OREANDA-NEWS. February 28, 2012. On February, 21 during his working trip to Sortavala region Head of Karelia Andrei Nelidov has visited a new sawmill Key Forest located in the settlement of Rautakangas in the environs of Sortavala.

Construction of the factory was launched in the summer of 2010 when a new cabinet of ministers of Karelia has started functioning. Thus, the investment project in the value of more than 800 million roubles became the first project implemented by the instrumentality of the new cabinet under the direction of Andrei Nelidov.

By now, the first, sawing, stage of the enterprise has been built and launched at the production site in Sortavala region. The yield makes 100,000 cubic metres of various plank timber a year. Modern equipment is installed in the shops, the process is automated and controlled by industrial computers. Modern technologies have allowed to arrange waste-free production: besides plank timber, the enterprose sells sawdust, wood chips and bark that are used as local fuel.

At the factory it has been created 70 jobs for citizens of Sortavala. Posts of engineers and forest experts are held by graduates of Petrozavodsk State University, the wages vary from 20,000 to 40,000 roubles a month.

The factory has consumer both in Russia, and in Finland. However, to have additional competitive advantages, the enterprise continues building new capacities. This year there will be constructed drying chambers, and then there will appear a board planing shop.

Deputy Director General of Key Forest Mikhail Ulyanov has shown Andrei Nelidov the new shops and equipment, and has expressed gratitude for the constant assistance and support in the implementation of the project. Since the moment the construction was launched it was supervised by Valentin Luntsevich, Deputy Head of the Republic of Karelia and Minister of Economic Development of the Republic of Karelia, and the working group on assistance in mobilization of investments in the republic under the direction of Yuri Kancher, First Deputy Head of the Republic of Karelia, helped to solve various issues that have emerged.

After his inspection of the new enterprise Andrei Nelidov was satisfied with results of construction. As an expert who had worked in timber industry for many years, he has confirmed adequacy of selection of the equipment, and plans of the placement of buildings-to-be. In the opinion of the Head of the republic, competent managerial decisions made at the initial stage of the investment project, as well as assistance of authorities of the republic, will contribute to a long trouble-free work of the enterprise and will promote occurrence of new jobs in Sortavala region.