Ahlstrom-Munksjö and Metsä Fibre to initiate a global safety award

AHLSTROM-MUNKSJÖ OYJ, PRESS RELEASE, JULY 30, 2018 at 9:00 EEST

Ahlstrom-Munksjö and Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, are sole sponsors of a new RISI PPI Safety Awards category. The Safety Leadership Award will be conferred for the first time in March 2019. 

PPI Awards are the only global awards that are dedicated to recognizing the achievement of companies, production sites and individuals in the pulp and paper sector. Ahlstrom-Munksjö and Metsä Fibre want to promote safety within the pulp and paper industry. Safety is an important part of employer branding, wellbeing at work and it also creates competitive advantage. Thus continuous development and sharing best practices in developing safety is important. 

“Safety is a shared responsibility. Both Ahlstrom-Munksjö and Metsä Fibre are highly committed to safety issues, and we have already safety collaboration. Joining forces in RISI PPI awards and creating a new category for Safety award felt natural for both of us”, says Rune Årnes VP Health & Safety. “We wanted to collaborate on a safety award, in order to be in the forefront of safety for our workers and promote safety within the industry.”

“We have started safety cooperation with Ahlstrom-Munksjö few years ago. By collaboration and sharing best practices we learn from each other and develop the safety of the whole industry. We want to increase the safety level at the mills and among the whole supply chain with systematic and preventative safety work. That’s the main reason we wanted to create this safety awards category. We found that Ahlstrom-Munksjö and RISI are the best possible partners to make this with us”, says Camilla Wikström, SVP, Production, Pulp Business, Metsä Fibre.

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.

Safety is our mindset and everyone’s right

At Ahlstrom-Munksjö, we strongly believe zero accident is possible. We have set ambitious targets for continuous improvement, developing consistent safety practices and competencies. We focus on preventative activities, behavior-based safety interactions, safety inspections and auditing, and tailored safety training to ensure a safe working environment. Safety is our mindset.

At Metsä Fibre, a safe workplace is everyone's right. It is our duty to take care of our own safety and the safety of our co-workers. By working safely, we are realizing our mission of being the most professional and skilled player in the pulp business and the most efficient company in the industry. We concentrate on preventive and well planned safety work. We also want to be the preferred supplier of premium bioproducts and services that support our customer’ business operations.


More information:

Rune Årnes, Vice President, Health&Safety, Ahlstrom-Munksjö, tel. +47 979 73 935, e-mail: rune.arnes@ahlstrom-munksjo.com
Camilla Wikström, Senior Vice President, Production, Pulp Business, Metsä Fibre, tel. +358 50 3893 467 e-mail: camilla.wikstrom@metsagroup.com

Ahlstrom-Munksjö is a global leader in fiber-based materials, supplying innovative and sustainable solutions to customers worldwide. Our offerings include 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 2.2 billion and we employ 6,000 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 biochemicals 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

RISI PPI AWARDS

RISI, the leading information provider to the global pulp and paper industry, is delighted to announce the annual PPI Awards celebration will be held on March 12, 2019.The event this year will take place on the Tuesday evening of the RISI European Conference. The PPI Awards have been a huge success in celebrating excellence in the global pulp and paper industry for the last nine years. And each and every year - without fail - has seen the quantity and quality of entries coming in from all corners of the globe rise and rise, and now the PPI Awards Dinner is the finest event on the pulp and paper industry calendar. The PPI Awards are the only global awards that are dedicated to recognizing the achievements of companies, mills and individuals in the pulp and paper sector. It provides a platform that honors a multitude of different categories celebrating leadership, vision, innovation and strategic accomplishments within the industry.