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UPM-Kymmene Oyj: UPM and ANDRITZ partner to advance tailored tissue innovation
(UPM, Helsinki, June 25, 2026 at 10:00 EEST) - The world's leading multifibre pulp producer UPM Pulp and the international technology group ANDRITZ have signed a strategic, multi-year cooperation agreement to enable tissue manufacturers to develop and optimize next-generation tissue products and processes. With dedicated access to pilot-scale development at ANDRITZ's PrimeLineTIAC Tissue Innovation and Application Center in Graz, Austria, tissue manufacturers can optimize fibre and process solutions tailored to their production setup. They can also develop and commercialize innovative products faster for enhanced performance and improve efficiency across tissue production and raw materials.
"Innovation in tissue is rarely about one element alone. By bringing our fibre expertise and ANDRITZ's deep knowledge in process technology together in a shared development environment, we provide our customers with access to unique technical capabilities and world-class facilities for innovation," says Tomas Wiklund, Senior Vice President, Pulp Sales, UPM Fibres.
"Bringing a new raw material or process concept to tissue production carries real risk. Trialing on a live production machine is costly and disruptive. This is where our tissue pilot plant comes to play. It supports continuous process innovation and de-risking of investments. Together with UPM's pulp expertise, we can help tissue manufacturers innovate efficiently and faster," says Franz Harrer, Director Global R&D and Pilot Operations, Paper & Tissue, ANDRITZ.
ANDRITZ hosted UPM in Graz for discussions on current and future tissue topics.
The partnership combines ANDRITZ's expertise in process and equipment engineering with UPM's leadership in pulp and fibre technology to drive innovation across the value chain, from raw materials to production processes. As part of the agreement, UPM hardwood pulp, UPM Euca, will serve as the standard pulp across all customer and internal trials at PrimeLineTIAC. Tissue producers can participate directly in joint trials, working with both UPM's technical team and ANDRITZ's process experts to develop and optimize next-generation tissue products and processes. The tissue facility supports dry-crepe, textured and structured (Through-Air-Drying) tissue manufacturing technologies.
For further information, please contact:
Katri Kouki, Manager, Marketing, EMEIA & North America, UPM Pulp, katri.kouki@upm.com
UPM, Media relations
Mon-Fri 9:00-16:00 EEST
tel. +358 40 588 3284
media@upm.com
UPM Pulp
UPM Pulp is the world's leading multifibre pulp producer. We create value for our global customers in end-use segments such as tissue, specialty papers, packaging, graphic papers and board with our broad product portfolio and deep technical knowledge of both hardwood and softwood fibres. UPM Pulp operates five modern pulp mills, three in Finland and two in Uruguay, with an annual production capacity of 5.8 million tonnes. As a sustainability leader we provide our customers with certified and traceable pulp from well-managed plantations in Uruguay and forests in Finland.
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UPM
UPM is a material solutions company, renewing products and entire value chains with an extensive portfolio of renewable fibres, advanced materials, decarbonization solutions, and communication papers. Our performance in sustainability has been recognized by third parties, including EcoVadis and the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices. We operate globally and employ approximately 15,100 people worldwide, with annual sales of approximately €9.7 billion. Our shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd.
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