A new innovation centre to focus on packaging R&D, InnoCentre, is founded in Finland by Stora Enso Consumer Boards and Stora Enso Research. It will offer customers new packaging concepts and support the company's ambition of world leadership in launching new packaging products. Operations will start up in summer 2003 and the initial investment in machinery and equipment is EUR 4 million. 

The centre will be equipped with machinery that includes the HP Indigo digital printing machine and varnishing unit, a cutter-creaser and a laser cutter, a disc box slider machine (for manufacturing CD/DVD packaging), a container and cup machine with rim flattener, a plate/tray press and a sealing unit. The centre is supported by all the sophisticated capabilities of Stora Enso Research. Located at the Imatra Mills, the centre will initally employ 10 people.

The centre will serve customers by testing packaging and coating raw materials as well as providing the machine technology used in converting processes. Crucially customers will be able to commission trial runs and product batches for market launches. The idea is to make use of InnoCentre's technology and competence resources for further training of customers, experts and personnel, while also offering its services to internal customers within the Stora Enso Group.

"Our starting point is growth by innovation. We can add value to fibre-based packaging through innovation. We offer our customers product concepts that have not so far been available on the market. We also hope to make the entire value chain more efficient, so that brand owners can get their products to the market faster," says Niilo Pöyhönen, Senior Vice President, Stora Enso Consumer Boards.

Stora Enso Consumer Boards spends about one per cent of its turnover on R&D annually, which is said to be considerably above the average for the industry. The partner in the InnoCentre project is Stora Enso Research, which is the group's competence centre for R&D projects and employs some 340 persons at its European units.

"The R&D strategy of our Group is to increase focus on the improvement of the end use performance of our products. This requires a thorough understanding of the behaviour of the products in the converting processes of our customers. InnoCentre is a major step in implementing this strategy. It creates a unique environment for developing the properties of consumer boards," says Ilkka Kartovaara, Senior Vice President, Stora Enso Research.


For further information, please contact:

Stora Enso Consumer Boards
Mr Niilo Pöyhönen, Senior Vice President
FIN-55800 Imatra
FINLAND
Tel: +358 2046 121
Fax: +358 2046 24715
E-mail: niilo.poyhonen@storaenso.com

Stora Enso Oyj
Research and Development
Mr Ilkka Kartovaara, Senior Vice President
Kanavaranta 1
FIN-00160 Helsinki
FINLAND
Tel: +358 2046 131
Fax: +358 2046 21461
E-mail: ilkka.kartovaara@storaenso.com

Stora Enso Barcelona
Mr Mika Järvenpää
Ctra. Nacional II km 592,6
08755 Castellbisbal (Barcelona)
SPAIN
Tel: +34 93 631 1191
Fax: +34 93 631 1022
E-mail: mika.jarvenpaa@storaenso.com

Stora Enso Deutschland GmbH
Packaging Board
Mr Wilfried Schmahl
Feldmühleplatz 1
DE-40545 Düsseldorf
GERMANY
Tel: +49 211 581 03
Fax: +49 211 581 2175
E-mail: wilfried.schmahl@storaenso.com

Stora Enso France S.A.
Mr Alain Piattier / Ms Maila Grastilleur
15/25 Boulevard de l'Amiral Bruix
F-75782 Paris Cedex 16
FRANCE
Tel: +33 1 5364 79 00
Fax: +33 1 5364 79 90
E-mail: alain.piattier@storaenso.com / maila.grastilleur@storaenso.com

Stora Enso Italia srl
Mr Renato Somekh
Via A. Volta, 16
I-20093 Cologno Monzese
ITALY
Tel: +39 02 251 514 74
Fax: +39 02 251 514 59
E-mail: renato.somekh@storaenso.com

Stora Enso Nederland b.v.
Mr Gerrit Willekes
Postbus 12386
NL-1100 AJ Amsterdam
THE NETHERLANDS
Tel: +31 20 650 5555
Fax: +31 20 650 5622
E-mail: gerrit.willekes@storaenso.com

Stora Enso Packaging Boards
Scandinavia Sales
Mr Joakim Stockhaus
Joakim Stockhaus
SE-774 89 Fors
SWEDEN
Tel: +46 8 613 6743
Fax: +46 8 613 6770
E-mail: joakim.stockhaus@storaenso.com

Stora Enso (Schweiz) AG
Mr Alexander Meyer
Hohlstrasse 535
CH-8048 Zürich
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 1 435 3838
Fax: +41 1 435 3830
E-mail: alexander.meyer@storaenso.com

Stora Enso UK Ltd.
Packaging Boards
Mr Roy Bray
1 Phoenix Place, Phoenix Centre
GB-Nottingham, NG8 6BA
UNITED KINGDOM
Tel: +44 115 964 7100
Fax: +44 115 964 7170
E-mail: roy.bray@storaenso.com

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