The engineering of Stora Enso’s new consumer board line in Oulu was one of Fimpec’s largest and most versatile assignments ever
The start-up of Stora Enso’s new consumer board line in Oulu began in March 2025, with deliveries to customers following in the spring. Fimpec was involved from the very early stages, and the project turned into one of the company’s biggest engineering assignments to date. Its successful completion demonstrated both the breadth and depth of Fimpec’s expertise – and the ability to apply that know-how in a demanding conversion project.
In October 2022, Stora Enso announced a one-billion-euro investment to convert the decommissioned paper machine (PM6) at the Oulu mill into a consumer board line. The result is Europe’s most modern and cost-efficient line, making Oulu Stora Enso’s largest production site. Commissioning started as planned in March 2025, with full production capacity of 750,000 tonnes expected by 2027.
Fimpec joined the project right from the start. After the investment decision, cooperation continued with the implementation engineering phase, for which the contract was signed in November 2022. Beyond engineering work, Fimpec experts were present on site in Oulu, supporting site planning, installation supervision, and the commissioning phase during start-up.
All of Fimpec’s engineering disciplines took part
Fimpec’s engineering scope covered the new consumer board line (BM6), part of the new baling pulping line, and the pipeline bridge connecting the pulping line to the board line. The assignment spanned the entire process, from the board machine and on-line coating machine to the finishing operations located in the building.
All Fimpec’s engineering disciplines were involved: project management and process, plant, automation, electrical, and HVAC engineering.
“This was a wide-ranging and fascinating engineering assignment for us. Since this was a conversion project, the work included not only the planning of new processes but also careful studies of which parts to retain, dismantle, or relocate entirely,” says Reijo Parkkinen, Project Manager at Fimpec.
He adds that this was an important and demanding part of the project, as the renewed line was connected to both other parts of the mill and to the earlier converted board machine (BM7). Controlled planning of new connections was crucial to ensure the rest of the mill’s production could continue without disruption.
Expertise and experience made the difference
Parkkinen highlights the importance of Fimpec’s know-how and experience. Beyond technical skills, the ability to manage change was critical.
“The already large engineering project grew significantly in scope, which created challenges in areas such as resourcing and keeping to schedule. It really showed the strength of our people – highly skilled experts who solved complex design tasks within their disciplines. Our engineers stretched when needed, sometimes working longer hours, and we also made use of subcontractors from our network to meet our commitments. Once again, Fimpec proved its ability to respond to the expanding demands of a major project,” Parkkinen sums up.
A continuation of long-term cooperation
The Oulu conversion project continues the long-standing cooperation between Stora Enso and Fimpec. Within this relationship, the Oulu mill holds a special place, as Fimpec has been involved in several of its key projects.
“We were responsible for implementation engineering and construction management when Oulu’s other paper machine (PM7) was converted to produce kraftliner in the investment completed in 2021. And the mill and its machines were familiar to us even before that – we were involved in engineering the now-converted PM6 back in the early 1990s, as well as the earlier conversion of PM7 in the late 1990s. That familiarity with the site and equipment was of course an advantage in this project as well,” Parkkinen explains.
Learn more about Stora Enso’s Oulu mill and the new consumer board line.
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