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  • myynti@imexwood.fi

Company

Company
Strategy
History

We’re located in Uusikylä, part of the city of Lahti - with fabulous connections everywhere!

Imex Wood Oy started in 2000 as a family business. Our business is based on the processing of peeler cores – the round logs left when logs are peeled to make the veneer for plywood. We started in Elimäki, but in 2004 we moved to larger premises of 7000 m² in Uusikylä in Nastola, now part of the city of Lahti.

Suomen kartta - etusivu

Innovation, automation and customer service

Strong innovation and the use of automation have been the cornerstones of the company.

The products we make include all small-dimension spruce lumber, such as a wide range of wood materials for packaging and pallet making, drying kiln bearers and spacers, as well as a variety of packing spacers and battens, boards and wood pellets.

Since 2008, we have been processing all the raw material used by the mill into either sawn timber or pellets.

We produce heat for the mill with our own heating plant using the sawdust from processing and the electricity we use is 100% green energy. We are also suppliers of industrial production lines.

Our expertise includes the design and construction of factory lines. The company employs some 30 people and processes over 60 000 cubic metres of peeler cores a year.

Take a look at
the company’s
strategy

Strategy

Imex Wood Oy's strategy is based on customer focus, efficiency and responsibility. Our aim is to support our customers' production processes by providing tailor-made products, precisely when they are needed. Our operations are based on the use of modern production automation, the well-being of our employees, and compliance with the principles of environmental responsibility and sustainable development. We make optimal use of raw materials to minimise waste and reduce our environmental impact. Our commitment to the ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) principles guides us towards being a more responsible business, with environmental values, social responsibility and good governance at its core.

Take a look at
the company’s
history

1999

The start: Elimäki

The company was founded in 1999 based on an idea by Arvo Huuhtanen: Could peeler cores - the thin rounded logs that were by-products of veneer lathing - be used for something other than making wood chips? The first step was to develop an automatic feeder for the cores. Once this proved itself, a whole core-sawing lines developed around it. During 2000, the technical and commercial feasibility of the process was confirmed, and the business was launched in Elimäki. Its core focus was the production of packaging material, with operations under Aki Huuhtanen, Managing Director.
1999
2001-2003

Metsä Wood

The company’s operations and clientele expanded year by year. The products were mainly pallet bearers and drying kiln bearers and spacers. Truckloads of peeler cores began to flow to Elimäki from Metsä Wood's plywood factory in Lohja and the plywood factories in Punkaharju and Suolahti.
2001-2003
2004

Move to Nastola (now Lahti)

As customer numbers grew and became more stable, ideas for new products and opportunities sprang to life. The company found new premises in Nastola (now part of Lahti), where it moved to in 2004. The larger premises enabled the company to develop and expand its activities.
2004
2005

New sawing line enables new products

When the company moved to Nastola, the sawing line was expanded, which enabled the manufacture of new types of products. Various types of slats and boards were added to the product portfolio. The idea was born to see if it would be possible to make use of the sawdust and wood chips from the sawmill so that the process would generated no waste at all.
2005
2007 - 2008

Pelleting of sawdust

Planning for a wood pelleting line started in 2006. After an evaluation, the Amandus Kahl pellet machine was chosen as the heart of the line and has proved to be the perfect choice: a reliable workhorse that tirelessly churns out 6 mm wood pellets to market. Jarkko Huuhtanen joined the operation to lead the project and the line was put into production during 2008. With this development, all the sawdust produced could be converted into energy - wood pellets.
2007 - 2008
2009

First deliveries abroad

The first customers abroad were found on the Norwegian coast: fish farms. The boards sold were for base pallets for the fish, which were then attached to each other on automatic production lines. Precision was required in dimensional tolerances to keep the automatic lines running smoothly - accuracy and customer-specific dimensions have always been one of the core aspects of our business.
2009
2013

Collecting cores: UPM-Kymmene Wood Oy

In order to grow our operations, we started negotiating with UPM-Kymmene Wood Oy about the possibility of buying peeler cores from their Pellosniemi plywood mill. The goal was achieved when we delivered the peeler core collection line we had designed to them in 2013. The collection line was able to fully automate the collection of peeler cores from a single lathing line onto two pallets. These were then emptied by a truck driver as needed onto a log truck and delivered to Imex Wood Oy in Uusikylä.
2013
2015

Expansion of deliveries abroad

A broader raw material base enabled the company to expand its clientele, and products were sold to the German fruit packaging and pallet industry as well as to the Asian market, where they were used as bed frame slats.
2015
2018

Collecting cores: Metsä Wood Punkaharju

When Metsä Wood’s Punkaharju plywood factory was upgraded, we supplied them with a core collector line that allowed them to collect lathed cores fully automatically.
2018
2019

Collecting cores: UPM-Kymmene Wood Oy

A new fully automatic core collection system was delivered to UPM-Kymmene Wood Oy's Pellosniemi plywood mill in 2019. With the system came online, all the cores produced at the mill could be collected and sent to the Imex Wood plant in Lahti. such that the collection pallet could be emptied by a big front loader in no time.
2019
2020

Collecting cores: Metsä Wood Punkaharju

With the expansion of Metsä Wood’s Punkaharju plywood plant, the need arose for a second core collection line. This was installed in 2020. The line could collect all the peeler cores automatically such that the collection pallet could be unloaded by a big loader in no time.
2020
2023

Collecting cores: Stora Enso Varkaus

We were able to deliver a modern collection line supporting a non-stop process to Stora Enso's LVL plant in Varkaus. Cores are collected by a pneumatic robot hand and stacked by a continuously operating collection pallet. This is then emptied by a driver independently as needed without the process stopping once.
2023
2023

Acquisition of the Valpur sawmill business

Imex Wood Oy acquired the Valpuri sawmill business in 2023.The Valpuri sawmill operates in connection with the UPM Kalso veneer mill, sawing all the peeler cores produced there.
2023
2024

Expansion of the ownership base and a new Board of Directors

In autumn 2024, Imex Wood Oy's corporate structure was changed to a group and the ownership base was expanded: the new Board of Directors comprised Kim Poulsen, Matti Kaski, Aki Huuhtanen and Jarkko Huuhtanen.
2024
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