All process instrumentation installations for the new board production line and board machine were ordered from Insta Automation Oy.
It is a Tuesday morning in October and it’s drizzling at the Gruvön production site. After passing through the turnstiles, we climb up to the second floor of the pulp unit and see signs of Insta’s work here and there. Insta Automation Oy is in charge of the instrumentation installations in all process areas and currently there are 28 Insta fitters working on the site. We see familiar-looking junction boxes that are from the production line of Insta Automation’s cabinet manufacturing unit.
The Gruvön site has workers from numerous companies and from various European countries. We are passed by people with many different texts on their back. Working schedules and any changes to them inevitably affect others in the chain. Before instrumentation, work is done by builders, mechanics and cable ladder installers.
Site Manager Hannu Hast, who has worked for Insta for over 30 years, tells us that the project kicked off after a two-month delay so the installation work did not begin until the beginning of July, instead of May as originally planned.
Insta’s responsibilities in this project are many and varied.
– Our installation work includes field instrumentation, building the ICT or fibre network, bus cabling and so on, Hast explains.
Controlled internationalisation
Insta Automation’s strategy includes systematic and controlled internationalisation. The Gruvön project not only strengthens Insta’s position as a Finnish process automation and instrumentation contractor but also promotes the company’s internationalisation strategy. BillerudKorsnäs is also a remarkable customer in that many of the installations that Insta has previously carried out outside of Finland have taken place through the main equipment suppliers. This contract was concluded directly with the Swedish end customer.
Hannu Hast tells us that other projects completed directly for a foreign end customer include the instrumentation of the Norske Skog Golbey paper mill in France as well as the Stora Enso mill in Belgium. In addition, smaller projects have been carried out abroad for UPM, among others. Insta has also had several projects with equipment suppliers in different parts of the world, including Uruguay.
A good team spirit makes work easier
The project is extensive, involving over 40,000 hours of work. The work also needs to be done within a rather short period of time, which adds to the challenge. Compared with the Äänekoski bioproduct mill, which was the installation business unit’s biggest individual deal, this project is about two thirds of it in terms of scope.
Hast gives praise not only to his own team but also to Pöyry, the company responsible for project planning and site supervision. The two companies share the same Finnish way of thinking which, according to Hast, has helped make up for the time lost.
Hast feels that there are no significant differences between Finnish and Swedish projects because the project phases are similar in both countries. The Swedes have also been very helpful and easy to get along with.
– It’s nice to work here, thanks to our good team of professionals, Hast says.
What is this all about?
BillerudKorsnäs Sweden AB was established in 2012 when Billerud and Korsnäs merged. The company has over 150 years of experience in the forestry and paper industry. The core of BillerudKorsnäs’ business consists of innovative, ecological and sustainably produced packaging solutions which it creates together with its partners. The new investment stems from the company’s strategic objectives and the increasing demand for packaging solutions that conserve natural resources – especially in the food and beverage industries. The new production line is expected to produce approximately 550,000 tonnes of board a year.
Kari Kivimäki
Senior Project Manager firstname.lastname@insta.fi
