M-real Kirkniemi forty years

28 February 2006

Finnish expertise produces paper for world-class magazines and advertisers

M-real Kirkniemi, which started operations with one paper machine for newsprint
on 27 February 1966, celebrates 40 years of history this week. Today this
state-of-the-art production unit is equipped with cutting-edge technology. The
three paper machines working at the speed of 1,100 -1,500 metres per minute
produce 730,000 tonnes of publishing paper for the world's leading magazines
and brands. 

To celebrate the jubilee year, M-real, a Metsäliitto Group company, will
display the milestones for the mill and its products at an exhibition in
Kirkniemi. 

”Throughout its history, M-real Kirkniemi has been known for its innovative and
customer-oriented product development. The mill's products have been successful
in global competition by producing continuous added value for the customer,”
says Aarre Metsävirta, Senior Executive Vice President and Deputy CEO for
M-real who opened the jubilee exhibition. ”We are continuously developing the
functionality of the Galerie papers produced at Kirkniemi on the basis of
feedback from customers and readers. Our aim is to strengthen M-real's position
as the third-largest producer of coated magazine papers in Europe. The driving
force behind our high-quality products is our skilled and committed personnel.” 

M-real Kirkniemi has set its targets high throughout its forty years of
history. The mill specialises in coated magazines papers for heatset offset
printing. Over the years magazines such as Vogue, Wallpaper, Elle, Time and
National Geographic have been printed on Galerie, and quality-conscious end
users including Mercedes, BMW and Stockmann have used the brand for their
customer communications. 

Quality from the reader's perspective

Since 1998, M-real has carried out reader surveys in co-operation with the
Department of Psychology at the University of Helsinki with the view of further
developing the printability and surface properties of the Galerie range. The
surveys have focused on the quality of the paper and print from the reader's
perspective. This helps M-real and its customers to optimise the print and
colour control methods according to each specific purpose. 

”The Galerie papers produced at Kirkniemi ensure excellent image reproduction,
also with lower basis weights. This creates definite benefits for the customer,
including cost savings in production, posting and logistics. Even quality and
perfect reliability are equally important competitive factors. We will be
making a screening investment later in the year with the aim of improving the
quality of the groundwood pulp as well as the evenness of the quality,” says
Martti Savelainen, Mill Manager at Kirkniemi. 

Further information: Martti Savelainen, Mill Manager, M-real Kirkniemi, tel.
+358 (0)10 464 2475