Stora Enso, a leading provider of renewable products in the pulp and paper industry, has announced a significant billion-euro investment to convert an idle paper machine at its Oulu mill in Finland into a consumer board production line. As part of the investment Laitex will design and implement a completely new biofuel receiving station and the associated conveyors.
Laitex Oy has been doing business with Reunion paradise island in the Indian Ocean for the last couple of years. Laitex gave up its Russian operations in March. New opportunities have been found to replace it when Europe gives up Russian energy. Lappeenranta-based family business Laitex Oy is taking an increasingly stronger foothold in its green transition businesses.
Known worldwide for their mechanical conveyors, Laitex is on the brink of starting a new business: pneumatic conveyors will become part of Laitex product portfolio this fall.
“We’ve been known for our world-class mechanical conveyors for a long time, but we’ve had to rely on our partners to deliver pneumatic conveyors for our projects. Now we are developing the capabilities to supply them from under our own roof”, says Laitex CEO Lasse Kurronen.
Laitex has strengthened its sales team with an expert joining the company after making a career in the pulp and paper industry and power plants. As sales manager Oskar Tjeder is responsible for both new equipment and project sales as well as modernization and service sales.
“Oskar has a strong industry and market background through various international assignments both in project and service business. He also has a good contact base and solid relationships to the Swedish market”, says Laitex’ Head of Sales Timo Kupsanen.
Every year, Laitex offers summer jobs for the mechanical engineering students of the local LUT University. Summer job in the assembly department familiarizes students with material handling equipment and their design on a practical level. First- and second-year mechanical engineering students Eeli and Juho started their summer job at the end of May. How has the work been going after a month?
Laitex modernized Södra Cell’s pulp and paper mill’s bottom ash cooling chain conveyor as a turnkey solution. The original conveyor that Laitex supplied served the mill for more than 20 years. Now, the conveyor was modernized to meet today’s safety and capacity requirements.
Laitex delivers fuel feeding systems and ash handling systems to the most modern RDF waste-to-energy plant in Vietnam that will utilize high tech. Modern and local energy plants are crucial for Vietnam to reach its emissions reduction targets and solve the country’s waste problems.
The French-administered island of Guadeloupe has an Albioma owned Le Moule power plant, one of the longest-running power plants on the island. The plant has been in operation since 1998. It generates 31% of the island state’s electricity and utilizes locally produced, renewable energy sources. Laitex has modernized the power plant’s fuel feeding system from coal to biomass pellets and commissioning is imminent.
Laitex will expand and renew its workshops in Lappeenranta by investing EUR 1.5 million during 2021. The head office assembly and storage area will be expanded by a total of 1,000 m². Lauritsala’s manufacturing workshop’s machinery will be renewed and a new surface treatment hall will be built with modern grain blasting and surface treatment technology.
Certificates are an important part of operations in today’s business. They are as a development tool for the company, but also as an indication to customers that the company operates in accordance with internationally agreed rules.
