SCA Timber is investing SEK 50m in its planing mill in Tunadal, in Sundsvall, Sweden. The investment will enable the planing mill to increase its productivity and will also create the conditions required for continued product development.

“We are investing in a new intake for raw materials, a new splitting line and a new packaging line,” said Markus Henningsson, manager of SCA Timber Supply Skandinavien.

“The investment will allow us to remove bottlenecks and thereby increase productivity, while new technology means that we can increase our product innovations. This is very much in line with our strategic aims.”

One main product from the planing mill will be exterior cladding made of raw materials from the Norrland region. There is strong demand for this product among Scandinavian customers.

“Our ambition is to be the market leader in exterior cladding. As a result of this investment and the investments that have recently been made in the Tunadal sawmill, we will be able to increase the pace of innovation,” continued Mr Henningsson.

In parallel with the investment, SCA Timber is also launching the SmartTimber added value concept for builders’ merchants in Scandinavia. The concept involves new and innovative products and services, intended primarily for customers from the professional building trade.

An example of a product developed as part of this concept is pine heartwood decking, which has a guaranteed heartwood content of at least 99% and provides natural protection against rot. Another example is an exterior cladding with concealed fitting, which results in a more attractive facade and greater durability. SCA Timber is also investing in providing improved services, such as extended product information, training and sales support for shops.

“The building materials trade is an important market for us. With innovation and product development, we want to make it easier for our building trade customers to use wood as a material,” concluded Mr Henningsson.