Valmet will deliver BCTMP, evaporation and NCG technology plus a mill-wide automation package for Stora Enso's Oulu mill in Finland, part of a roughly EUR 1 billion board line conversion. The order value was not disclosed and the upgraded mill is scheduled for early 2025.

Valmet and Neles signed a combination agreement and merger plan under which Neles will merge into Valmet, creating a company with illustrative 2020 net sales of about EUR 4.3 billion and around 17,000 staff. The combination targets roughly EUR 25 million in annual run-rate synergies.

Valmet proposed to the Neles board on 29 September 2020 to start talks on a statutory merger of the two Finnish companies. Valmet had already built its Neles stake to 29.5%.

Högfors opened a new valve plant in Salo, Finland, built around a Fastems flexible manufacturing system that combines Deckel Maho and Gildemeister machine tools with a Fanuc robot cell. Eight machines were relocated from the old plant and the site is ready for production of butterfly and ball valves.

Valmet will supply an automation and safety system, including Valmet DNA and Hima safety systems, to the new Inkoo gas compression station of the Balticconnector pipeline for Baltic Connector Oy. Start-up is scheduled for June 2019.

Rocsole and Flowrox are setting up the joint venture Flowrox Automation, headquartered in Kuopio, Finland, to manufacture and distribute Rocsole's Scaling Watch pipe scaling measurement solution. Flowrox's owner Capillary Oy will also buy a share of Rocsole.