Metsä Fibre wins Excellence Finland 2012 and the Quality Innovation of the Year Competition
Metsä Group Press Release 8 November
Metsä Fibre, a part of Metsä Group, has won Excellence Finland 2012 and the Quality Innovation of the Year Competition in the large companies category, organised by Laatukeskus Excellence Finland. In addition, Laatukeskus Excellence Finland granted Metsä Fibre the European five-star Recognised for Excellence award. Metsä Fibre won the Excellence Finland quality award with the highest ever total score. The awards were presented by the Speaker of Parliament Eero Heinäluoma in Helsinki, Finland on 8 November.
"This is a significant recognition for our long-term operational development work," says Ilkka Hämälä, CEO of Metsä Fibre. "We have been using the EFQM model in the development of our operations for several years. Our customer orientation, process management-based operating model and the competence of our personnel are thus commended. Winning the Quality Innovation competition signifies our innovative approach and commitment to continuous improvement," Hämälä says.
According to the jury, Metsä Fibre's customer orientation and value creation for the customer are prominent throughout the organisation from the management to the production personnel. The development of operations is managed systematically. The safety management model has established safety as a central objective, decreased accidents at work and strengthened the positive attitude of the personnel towards safety. The company's commitment to environmental aspects was also praised.
Metsä Fibre won the Quality Innovation competition with its Botnia FOX index (Fibre Online Index) that measures the quality of pulp. Botnia FOX combines Metsä Fibre's long-term customer expertise, the theory of pulp making and the utilisation of statistical mathematics in an innovative way. The real-time quality information provided by Botnia FOX can be used throughout the value chain to improve efficiency.
Laatukeskus Excellence Finland organises the annual Excellence Finland final where the operations and results of companies are evaluated according to the European EFQM quality model. The Quality Innovation of the Year Competition has been organised since 2007.
METSÄ GROUP
Group communications
For further information, please contact:
Ilkka Hämälä, CEO, Metsä Fibre, tel. +358 10 46 12, ilkka.hamala@metsagroup.com
www.metsagroup.com
Metsä Group is a responsible forest industry group whose products are part of people's everyday life and promote sustainable well-being. Metsä Group produces high-quality products mainly from renewable Nordic wood. The Group's business areas are tissue and cooking papers, board and paper, pulp, wood products as well as wood supply. Metsä Group's sales totalled EUR 5.3 billion in 2011, and it employs approximately 12,500 people. The Group is present in some 30 countries.
www.metsafibre.com
Metsä Fibre is a world-leading producer of softwood pulp. Metsä Fibre’s main products – sustainably and cost-efficiently produced softwood and birch pulp – are specially developed for the production of high-quality fine papers, magazine and tissue papers, and board. The main brand is Botnia. With four pulp mills in Finland, we employ a total of about 800 people. The sales in 2011 were approximately EUR 1.3 billion. Metsä Fibre is part of Metsä Group.