March 19, 2013
Holmen Paper announced that it intends to cease production on PM 51 at its Braviken Paper Mill outside Norrkoping, Sweden during the third quarter of 2013. Holmen said the mill’s product mix will be improved when the proportion of newsprint shrinks by 200,000 tons.
Holmen said that the restructuring process furthers the company’s strategy of focusing its Swedish operations on speciality paper.
“This spring, we’ll be introducing book paper from Braviken while further refining the speciality products that are already being produced today,” said Henrik Sjolund, head of Holmen Paper. “The measures are part of our change strategy in which we’re developing unique speciality paper that makes the production processes of our customers more cost efficient.”
Following the shutdown of PM 51, Braviken Paper Mill will have about 360 employees and two paper machines with an annual capacity of just under 600,000 tons of printing paper.
When the changes currently underway at Holmen Paper are complete, the company estimates that its Swedish units will have the capacity to produce 1,150,000 tons of printing paper – 75 percent of which will be speciality paper. And that amount is expecred to grow, Holmen added.