UPM Plywood and Finnish furniture manufacturer Isku have signed a partnership agreement on Finnish thermo-formable UPM Grada wood material and WISA birch plywood. Along with the agreement, Isku converts all of its Lahti mill's form press production to UPM Grada. Moving to Grada technology enables Isku to cut the manufacturing time of form pressed components to half compared to traditional manufacturing method.
"In order to succeed in international competition, top-class design is a must as well as taking a front runner position in applying new materials and techniques.
Co-operation with UPM opens us new opportunities to innovative design while fulfilling all quality and environmental criteria we have set to our products" says Arto Tiitinen, CEO of Isku. "Being made in Finland is an important value to Isku. Thus, a material made in Jyväskylä in Finland, is a perfect choice for us".
UPM Grada is a thermo-formable wood material made of Finnish birch based on UPM's patent pending composite technology helping and improving the form pressing process. Grada technology revitalises the forming of wood with heat and pressure and opens up new opportunities for designs not achievable with traditional methods. UPM Grada's unique forming properties enable high quality and ecological designs which are also visually appealing.
"We are delighted to partner with Isku and to help them in improving their production efficiency. At the same time Isku's products' sustainability will improve as UPM Grada contributes to material efficiency and helps to reduce material waste. Products made of UPM Grada are also safe in use as the material is free from harmful compounds", says Mika Sillanpää, Executive Vice President of UPM Plywood.
