Niilo Hakkarainen and Juhani Strömberg have been named in the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame (PIIHF). They were long-time directors with UPM and its predecessor, United Paper Mills.

The Board of Directors at PIIHF selects the new members from the group of nominated inductees. The nomination is a significant international acknowledgement to Hakkarainen and Strömberg for their achievements in the paper industry and in advancing industry technology. This year, six new members from Finland and the United States have been named in the Hall of Fame. There are 135 members in total.

In 1970, Niilo Hakkarainen (1927-2011) was invited to serve as the CEO of United Paper Mills, which was struggling with financial problems at that time. Hakkarainen managed to make the business profitable again with eight paper machines and changing the company’s direction. During Hakkarainen’s era, United Paper Mills became the most profitable wood-processing company in Finland. Later on, United Paper Mills became a part of UPM.

Juhani Strömberg (born 1941) is a pioneer in paper converting, especially in the self-adhesive label industry. Strömberg started developing water-based adhesives as an alternative to solvent-based adhesives when working for UPM Raflatac, formerly Raf. Haarla, at the turn of the 1970s. Strömberg’s work in developing label face papers and release papers has also been significant. His innovations formed a strong foundation for growth and globalization of the labelstock producer UPM Raflatac.