Lenzing Increases Stake in Biocel Paskov to 100%
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Lenzing AG, Austria, has now acquired a 100% shareholding of the Czech pulp producer Biocel Paskov A.S. Until now Lenzing has held a 75% stake in the company. The seller of the remaining 25% of the shares is the Austrian Heinzel Group, which had already disposed of its 75% majority stake to Lenzing in April 2010.
Since 2010 Lenzing has been restructuring the Biocel Paskov facility to become a "swing capacity" producer of pulp, involving total investments of about EUR 100 million. Starting next year, Biocel Paskov will be able to produce both paper pulp and dissolving pulp. A total of 60,000 metric tons of dissolving pulp were already produced in the previous year, with plans calling for a production volume of about 115,000 metric tons of the product this year.
In 2013, Biocel Paskov notes that it will be operating one of the world‘s most advanced dissolving pulp mills, thanks to a further debottlenecking program, increased energy efficiency, and new recovery facilities. The nominal capacity of the plant will increase to 260,000 metric tpy of dissolving pulp at that time. The pulp will mainly be used by the Lenzing Group for its fiber production operations. This vertical-backward integration, the Lenzing Group says, represents an important means for safeguarding its raw material base, both in terms of prices and volumes.
Biocel Paskov started up in 1985 and was modernized and expanded during the 1990s in line with ecological standards. The Group, led by the Austrian industrialist Alfred Heinzel, acquired the plant in 2001 and continued the modernization drive. Since 2004, Biocel Paskov has been cooperating with the neighboring sawmill operating by the Austrian Mayr-Melnhof wood industry group, which contributes part of the wood chip raw materials used to produce pulp. Biocel Paskov employs some 400 people.
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