Ahlstrom-Munksjö and Metsä Fibre have started unique collaboration in safety auditing
AHLSTROM-MUNKSJÖ, PRESS RELEASE, JANUARY 31, 2019 at 5:00 P.M. EET
Ahlstrom-Munksjö and Metsä Fibre have started safety collaboration by auditing each other’s production facilities. This is a unique form of collaboration among the Pulp and Paper industry with the target of promoting the safety work within the industry.
“We see that safety has no boundaries, and therefore we want to learn from our partners, and in return, share our own best practices and learnings with our customers, supplier and business partners”, states Camilla Wikström, SVP, Production, Pulp Business, Metsä Fibre.
The program, which started in late 2018, has now its first takeaways. Both companies have paid a lot of attention to safety and especially into preventative actions and trainings. Metsä Fibre has an excellent safety reporting system, which helps safety managers in reporting and following issues to be solved. Ahlstrom-Munksjö has a case distribution method which allows all safety managers to get the most resent information on possible safety issues.
“For Ahlstrom-Munksjö it is important that our pulp suppliers, like Metsä Fibre, meet the high safety standards and contribute to the work safety in the entire supply chain”, says Rune Årnes, VP Health & Safety, Ahlstrom-Munksjö.
This far we have cross-audited five production sites: two from Ahlstrom-Munksjö and three from Metsä Fibre. The target is to continue the cross-audit program and companies have agreed on two new audits which will take place in Germany later in the year.
In addition to cross-audits Metsä Group and Ahlstrom-Munksjö are collaborating in RISI PPI awards. Companies are sole sponsors of a new RISI PPI Safety Awards category. The Safety Leadership Award will be conferred in March 2019 for the first time. The target for the new safety award is to recognize a pulp or paper production plant for their consistent management and meritorious commitment to occupational safety, long term performance and to encourage their continuous improvement within safety.
For further information, please contact:
Rune Årnes, Vice President, Health&Safety, +47 979 73 935, e-mail: rune.arnes@ahlstrom-munksjo.com
Camilla Wikström, Senior Vice President, Production, Pulp Business, tel. +358 50 3893 467 e-mail: camilla.wikstrom@metsagroup.com
Video: Cross-audit at Metsä Fibre Äänekoski pulp mill
Ahlstrom-Munksjö is a global leader in fiber-based materials, supplying innovative and sustainable solutions to customers worldwide. Our offering includes decor paper, filter media, release liners, abrasive backings, nonwovens, electrotechnical paper, glass fiber materials, food packaging and labeling, tape, medical fiber materials and solutions for diagnostics. Combined annual net sales are about EUR 3 billion and we employ 8,000 people. The Ahlstrom-Munksjö share is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki and Stockholm. www.ahlstrom-munksjo.com
Metsä Fibre is a leading producer of bioproducts and bioenergy whose main raw material is wood from sustainably managed northern forests. The company’s pulp brand is Botnia and the sawn timber brand is Metsä Nordic Timber. The company’s bleached softwood and birch pulp grades have been developed for manufacturing high-quality boards, tissue and printing papers, and speciality products. Our portfolio of bioproducts also includes biochemical and renewable energy. The main applications for spruce and pine sawn timber are products for construction and interior decoration as well as window and door joinery and raw material for packaging industry. Currently employing approximately 1 200 people, the company’s sales totalled EUR 1.9 billion in 2017. Metsä Fibre is part of Metsä Group. www.metsafibre.com