Chemicals and digital services for water treatment as well as the pulp, paper and packaging industry
Kemira Oyj
Helsinki (Headquarters) · Espoo · Harjavalta · Joutseno · Kuusankoski · Oulu · Pori · Sastamala · Krems (AT) · Helsingborg (SE) · San Giorgio di Nogaro (IT) · Fredrikstad (NO) · Hallam (AU) · BrazilNew on Amplifa
About Kemira
Kemira Oyj is a Finnish chemical group headquartered in Helsinki that specializes in sustainable chemical solutions for water-intensive industries. The company produces water treatment chemicals for drinking water, process water, wastewater and sludge treatment, as well as process and functional chemicals for the pulp, paper, board and tissue industry, including starch, sizing agents, retention chemicals, coating binders, barrier coatings, biocides and defoamers. Production takes place in its own chemical plants in Finland (including Harjavalta, Joutseno, Kuusankoski, Pori, Sastamala), Italy, Norway, Sweden, Austria and Australia. In addition, Kemira offers industrial water management for boiler, cooling and circulation systems, chemical dosing systems, and the digital services KemConnect® with real-time monitoring and predictive analytics. With the KemAlpha™ platform, the company also produces biobased polymers (alpha-glucans) from plant-based sugars. In 2025, Kemira achieved revenue of around €2.8 billion with approximately 4,900 employees; the share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
- Site
- Helsinki
- Processes
- Water treatment chemicals (drinking water, wastewater, sludge), Manufacture of chemicals for Fiber & Paper Industries and Water Solutions, Barrier coatings (e.g. PHA, PFAS-free), Coating and surface specialties, Biocides and preservatives, Coating binders, Defoamers / Deposit control, Dry strength additives / Wet strength additives / Temporary wet strength
- Materials
- Cellulose fibers / pulp fibers (cellulosic fiber), Cellulosic textile fibers (man-made cellulosic), Recycled and virgin fibers, Plant-based sugars (sucrose/glucose from sugar beets), PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoates), Aluminium sulfate, Sulfuric acid, Titanium dioxide (TiO2, historic Pori plant)
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 45001:2018, ISO 50001:2018, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 50001
- Founded
- 1920
- Employees
- 4900
- Industries
- Municipal water and wastewater management, Pulp and paper industry, Packaging (fiber-based), Tissue & Hygiene, Textile fibers (man-made cellulosic), Food & Beverages
- 01
Raw material sourcing (including recycled and industrial by-products)
- 02
Chemical production in own plants
- 03
Quality control and analytics
- 04
Logistics and delivery of chemicals
- 05
Application consulting, Total Chemistry Management
- 06
Digital monitoring and process optimization (KemConnect®)
Products, Chemicals & Processes
Aluminium sulfate
Flocculant for water treatment and the paper industry, produced in Harjavalta since 1960.
Sulfuric acid
The group's basic chemical, whose production in 1922 marked the beginning of Kemira.
Titanium dioxide
White pigment historically produced in Pori from 1957, today spun off into a joint venture.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates
Biobased polymer for PFAS-free barrier coatings on fiber-based packaging.
Alpha-glucans
Renewable polymers from plant-based sugars via enzymatic polymerization for water treatment and barrier coatings.
Peracetic acid
Disinfectant for environmentally friendly wastewater disinfection (KemConnect® DEX).
Barrier coatings
Liquid- and grease-repellent coatings as a substitute for fossil-based materials in packaging.
Products & Applications
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water treatment chemicals (drinking water, wastewater, sludge)Chemistry/Process Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of chemicals for Fiber & Paper Industries and Water SolutionsChemistry/Process Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Barrier coatings (e.g. PHA, PFAS-free)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Coating and surface specialtiesSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Biocides and preservativesChemistry/Process Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Coating bindersChemistry/Process Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Defoamers / Deposit controlChemistry/Process Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Dry strength additives / Wet strength additives / Temporary wet strengthChemistry/Process Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Internal sizing / Surface sizing / Creping adhesivesChemistry/Process Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Retention and drainage chemicalsChemistry/Process Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tissue specialtiesChemistry/Process Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| KemAlpha™ – biobased polymers (alpha-glucans) via enzymatic polymerization forChemistry/Process Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Wastewater disinfection with peracetic acid (KemConnect DEX)Chemistry/Process Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Industrial water treatment: boilers, cooling towers, closed loops, RO support,Chemistry/Process Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Digital services (KemConnect: monitoring, process optimization, predictive analytics)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Total Chemistry Management (TCM)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
2 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical production sites (chemical plants) | Kemira | – | – | – | Joutseno, Sastamala, Harjavalta, Kuusankoski, Oulu, Pori (FI); San Giorgio di |
| R&D centers | Kemira | 3 | – | – | Europe, North America, Asia (including Espoo FI; Shanghai CN) |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality & Certification
Kemira maintains an environmental, health, safety and quality program based on the principles of "Zero environmental harm", "Zero harm to people" and "Customer satisfaction". Production and logistics management is certified according to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 50001.
| Evidence | Helsinki |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| ISO 14001 | |
| ISO 45001 | |
| ISO 50001 |
History
- 1920
Founded as state-owned sulfuric acid and superphosphate works Oy (Valtion Rikkihappo- ja Superfosfaattitehtaat Oy), Felix Hedman first managing director
- 1922
Production start: sulfuric acid plant Lappeenranta and superphosphate plant Kotka
- 1933
Converted into Rikkihappo Oy corporation
- 1945
Sulfuric acid plant Kokkola begins production
- 1957
Founding of Vuorikemia Oy, titanium dioxide plant in Pori
- 1960
Aluminium sulfate plant Harjavalta
- 1961
Renamed Rikkihappo Oy
- 1971
Merger with Typpi Oy
- 1972
Renamed Kemira Oy (July 1, 1972)
- 1994
IPO on the Helsinki Stock Exchange, renamed Kemira Oyj
- 2008
Focus on water segment; joint venture with Rockwood (titanium dioxide, Sachtleben)
- 2013
Sale of stake in the Sachtleben joint venture, sale of Tiel plant to Niacet
- 2014
Opening of water chemicals production plant Chempark Dormagen; sale of Oulu plant to Taminco
- 2020
100th anniversary on March 26, 2020
- 2026
Acquisition of SIDRA Wasserchemie (Europe, Water Solutions); acquisition of Water Engineering, Inc. (Nebraska, USA); announcement of the acquisition of REPUR S.r.l. (activated carbon services)