaging board in both rolls and sheets.
Processing level and northern wood
"The high degree of processing and the strength potential of our products, whether it is sawn timber or board, are characteristics of the Oulu mill. And thirdly, the idea of a mega-factory that emphasizes production integration," summarizes the Director of Stora Enso's Oulu business unit. Matti Lielahti.
The strength of northern wood is evident in all products exported to the world.
"For example, it's sawn timber going to the Japanese market, which is branded according to its strength. And in terms of board, we constantly receive positive feedback from our customers about the light weight properties of our products. Our consumer packaging boards are light but strong. Lightness is an important property, it helps reduce logistics costs and reduce the carbon footprint, among other things. And the degree of processing is an important part of our operating concept. We export much more highly processed products than pulp."
By sea to the world, assisted by automation
The operations of Stora Enso's Oulu megamill are based on highly integrated processes, where advanced control systems manage the entire production value chain – from wood processing to finished products and their export through the Port of Oulu, where the company has its own port operator.
Lielahti considers a complex of two large board machines to be quite optimal. A larger one would bring major challenges.
"We now have well over a million tons of capacity from two board machines and a pulp mill. If there were more machines, the mammoth would already grow too big for logistics and wood procurement, for example. With the current combination, we can better utilize the synergy benefits, and there will not be too many ocean-going ships in the port at once."
At full production, the Oulu factory will use approximately 3,5 million cubic meters of wood per year.
"We have a team of around 900 skilled people in our business unit, four sawmills and a logistics department. Now, when a forest owner from Kainuu, North Ostrobothnia or Lapland is wondering what to do with his forest, we have a home for practically all the wood found in these forests. We are able to utilize spruce and pine logs in our sawmills and also birch, spruce and pine as pulpwood, including energy wood."
Stora Enso has invested EUR 1,1 billion in the consumer board packaging line, which opened in 2025, and in the renovation of the mill area.
The new production line utilizes Stora Enso's patented FiberLight Tec fiber processing technology, which enables the production of lighter, yet stronger and more durable paperboards.
End products include cardboard packaging for frozen, chilled and dry foods, medicines and beverages.
The annual capacity of the consumer cardboard packaging line will be 750,000 tons.
The Oulu business unit includes the Oulu, Oulaisen, Kalajoki and Veitsiluoto sawmills, timber reception, pulp mill, packaging board and consumer packaging board line, and port operations.
A total of approximately EUR 1,7 billion has been invested in the Oulu business unit in 2019–2025.
