As communicated earlier, six of the AkzoNobel paper chemicals manufacturing sites and approximately 350 employees will be transferred to Kemira. Kemira will also increase the production capacity of its own paper chemical manufacturing sites in order to realize expected production synergies. The integration period of the transaction is expected to last approximately two years and result in Euro 15 million net synergies on an annualized basis. The production sites to be transferred to Kemira are located in South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, Spain and Italy.
"This acquisition strengthens our market position, especially in the growing APAC region. It also enables substantial efficiency improvements in our global paper chemicals manufacturing network. Most importantly, we gain new competencies and technological capabilities through 350 paper chemical experts and six manufacturing facilities - extending our ability to deliver best in business expertise and services to our customers. I want to warmly welcome all the new employees to Kemira, now the only pulp and paper chemistry provider with a truly global reach," says Jari Rosendal, Kemira's President and CEO.