2018 International Forest Industries December 2017 January 2018 | Page 15

LUMBER PROCESSING NEWS Metsä Group’s 3Q sales up 10.2% Metsä Group’s sales in January– September 2017 were Euro 3,712 million, compared to Euro 3,483 million in January–September 2016. The growth in sales was primarily the result of greater delivery volumes. The comparable operating result was Euro 381 million, or 10.3% of sales. The operating result improved compared to the previous year due to the positive development in the pulp and paperboard operations. Higher sales volumes improved the operating result in tissue and cooking papers. Metsä Group’s operating result (IFRS) was Euro 397 million, compared to Euro 333 million in January–September 2016. Sales in the 3Q 2017 totalled Euro 1,260 million, whereas sales for the corresponding period last year were Euro 1,143 million. The comparable operating result was Euro 134 million. 3Q 2017 operating result increased to Euro 143 million, compared to Euro 107 million in 3Q 2016. President and CEO Kari Jordan said: “Metsä Group’s profitability during the first three quarters in 2017 was better than in the previous year. In particular, the result improved by higher President and CEO Kari Jordan paperboard delivery volumes and rises in pulp prices.” OneFortyOne Plantations to acquire Nelson Forests in New Zealand Australian OneFortyOne Plantations (OFO) has signed an agreement to acquire one of New Zealand’s leading forestry businesses, Nelson Forests. Nelson Forests is currently 100% owned by investment funds advised by Global Forest Partners LP, a US-based timberland investment management organisation. The acquisition will allow for the exchange of best practice forestry management between the Australian and New Zealand operations. Following the acquisition of Nelson Forests, OFO intends to pursue options to increase the scale of both the forest and domestic processing activities in the Nelson region. Completion of the transaction is expected to occur during 2018, subject to approval from New Zealand’s Overseas Investment Office (OIO). Campbell Global, Gresham Partners and MinterEllisonRuddWatts were advisory partners to OFO on the transaction. Nelson Forests is a vertically integrated plantation and mill business that operates in the Nelson/Marlborough region of New Zealand. The plantation is over 60,000 productive hectares in size and the region has a total annual log processing capacity of 1.4 million cubic metres. SCREW TECHNOLOGY the new generation of log handling systems www.springer.eu Springer Maschinenfabrik GmbH | [email protected] | www.springer.eu | Hans-Springer-Strasse 2 | A-9360 Friesach | T [phone] | F [phone] Springer Microtec Inc. | offi[email protected] | www.springer-microtec.com | 201, 1847 West Broadway | Vancouver, V6J1Y6 | Canada | T 604.879.4628 TP_Springer_Fullpage_13122017_final.indd 1 KW: 50 | 13.12.17 09:58 International Forest Industries | DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018 13