Aisti sets on Kitee for its first commercial factory
Aisti to build first commercial plant in Puhoshalli, Kitee, which will produce sustainable materials. Aisti’s first commercial product is Aisti Teno, a biobased acoustic tile for suspended ceilings made from wood fiber.
(Jyväskylä, Wednesday 13.12.2-23): Aisti, a Finnish manufacturer specializing in biobased materials, has selected the city of Kitee as the location for its inaugural commercial factory in Finland. The factory will be dedicated to producing Aisti’s first patented and biobased building material solution – Aisti® Teno Acoustic tiles.
The city of Kitee formalized a multi-year lease agreement at the close of November 2023, allowing Aisti to lease a section of Puhoshalli.
Nestled in the industrial area of Puhos, Kitee, the Puhoshalli mill is ideally situated, boasting convenient access to crucial logistics, electricity supply, and services essential for Aisti’s factory operations.
This strategic move enables Aisti to commence commercial production of its acoustic tiles in 2025. The factory’s production capacity is an impressive 2.5 million square meters of acoustic tiles annually, constituting a significant 15% share of the Nordic market for suspended acoustic tiles.
Aisti is making a substantial investment of 25 million euros in its factory to spearhead the green transition within the construction industry. Together with the city of Kitee’s value-enhancing investments in the property, the overall financial commitment surpasses 30 million euros. The shared investment will contribute to the overall revitalization of the area, aligning with both Aisti’s and the city’s shared goals of sustainable growth.
As the building industry is responsible for 39% of global emissions, Aisti’s solutions offer builders and architects a carbon-reducing alternative to non-renewable and hard to recycle materials. Aisti’s novel acoustic tiles are a game changer in the industry, serving as a CO2 sink alternative with the potential to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of suspended acoustic ceilings compared to available solutions.
Mikko Paananen, Aisti’s founder and CEO, commented on the announcement: “As a sustainable company, we are not just establishing roots in Kitee; we are actively bringing investments to enrich the region’s green economic growth. We anticipate contributing more than two million euros annually in company taxes and offer more than 30 jobs to the local talent.”
“Discussions with Aisti about establishing their factory in Kitee have been going on in good spirit for over a year,” says Kitee City Mayor, Pekka Hirvonen. “From the beginning, Business Joensuu’s experts have actively supported Aisti during the decision and process. This investment is great news for the city and further strengthens the enthusiasm to develop the Puhos industrial area,” Hirvonen continued.
“Kitee has a long history in engineered wood manufacturing and was earlier home to one of the world’s largest chipboard manufacturing facilities. Choosing Kitee for our first factory is a natural continuation of the city’s legacy. We look forward to working with the city of Kitee and Business Joensuu,” says Aisti’s founder and COO, Antti Fredrikson.
