Purchase of Expera Specialty Solutions to Finnish company to close in 2018
Expera Specialty Solutions and its four specialty paper mills in Northern Wisconsin will be owned by Finland headquartered Ahlstrom-Munksjo by the end of 2018.
Expera Specialty Solutions and its four specialty paper mills in Northern Wisconsin will be owned by Finland headquartered Ahlstrom-Munksjo by the end of 2018. Expera employs 1,800 people at mills in DePere, Kaukauna, Mosinee and Rhinelander. The transaction is valued at $615 million.
Expera was formed by a private equity firm KPS Capital Partners in 2013 from specialty paper mills that had been owned by Thilmany Papers and Wausau Paper. This was among several transactions regarding mills after the 2008 financial crisis. Wausau papers also closed a mill in Brokaw, Wisconsin, in 2012, and sold its non-specialty mills to SCA in 2016. Pulp markets improved dramatically from the 2008 low point, showing price increases up to 100%. Recent prices trends are available here on the Forest Data Network price summary.
Ahlstrom-Munksjo has annual sales of $2.6 billion. Its stock is traded on the Helsinki stock exchange. It is viewed as a long-term strategic buyer and is a leader in the paper filtration market along with other specialty paper areas.
