Renholmen Wins Major Contract – One of the Biggest in the Company’s History
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“Keitele Group is investing heavily in its largest sawmill in Keitele, Finland, and we are pleased that they have chosen us as their supplier,” says Bent-Ove Andersson, Marketing Manager at Renholmen. “With this new grading mill, they will increase their capacity significantly.”
“The investment will increase the production of Keitele’s sawmill from 420,000 cubic metres of sawn timber to 600,000,” says Matti Kylävainio, CEO of Keitele Group
Keitele Group is a family-owned company founded in 1981 and one of the largest operators in mechanical timber processing in Finland, as well as the country’s largest manufacturer of processed timber products. The Group has three production facilities: Kemijärvi, 95 kilometres northeast of Rovanniemi in northern Finland, and Alajärvi and Keitele in central Finland, 120 and 280 kilometres east of Vaasa respectively.
At its largest sawmill in Keitele, the company has now invested in a high-capacity grading mill from Renholmen. The total investment in the new sawmill is over 40 million Euro, of which Renholmen is the largest contracting party.
“In terms of grading mills, this is by far the largest order in Renholmen’s history,” says Bernt-Ove.
The new grading mill will be built in a new building adjacent to the existing one, which means that current production can continue with minimal disruption throughout the construction of the new grading mill. The contract also includes a closed spreader system with trolley handling and a large package outfeed.
“With the new grading mill, they get the latest technology, and it will increase their capacity significantly. The work environment will be better and the timber packages that come out will be consistent and neat,” says Bernt-Ove.
“The new grading mill is a big step for the sawmill in Keitele and for Keitele Group,” says Matti Kylävainio. “It will provide increased efficiency, improved working conditions, and a better ability to manage the sawmills’ production to finished products in a 2/5 work schedule. The supply of skilled labour is expected to decrease in the coming years. With the investment, Keitele will become one of the top three sawmills in Finland, both in terms of production volume and efficiency.”
For Renholmen, the contract means that they can continue their expansion and recruit more employees.
“We will need reinforcement throughout the company – designers, automation experts, service staff, and project managers, to mention a few,” says Bernt-Ove.
This is not the first time Renholmen and Keitele have collaborated on a major contract. In 2015, Renholmen delivered a green sorting system and a grading mill to the sawmill in Kemijärvi.
“We are happy, proud, and grateful that we have been entrusted to deliver a high-capacity system with the latest technology to Keitele,” says Bernt-Ove.
“Renholmen has refined the technological level of the machine and can offer efficient and reliable solutions for the sawmill industry,” says Matti. “We respect their passion for improved productivity and professional service throughout the purchasing process.”