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8.12.2009
Paulig’s new roastery almost complete
Paulig’s biggest industrial investment ever, the construction of a new roastery next to Vuosaari harbour, is practically complete. The two-year project costing 120 million euros needs only a few finishing touches before the official opening in January 2010.
There were several excellent reasons for the roastery investment. A residential area has grown up around the old roastery. There was no room for expanding operations on the increasingly cramped site and industrial activities were becoming difficult, partly because of the compact urban structure. Besides, Paulig was committed to demolishing its green coffee silos and handing over their site to the city by June 2010. Remodelling an old building is expensive and the roasters would have needed to be replaced in any case.
In June 2006, a major decision was made: Paulig decided to invest 120 million euros in the construction of a new roastery close to Vuosaari harbour.
The location in Vuosaari harbour business park was the result of careful consideration
Locating the new roastery in Vuosaari was not a foregone conclusion. Paulig checked out several options, both in Finland and in neighbouring countries. After long deliberation and detailed studies, Paulig targeted the vicinity of Helsinki’s new harbour.
There were weighty reasons for the choice. The manufacture of coffee products demands strong professional expertise, so building in a nearby area would secure the continuing presence of skilled professionals in the company. Paulig also wanted to stay close to Finnish coffee-drinkers, as Finland is the company’s main market area. Finland and Vuosaari were also the most advantageous alternative in terms of logistics. Green coffee will come straight from Vuosaari harbour to the roastery and the finished products will go direct by Helsinki’s orbital roads (Ring Road I and Ring Road III) to distribution. The harbour area also has a rail link.
The stages of the roastery’s construction
The construction of the new roastery was launched in autumn 2007, it reached roof height in June 2008, and the manufacturing spaces were completed in January 2009. After that the installation of the manufacturing equipment began.
To avoid interruptions to production, the manufacturing of coffee was relocated to the new roastery in stages during autumn 2009. The first packages of Juhla Mokka blend were turned out in July and now all production has been moved to the new roastery.
Paulig’s office staff relocated to the new premises in the beginning of September. Paulig Ltd and Santa Maria Finland Oy moved into the building in addition to Gustav Paulig Ltd.
The official opening of the new roastery will be held in the end of January 2010. The old roastery will be demolished next year and housing will be built in its place. Construction will begin in autumn 2010.
A modern, environmentally friendly and efficient roastery
Paulig wanted the new roastery to be a modern and efficient production plant with functions and production that could be adapted flexibly as required.
The running of the production lines has been extensively automated and state-of-the-art process technology is used in manufacturing. The roastery includes a number of new solutions, such as preheated roasters. Thanks to its cutting-edge technology the new roastery is more efficient than before and it uses considerably less energy. Possibilities for expanding the production capacity have also been figured in at the design stage.
Transparency all along the line
A theme of the design of the new roastery has been transparency. Smooth communication between different operations and rigorous quality control are promoted by having all of the roastery’s functions on the same floor at ground level and by production control taking place at a single location. New IT solutions confer considerable benefits in things like coffee traceability and ensuring steady quality.
Transparency has also been implemented in practice. The glass walls of the roastery mean that visitors will also be able to observe the coffee production process at close range.
Investments in working conditions
The new manufacturing plant has offered an opportunity to deploy solutions that ensure excellent working conditions for the employees. The roastery’s ventilation is extremely efficient, the handling of dusty sacks of coffee has been minimised, and the amount of natural lighting in the interiors has been maximised.
Workwear has also been updated. Under the leadership of clothing designer Kia Koski, Paulig employees have been made new, modern workwear that fits in with the Paulig brand. Sportswear provided the inspiration and technical attributes. The result was well fitting (different models for men and women), air-permeable, safe and long-lasting new working clothes.
Energy-efficient coffee production
The new roastery was built to last in the spirit of the times. Environmentally friendly and energy-saving solutions have been made both in the construction of the roastery and for the completed plant. Environmental factors were weighted both in hardware procurement and in the choice of building materials, finishes and interiors. A good example of this is the building’s cladding, which requires no maintenance. The outer wall is recyclable COR-TEN steel, aluminium and glass, all of which have a more ecologically acceptable lifecycle than many other materials.
The most energy-efficient and durable solutions were sought for lighting and heating, and the electricity consumption of Paulig’s process has been cut by over 10 per cent in the changeover to the new roastery. The preheated roasters utilise waste heat from the roasting process, which lowers energy consumption by 20 per cent. The factory halls have radiant heating, which has cut the amount of energy used for heating by 5 per cent. Radiant heating also means a draught-free and less dusty work environment.
The location of the new roastery is also good from the perspective of transport. When the coffee comes straight to the roastery from Vuosaari harbour, separate lorry transport is not needed. Traffic in residential areas has already been considerably reduced at the same time as odours and noise pollution now that the roastery is no longer surrounded by housing.
A roastery with Paulig’s face
The roastery building and facade reflect Paulig, respecting tradition but modern. Paulig has selected durable and easy-care materials for its new roastery, such as steel, glass and aluminium. Matte-finish COR-TEN serves as a contrast to the modern architecture and gleaming aluminium surfaces. The building was designed under the leadership of Mauri Tommila from Arkkitehdit Tommila.
An open design competition for the interior design of the new facilities was held for designers, architects, interior designers and students, either Finns or resident in Finland. The task was to design the architecture for the building and an interior to match the corporate image, reflecting the corporation’s values: efficient functionality, transparent information flow, quality and traditions. A challenge set for the design was the multifunctional nature of the space, as the look had to be harmonious in manufacturing, offices and the logistical centre’s premises alike.
The high-quality competition was won by Studio Bergroth & ABBD, whose entry bespeaks harmony and logicality in the handling of spaces. Insightful details in the public spaces plus a superb office solution were also factors in the choice of the winner.
The competition team was comprised of interior designer Yuki Abe, designer Linda Bergroth, interior designer SIO Päivi Bergroth, and architecture student Henrik Drufva.
The roastery becomes the Steel Structure of the Year 2009
Paulig’s new coffee roastery was awarded the Steel Structure of the Year award for 2009 in November. The jury felt that the building successfully reflects Paulig’s values and high quality objectives as well as supporting the corporate image. The roastery shows what excellent opportunities steel construction affords for enhancing the architectonic look of utility buildings. The jury felt that the building complex is an excellent part of our high-quality architectural tradition of manufacturing buildings over the years.
The award jury considered the original choice of cladding material to be a particular merit of the project. The warm, brown, matte finish of COR-TEN steel narrates the function of the coffee roastery building beautifully. The natural colouring of the office section's aluminium façade makes a fitting contrast to the COR-TEN steel, and its pale tone lightens the overall impression. In the open space in front of the main entrance, one can see the plant's main function – roasting coffee – through the metal-glass cladding.
The architecture of the building is rational and based on the needs of manufacturing. The inclusion of current and future needs has resulted, in terms of masses, in a handsome building form on a natural scale. In architectonic terms it adds qualitatively to the landscape of Vuosaari harbour, the jury noted.
Further information: www.terasrakenneyhdistys.fi
The roastery project in a nutshell
Main contractor: Lemcon Ltd
Main designers: Arkkitehdit Tommila Oy and Pöyry Engineering Oy
Interiors: Studio Bergroth & ABBD
Manufacturing capacity: in 2010 44,000 tonnes (100 million coffee packages)
Manufacturing and warehouse facilities: 23,000 sq.m.
Business facilities: 9,000 sq.m. (offices, training rooms, sensory testing laboratory and coffee museum as well as equipment rooms)
Total space: 32,000 sq.m.
Maximum length, width and height of the building: 301 m, 151 m and 38 m
Capital expenditure: 120 million euros
Special features:
| - | The roastery has a great deal of natural light, which for one thing makes it easy to check that the packages are of the correct hue. |
| - | Real coffee bushes have been planted in the lounge on the roastery’s second floor. |
| - | The roastery’s cladding walls are made of COR-TEN, which requires no maintenance. It darkens in sunlight to a beautiful coffee colour. |
| - | Consideration of the possibilities to build the new roastery began more than 10 years ago. |
| - | The roastery is one of the four biggest roasteries in Europe. |
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