Finnish wood products manufacturer Koskisen has commissioned new channel kilns at its Järvelä sawmill, as it progresses sawmill production growth towards a 450,000m³ target.
The new kilns increase the sawmill’s drying capacity by approximately 15% while also improving drying quality. At the same time, storage capacity related to the drying process has been expanded to simplify and enhance internal logistics.
The increased drying capacity removes bottlenecks at the downstream end of the sawmilling process and supports the increase of annual sawn timber production from the current 400,000m3 towards the company’s strategic phase 2 target of 450,000m3.
The energy supply for the new channel kilns benefits from synergies between Koskisen’s plywood and sawmilling operations through shared heat generation. A district heating pipeline completed between the factory sites at the end of 2025 enables the growing energy demand to be met without significant additional investments.
“We have advanced systematically along the Järvelä sawmill’s growth path, and the completion of the new channel kilns marks the latest concrete step towards our production target of 450,000 cubic metres,” said Koskisen CEO Jukka Pahta.
“Our determined efforts to further develop the sawmill will continue.”
Over the past five years, Koskisen has invested a total of nearly €90m in the Järvelä sawmill and its closely integrated operations. The largest individual investments have been the construction of a new saw line and a new log sorting line.
