UPM-Kymmene Corporation and Canada-based Canfor Pulp Products Inc. have agreed on a strategic pulp sales and marketing cooperation.
Beginning 1 January, 2014, UPM’s Pulp Sales network will represent and co-market Canfor Pulp in Europe and China while Canfor Pulp’s sales network will represent and co-market UPM Pulp in North America and Japan. In the initial phase, the cooperation agreement will include six grades of market pulp and approximately one million tonnes of pulp sales from eight mills on three continents.
Both parties consider the agreement to be a significant strategic step. Customers will benefit from a broader product portfolio consisting of Premium Reinforcing Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (PRP NBSK), Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK), Northern Bleached Birch Kraft (NBBK), Bleached Eucalyptus Kraft (BEK), Unbleached Electrical Kraft Pulp (UBE), and Bleached Chemical Thermo Mechanical Pulp (BCTMP), UPM explained.
“Canfor Pulp’s grades complement our current softwood and hardwood pulp range very well. The cooperation will also bring us access to new customers in new markets through Canfor’s established sales channels in North America and Japan,” said Tomas Wiklund, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, UPM Pulp Business.
