Oct 12, 2004. /Lesprom Network/. Stora Enso Timber has acquired the assets of a bankrupt further processing mill in Rakvere, Eastern Estonia. The site, owned earlier by Scanforest, is located next to Stora Enso Timber's Näpi Sawmill. Scanforest was declared bankrupt in February 2004, and the deal was closed with later owners i.e. British and US investors on 11th October, 2004. The assets include 20.000 m3 of planing capacity, kilns, warehouse, repair shop and a rail connection. The site will be taken into use to complement the recently built planing facilities at Näpi Sawmill. The acquisition does not include personnel as the site has not been in operation lately. The acquisition is important for Näpi Sawmill's future development, as it supports increasing the production of value-added products at the site. The railroad connection will improve the logistics of the mill remarkably. "We are improving our competitiveness by several means. In Baltic countries, since spring 2003 we have invested in a greenfield sawmill in Lithuania and two component lines in Viljandi and Imavere in Estonia. We have increased production capacity at most of the mills, and are currently building a beam mill in Imavere. In Näpi we have recently built a planing line, which will be officially opened later this month. This acquisition is a perfect match to further develop the Näpi Sawmill. In addition to these "hard" investments, we have also started a wholesale operation Puumerkki in all three countries. We also invest in people: our personnel in Baltic countries has increased by 126 since March 2003," says Seppo Vainio, Senior Vice President, Baltic Production Group.