History

History

Economist Gustav Theodor Lindstedt and engineer Victor Folin, founded Billerud's sulphite factory in 1882. But the paper production itself did not start until March 1884 with a capacity of 500 tonnes per year. Knut Agathon Wallenberg at Stockholms Enskilda Bank, P. Malmberg, trader E. Peterson and trader F.H. Smith were co-financiers. The factory consisted of five buildings. There was a barking plant, saw house, pump house, boiler house and sulphite factory. In the sulphate factory there was acid preparation, cooking, screen room and a packing room.

In 1899, the buildings burned to the ground, but the following year the factory was up and running again. In 1919, the Board of Directors decided that a paper mill should be built. At this time, spirits were also produced in the plant.

Until December 8, 2020, the sulphite factory in Säffle was the world's oldest but also the smallest. Annual production corresponded to approximately 25,000 tonnes. Following a board decision, the pulp line was closed and replaced with purchased pulp to increase the plant's production capacity by 10% for natural greaseproof paper.

Ownership

 In 1990, Billerud's mill was sold to the Norwegian company M. Peterson & Søn. In 2013, Nordic Paper AS transfeered to Nordic Paper Holding AB in Sweden and the current four-mill company structure was formed. During the years 2014–2017, Nordic Paper holding was owned by the German private equity company Special Situations Venture Partners III and Petek GmbH. In 2017 Shanying lnternational Holding Co Ltd acquired the Nordic Paper Group through its Swedish subsidiary Sutriv Holding AB. In 2020, ownership shifted to shareholders when Nordic Paper Holding AB was listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.

History

The mill in Greåker was founded in 1905 and was named AS Greåker Cellulosefabrik. In 1912 it was decided to build a paper machine in connection with the mills cellulose production, the plan was to produce a brown covering paper. Paper machine 1 was completed in February 1914. The paper produced turned out to be very rigid and brittle, and quickly got the nickname "Greåker crispbread". However, the properties of the paper was the start of today's greaseproof paper.

After commissioning in 1914, AS Greaker Cellulose Factory produced 1,920 tons of sulphite paper and 1,013 tons of greaseproof paper. Entire productions were mainly exported to England.

Ownership

After a bankruptcy in 1972, the company was reconstructed under the name Greaker Industrier. In 1979, the company was taken over by M. Peterson & Søn and changed its name to Scanproof. In 2001, Scanproof was spun off together with the Norwegian forest owners' Geirhus paper factory in the newly formed Nordic Paper AS,co-owned by M. Peterson & Norske  Skog. And the name was changed to Nordic Paper Greaker.  In 2013, Nordic Paper AS will transferred to Nordic Paper Holding AB in Sweden and the current four-mill company was formed. During the years 2014–2017, Nordic Paper Holding is owned by  the german private equity company Special Situations Venture Partners III and Petek GmbH. In 2017, Shanying lnternational Holding Co Ltd acquires the Nordic Paper Group through its Swedish subsidiary Sutriv Holding AB. In 2020, ownership shifted to shareholders when Nordic Paper Holding AB was listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.  

History

The founders of the mill in Åmotfors were Hans Andreas Breien and Jörgen Blakstad and the shipowner Gustaf Conrad Hansen. In 1905, 7,000 tonnes of paper were produced per year at the two paper machines, PM1 and PM2.

In 1942, the factory was ravaged by a massive fire in which the beater room, sorting, archives and cutting room were destroyed. Everything was rebuilt in the same year and in the meantime Bäckhammar's mill took care of the production. 

Paper of various kinds, from Havana paper made of sanding pulp to newsprint, has been manufactured at the mill in Åmotfors. But in 1926, production was converted to the kraft paper we still are selling.

Ownership

After 1950, Rottneros bruk began to look for expansion opportunities and the formation of a multi-unit group. Slottsbrons Träförädling, Göta Sulfitfabrik was acquired, but also Åmotfors Paper Mill. During the 1970s Åmotfors was acquired by the forest owners group Vänerskog. In connection with Vänerskog's suspension of payments, Åmotfors was acquired in 1981 by a consortium consisting of the management, Sverker Sjöberg, Kjell Olsson and John-Erik Johansson together with the English trading company Ridley Quiney. Thanks to this solution, both closure and bankruptcy were avoided. It was also during this ownership that the company developed into a pure specialty paper mill. In 1985 Åmotfors Bruk was sold to Bäckhammars Bruk. In 2013, Nordic Paper AS switched to Swedish Nordic Paper Holding AB and the current company structure with four mills was formed. During the years 2014–2017, Nordic Paper holding was owned by the German private equity company Special Situations Venture Partners III and Petek GmbH. In 2017 Shanying lnternational Holding Co Ltd acquired the Nordic Paper Group through its Swedish subsidiary Sutriv Holding AB. in 2020, ownership will shift to shareholders when Nordic Paper Holding AB is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.

History

In 1871, the mill was on the other side of the current factory and the buildings were mostly built of wood. This was ultimately disastrous when the factory set fire and burned for two whole days in 1885. In addition to the cellulose factory, a saw and a milk mill were destroyed. But the restoration went relatively fast and the Board of Directors decided to purchase two paper machines, which were producing in 1886. In 1898 1,400-1,500 tonnes of pulp were produced, of which about 600 tonnes paper were produced.

The post-war period led to a number of complications and in 1950 Skandinaviska Banken entered as receiver until the directors Victor Hasselblad and Carl-Bertel Nathhorst were recruited. The well-known camera manufacturer Hasselblad saw the mill's potential and, together with his partner, stepped in as something of a rescuer in need.

In 1956, the mill's expansion began and the factory, where it stands today, began to take shape in several stages of construction. In 1962, the new mill was finally inaugurated with festivities.

During the First World War, spinning paper was produced almost exclusively to replace cotton fabrics in Bäckhammar. Around the 1950s, production consisted mostly of wrapping paper and thin toilet paper.

Ownership

Until the 1950s, the company structure and ownership shifted, and the mill underwent both expansions and reconstructions as well as a fire. 1966 Victor Hasselblad was the sole owner of the mill. In 1969, the forest owners’ group Vänerskog acquired mills. When this forest owners' group went bankrupt in 1981, the mill was taken over by privately owned Initia AB. In 2003 the Petersson family sold the group to the Procuritas capital fund. Bäckhammars Bruk and Åmotfors Bruk, which were acquired in 1985, were subsequently subsumed into a new ownership company, Wermland Paper AB. 2008–2013 Bäckhammar was acquired by Nordic Paper AS. In 2013, Nordic Paper AS switched to Swedish Nordic Paper Holding AB and the current company structure with four mills was formed. During the years 2014–2017, Nordic Paper holding was owned by the German private equity company Special Situations Venture Partners III and Petek GmbH. In 2017 Shanying lnternational Holding Co Ltd acquired the Nordic Paper Group through its Swedish subsidiary Sutriv Holding AB. in 2020, ownership will shift to shareholders when Nordic Paper Holding AB is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.