And the sun also rises

The Finnish forest industry is not a sunset industry after all – to the irritation of doomsayers.

‘Finnish wood is still a source of high-quality products and product development. Moreover, we have the best industry expertise in the world. Nothing has changed in these respects,’ Sari Pajari, M-real’s senior vice-president for Business Development, reminds us.

After the economic downturn, Finnish paper production and exports are experiencing tentative recovery. There is no going back, however, since the situation will remain turbulent because of rising unit prices and, for certain paper grades, production overcapacity in Europe.

The paperboard business is already going strong.

‘We must nevertheless fight cost inflation with all available means. This is something the decision-makers should keep in mind when seeking to impose all manner of fees and charges on the industry,’ says Sari Pajari, who started recently as M-real vice-president for Business Development and a Corporate Management Team member.

Cross-discipline commercialisation

Competitive wood raw material of excellent quality is the underpinning for any success, but this does not suffice. We must be able to think out the product lines that will make the best use of our local strengths.

‘In conventional thinking, R&D is regarded as laboratory work that will pave the way to something quite new and extraordinary. Nowadays, the emphasis is instead on multidisciplinary commercialisation that includes also development of the market in collaboration with customers and partners. The forest industry – as any other business does – lives off the market and demand,’ Pajari points out.

Read more in the new magazine!