Is Finland’s Metsa-Botnia Gunns’ pulp mill partner?
In November I was told that Timo Piilonen, Gunns’ ‘pulp mill project manager’, does not actually work for Gunns; he is still working for Botnia, the contact said.
Interesting, because you wonder why a ‘Senior Vice President’ of Metsa-Botnia like Piilonen, who has spent his whole working life at Botnia, and is a career pulp mill builder, would leave them for a company (Gunns) almost $1 billion in debt?
Piilonen already has six pulp mills under his belt. He builds them and moves on.
It turns-out Piilonen can still be contacted at his Botnia email address.
Not unusual, I suppose, but enough for me to go an a fishing expedition.
My blog entry ( HERE ) was published linking Botnia to Gunns Tamar Valley pulp mill, and to Andritz, and to Jaakko Poyry, and to Sweco PIC.
This is the well-oiled team Botnia has used time and time again.
I discovered Botnia posted stories about Sweco PIC on their own website.
So, is Botnia an unannounced Joint Venture partner?
If so, surely they are in direct ‘conflict of interest’ with the company that ‘assessed’ the pulp mill back in the Paul Lennon era: Sweco PIC.
Take a look at the first Google search above. It says ‘Botnias sawmill in Russia, main consultant Sweco PIC’. That entry disappeared from Botnia’s web site within days, along with every other reference to Sweco PIC.
But it is still cached on Google.
Did Botnia remove it because there could be a conflict of interest?
Why did Botnia, who were very proud of their relationship with Sweco, suddenly purge all mention of Sweco? Is it only coincidence that the very week I published on my website, HERE the question of whether there is a conflict of interest, one purges all references to the other?
I predict Timo will eventually move on to South Africa for his next pulp mill.
Are they trying to cover their tracks?
Earlier on Tasmanian Times: Who is Timo Piilonen?
