Mets\u00e4 Fibre\u2019s sawmill in Rauma, Finland, is running at less than 60% of its capacity, underscoring weak demand in the wood products market.<\/p>\n
The mill, part of Mets\u00e4 Group, is considered one of the most modern sawmills in the world and the most expensive in Finland. Since its launch in autumn 2022, however, it has not reached its design capacity, despite an investment of around \u20ac260m.<\/p>\n
The plant is designed to produce 750,000 cubic metres of lumber annually. In 2025, output reached only 475,000 cubic metres, well below capacity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to adjust production quite significantly in line with demand,\u201d said Virva Juhola, Mets\u00e4 Fibre\u2019s sawmill business manager.<\/p>\n
The outlook for 2026 remains weak. The sawmill business is being affected by slower construction activity and reduced consumer demand.<\/p>\n
Production cuts are not limited to Rauma. Lumber output has been reduced at all four Mets\u00e4 Fibre sawmills in Finland.<\/p>\n
The pressure extends to pulp production. The pulp mill in Joutseno is set to be shut down indefinitely at the end of March. This will mark the second shutdown since 2025, after the plant was out of operation for six months last year. Market participants see the repeated stoppages as an attempt to avoid a full closure.<\/p>\n
Other producers have taken similar steps. In October 2025, UPM suspended production at three sawmills simultaneously \u2014 in Lappeenranta, Pori and Pietarsaari.<\/p>\n
Logging activity has also declined. Companies have reduced harvesting volumes sharply, with some reporting that up to half of their equipment remains idle.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":98255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5204],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n