Mondi PLC wraps up acquisition of Finnish pulp and paper mill

On the final London trading session before Christmas, () has wrapped up the acquisition of Finnish pulp and paper mill operator , a division of Nordic Packaging and Container Holdings, for €365mln.

The FTSE 100-listed paper and packaging group said the transaction remains subject to competition clearance and customary closing conditions and is expected to complete in the first half of 2018.

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operates an integrated pulp and paper mill in Kuopio with an annual production capacity of 285,000 tonnes of high-performance semi-chemical fluting.

Its premium product is sold to a diverse range of customers, primarily for packaging fresh fruit and vegetables, but also other end-uses such as electronics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Around half of the company’s production is sold in Europe, while the rest is exported globally.

For the year to the end of December 2017, Mondi said Powerflute is expected to generate revenues of around €183mln and unaudited pro-forma adjusted underlying earnings (EBITDA) before interest of around €42mln.

The South African based firm said Powerflute will be integrated into its packaging paper business unit.

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Mondi’s chief executive, Peter Oswald said: “The acquisition of Powerflute supports our strategy of investing in high-quality packaging and paper assets. We are excited by this opportunity to expand our customer offering by further broadening our containerboard product range and geographic reach.”