Oy Minerit Ab is bringing its largest investment of the decade into productional use. The opening of the fifth line in succession will be celebrated on the 17th of April, 2007 and the line will be productive immediately. The timing of the investment has been excellent due to the high demand for fibre-cement building boards. The growth of the construction volume both in Minerit’s export market (Northern Europe, the Baltic Countries and Russia) and in Finland has partly contributed to this increase. The export share is big as the domestic sales cover approx. 25% of Oy Minerit Ab’s total volume.

However, more remarkable has been the rapid growth in the usage of fibre-cement boards during the last few years: the growth has been biggest with products for façade applications. Architects and designers have been satisfied to have a building board that enables them to design and compose more versatile surfaces and colours than before. Also Minerit SP board, designed for bathrooms and other damp room wall constructions, has increased its market share steadily. This has required a lot of product development. The grey “eternit board” of the ancient times has become a distinguished material for all kinds of facades. We will introduce some novelties as well in the near future; the new through-colouring method for façade boards is already being applied in the production of interior boards and the manufacturing of the pastel-coloured boards will be launched shortly.

The realized investment of over 5 million Euros will increase the production capacity of Oy Minerit Ab by approx. 50%. The factory can then produce over 6 million sqm of fibre-cement boards annually and the expanded capacity will be put into use almost entirely. We have hired 25 new workers, most of whom are expected to be permanently employed later. The company trusts in the Finnish eagerness to work, in the technical know-how and in the competitiveness of the production processes. At this very moment of opening this new production line, the planning of next investments has already been initiated.

 

The history of the factory

1955      Suomen Mineraali Oy (Oy Telko Ab) decides to establish a factory at Muijala, Lohja. 
1959     Paraisten Kalkkivuori Oy (later Oy Partek Ab) buys the "Minerit factories" from Suomen Mineraali. The manufactured products were mostly profiled boards for roofing but the line was suitable for producing flat building boards as well. There was only one line in the factory, the capacity of which was calculated to be slightly over 1,2 million sqm, converted into turnover it corresponded at that time some 328 contemporary Finnish Marks.
1962     The second production line was introduced and the trademark “Minerit” was registered.
1966     A third production line was completed at Muijala. This line is still running in the Muijala factory.
1980    The “Luja” product family was born. Nowadays thus Luja Façade board, Luja A (LW) non-combustible interior lining board and Kaakeliluja (SP) base board for ceramic tiling in bathrooms and other damp interiors.
1990    The co-operation with the Danish Dansk Eternit Fabrik A/S resulted in the contract with which the production of roofing boards was transferred to Denmark and the Muijala factory focused in manufacturing various wall lining boards.
1992     Oy Minerit Ab was established and the ownership was acquired by Dansk Eternit         Holding A/S.
1996    Export exceeds the domestic sales. Increased sales efforts as well as reinforced export marketing were mainly directed to the Nordic Countries.
1999    The 4th production line in succession was introduced (previously the 1st production line, built in 1959, had already been demolished and during the construction of the line 4, the 2nd line, 1962, was pulled down).
2000-     The marketing activities were widened to cover Russia and some former Soviet Union   counties. 
2006     The annual total sales of the company were the highest of all times, i.e. over 24 million euros. The factory was running to its full capacity. 
2007     The 5th production line in the factory’s history will be opened and introduced                       on the 17th April, 2007.

Products

Oy Minerit Ab produces fibre-cement boards for the various purposes and needs of the building industry.
The main applications are facades, light internal linings, partitions requiring non-combustible construction and partition base boards for ceramic tiling in damp rooms (bathrooms etc.). The principal formula contains cement, cellulose fibres and various mineral fillers.

Oy Minerit Ab in numbers

Established        1992
Personnel        150
Turnover in 2006    24 m €
Net profit        2 m €
Production volume   

over 40 000 tons, almost 4 million sqm
Production sequence   

uninterrupted in three shifts (7 days a week)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The factory has had the ISO 14001 environmental certificate since 2004. In general, a great deal of attention has been paid to the environmental issues, e.g. the closed process water system was introduced in the production already from the beginning of the year 2000.
The usage of natural gas since 2005 has considerably reduced the CO2 emissions and completely ended the sulphur dioxide as well as the particle emissions. The natural gas is used both in production and in the heating of the premises.

Ownership

The share capital of Oy Minerit Ab is 100 % owned by Dansk Eternit Holding A/S, which in turn is a part of the Danish FLSmidth & Co A/S group. (www.deh.dk and www.flsmidth.dk )

Future outlook

The company concentrates in manufacturing fibre-cement boards and product development. Different new façade applications, through-coloured building boards in pastel shades for both internal and external use, and various high-standard constructions will be the next development issues. The sales and marketing efforts will be directed, besides the current mainly Western European projects, increasingly to Russia and the new EU countries.

The inaugural ceremony

Speakers:     Matti Tiivola, Managing Director, Oy Minerit Ab
    Miki Akiyama, Chief shop steward, Oy Minerit Ab
    Matti Eskelinen, Representative of the constructors, Lohjan Korjauspalvelu Oy
    Mr Bjarne Moltke Hansen, FLSmidth & Co A/S, Group Executive Vice President
    Mr Jørgen Worning, FLSmidth & Co A/S, Chairman of the Board

Cutting the ribbon:
Mr Jørgen Worning, FLSmidth & Co A/S, Chairman of the Board and Mrs. Marita Laakso, Oy Minerit Ab, who has the most employment years in Minerit at the moment (36v.)

Music:    Lohja City Orchestra: Zylinder-trio, Jazz Combo, Kultaiset vasket (the Golden Brass)

Programme realization:
    Expology Oy www.expology.fi

Technique:    RMC Oy, www.rmcoy.fi

Catering:    Gourmet Party Service, www.gourmetpartyservice.com

Additional information:     Managing Director of Oy Minerit Ab Matti Tiivola, tel. +358-(0)400-444 131,

Material requests:    Management Assistant Heidi Tenhunen, tel. +358-(0)41-536 2164,