​Excellence Centre boosts the development of new paperboard and packaging solutions

Growing consumption and demand for more sustainable packaging is boosting the need for new innovations. To develop solutions for packaging today and into the future, Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, has started up operations in its new Excellence Centre at the unique bioeconomy site in Äänekoski, Finland.

Collaboration accelerates innovation

Growing consumption and demand for more sustainable packaging are boosting the need for new innovations. To develop solutions for packaging today and into the future, we have established a state-of-the-art Excellence Centre to accelerate paperboard and packaging innovation.

The location of the Excellence Centre in a world-unique bioeconomy ecosystem in Äänekoski provides a perfect setting to explore the exciting future potential of premium packaging materials based on renewable fresh fibre.

The centre combines cutting-edge technology for R&D, packaging design and paperboard and packaging performance under one roof and provides an inspirational collaboration platform for our customers and partners worldwide.

“As the amount of packaging continues to grow, new, sustainable solutions are needed to replace fossil-based materials and ensure circularity. The Excellence Centre concept enables paperboard and packaging solutions that look at the entire value chain, and not just at its separate parts. With the material knowhow, competence and tools now available, we can optimise performance throughout the packaging lifecycle”, says Mika Joukio, CEO of Metsä Board.

The Excellence Centre, which covers a total of 1,500 square meters, includes R&D facilities, a packaging design studio, a customer feedback centre and a state-of-the art laboratory providing more than 100 different measurement methods and analytics.  The centre also features a virtual store and a computer-aided engineering (CAE) tool to allow sophisticated simulation and analysis of packaging performance.

Co-creation workshops for future packaging

Metsä Board’s Excellence Centre brings together Metsä Board’s own competencies and deep expertise in fibre-based solutions with that of various experts and partners, such as material suppliers, technology providers, start-up companies, universities and research companies. Virtual collaboration workshops have also been developed to enable joint development and co-creation if physical meetings are not possible.

The Excellence Centre is an active collaboration environment for exploration, innovation and testing. Metsäoffer you co-creation workshops based on your needs: to improve current packaging or create new solutions. The workshops can also be carried out virtually via online meeting applications.

Explore the center here.

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