Norske Skog ASA, formerly Norske Skogindustrier ASA, which translates as ''Norwegian Forest Industries'', is a Norwegian pulp and paper company established in 1962. The company has long been one of the world's leading manufacturers of

newsprint Newsprint is a low-cost, non-archival paper consisting mainly of wood pulp and most commonly used to print newspapers and other publications and advertising material. Invented in 1844 by Charles Fenerty of Nova Scotia, Canada, it usually has a ...

and

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distribu ...

. Due to a declining market for publication paper, the company has increasingly focused on other uses of timber and recycled paper, such as packaging. The company is headquartered in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

and has factories in five countries and an annual production of approximately 2 million tonnes of paper (2020).

History

Norske Skog started in 1962 with the construction of a

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...

at Skogn in

, with the plant opening in 1966 and a second paper machine added in 1967. Half the capital for the project was issued by the Norwegian Forest Owners Association. In 1972 Norske Skog started a cooperation with Follum Fabrikker in Hønefoss. By 1989 Norske Skog had acquired Follum Fabrikker and Union in Skien as well as Saugbrugsforeningen in

Halden Halden (), between 1665 and 1928 known as Fredrikshald, is both a town and a municipality in Viken county, Norway. The municipality borders Sarpsborg to the northwest, Rakkestad to the north and Aremark to the east, as well as the Swedish ...

. With this Norske Skog controlled all the pulp and paper mills in Norway. The first international acquisition came in 1992 with Norske Skog Golbey in Lorraine, France. The company later bought the entire plant in 1995. Norske Skog expanded with purchases in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

in 1996 and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

in 1997. In 1998 it purchased mills in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

and the

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its ea ...

. In 2000 Norske Skog bought the

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

-based Fletcher Challenge Canada with nine mills and Pacifica Papers (formerly

MacMillan Bloedel MacMillan Bloedel Limited, sometimes referred to as "MacBlo", was a Canadian forestry company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was formed through the merger of three smaller forestry companies in 1951 and 1959. Those were the Po ...

) and created NorskeCanada. At the same time it absorbed the

Australian Newsprint Mills Australian Newsprint Mills (ANM) was an Australian newsprint manufacturer. History Australian Newsprint Mills was established in 1938 to build a newsprint manufacturing plant adjacent to the River Derwent at Boyer, Tasmania. Its founding ch ...

, a subsidiary of Fletcher Challenge. By 2006 Norske Skog had sold its shares in NorskeCanada and the company changed its name to

Catalyst Paper Catalyst Paper Corporation is a pulp and paper company based in Richmond, British Columbia. It operates five pulp mills and paper mills, producing a combined 1.8 million tonnes of paper and 491,000 tonnes of market pulp annually. The mills most ...

. In September 2005 it acquired the Asian company PanAsia Paper, in turn making Norske Skog Asia's largest producer of newsprint and magazine paper. During the folloging years, the company suffered from an oversupply in the paper industry and mounting debt. A number of factories were closed, downsized or divested. The closure of the Union paper mill in

Skien Skien () is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. In modern times it is regarded as part of the traditional region of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the ...

in 2005 caused a massive outcry, including protests from a number of politicians. Further closures include the closure of a factory in Steti in the

, the indefinite closure of a factory in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, and the closure of one of the three paper machines at Follum. From March 2007 to March 2008, the stock value plummeted from over to below . An editorial in the Norwegian business newspaper

Finansavisen ''Finansavisen'' is a Norwegian business newspaper published by Hegnar Media in Oslo, Norway. History and profile ''Finansavisen'' was first published on 1 October 1992 by Trygve Hegnar, who is also editor-in-chief. The paper has its headquart ...

could not rule out the possibility of

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debto ...

. In September 2008, Norske Skog Korea was bought by Morgan Stanley Private Equity of Asia and Shinhan Private Equity. Sven Ombudstvedt became CEO of Norske Skog in January 2010. Ombudstvedt was previously

chief financial officer The chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization that is assigned the primary responsibility for managing the company's finances, including financial planning, management of financial risks, record-keeping, and fina ...

and a management board member of

Yara International Yara International ASA is a Norwegian chemical company. It produces, distributes, and sells nitrogen-based mineral fertilizers and related industrial products. Its product line also includes phosphate and potash-based mineral fertilizers, as well ...

and strategy director of

Norsk Hydro Norsk Hydro ASA (often referred to as just ''Hydro'') is a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo. It is one of the largest aluminium companies worldwide. It has operations in some 50 countries around the world a ...

. Ombudstvedt succeeded Christian Rynning-Tønnesen. Norske Skogindustrier ASA went bankrupt in 2017 and was delisted from the Oslo Stock Exchange. However, the operations continued, and was reorganized under a new parent company, Norske Skog ASA, which was reintroduced to the Oslo Stock Exchange in October 2019. Over the following years, the group has diversified in order to counter the downward trend of the publication paper market. In 2020, it was announced that two paper machines, at Bruck an der Mur in Austria and Golbey in France, would be converted to produce recycled containerboard. The company is also pursuing fibre-based growth initiatives under the brand names Cebina and Cebico as well as energy related projects such as

biogas Biogas is a mixture of gases, primarily consisting of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste and food waste. It is a ...

. Norske Skog is also the major shareholder of Circa Group, which is listed separately on Euronext Growth with the ticker CIRCA.

List of mills

''As of 2021'' * Norske Skog Skogn (

Levanger Levanger is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the district of Innherred. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Levanger. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Alstadhaug, E ...

, Norway) *

Norske Skog Saugbrugs Norske Skog Saugbrugs AS is a pulp mill and paper mill located in Halden, Norway, which produces supercalender (SC) magazine paper. Located in the river Tista in Tistedalen, the mill produces 550,000 tonnes per year in three paper machines. Pulp ( ...

(

, Norway) * Norske Skog Bruck (

Bruck an der Mur Bruck an der Mur is a city of some 13,500 people located in the district Bruck-Mürzzuschlag, in the Austrian state of Styria. It is located at the confluence of the Mur and Mürz Rivers. Its manufacturing includes metal products and paper. Bru ...

) * Norske Skog Golbey ( Golbey,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

) * Norske Skog Boyer (

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

)

Former mills

''This list may be incomplete'' *

Norske Skog Follum Norske Skog Follum is a paper mill located in Follum in Norway. The mill is part of the Norske Skog Corporation and opened in 1873 with the name Follum Fabrikker (also Follum træsliberi). It has three paper machines and produces 410,000 tonnes ...

( Hønefoss,

) * Norske Skog Union (

, Norway) (closed 2006) * Södra Cell Folla (

Verran Verran is a former municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1901 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was divided between Steinkjer Municipality and Indre Fosen Municipality. It was part of the Innherred region ...

, Norway) (sold 2000) * Södra Cell Tofte ( Tofte, Norway) (sold 2000) * Catalyst Crofton ( Crofton,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

) (demerged) * Catalyst Elk Falls ( Elk Falls, Canada) (demerged) * Catalyst Port Alberni (

Port Alberni Port Alberni () is a city located on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The city lies within the Alberni Valley at the head of the Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island's longest inlet. It is the location of the head offices ...

, Canada) (demerged) * Catalyst Powell River ( Powell River, Canada) (demerged) * Jeonju Mill (

Jeollabuk-do North Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollabuk-do''), also known as Jeonbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Jeolla has a population of 1,869,711 (2015) and has a geographic area of 8,067 km2 (3,115 sq mi) located in the Honam region in the southw ...

) (renamed to Jeonju Paper) * Cheongwon Mill (

Chungcheongbuk-do North Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청북도, ''Chungcheongbuk-do''), also known as Chungbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Chungcheong has a population of 1,578,934 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Hoseo region in the ...

, Republic of Korea) (renamed to Jeonju Paper) * Norske Skog Parenco (

Renkum Renkum () is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. The municipality had a population of in and has a land area of . Renkum is situated along the river Rhine. The municipality Renkum is part of the ''Stadsregio'' (English: City reg ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

) * Norske Skog Štětí ( Štětí,

) * Norske Skog Walsum (

Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

) * Norske Skog Bio Bio ( Concepción,

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

) * Norske Skog Pisa ( Jaguariaiva,

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

) * Norske Skog Albury (

Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – t ...

, Australia) *

Norske Skog Tasman The Tasman Mill site is a pulp and paper mill located on Fletcher Avenue just outside the town of Kawerau in New Zealand. The Tasman Mill site is the largest single employer in the Eastern Bay of Plenty region. Three pulp or paper companies pre ...

( Kawerau,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

) * Hebei Mill ( Zhao County,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

) * Shanghai Mill (

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...

, China) * Singburi Mill ( Sing Buri,

)

References

External links

* {{Coord, 59, 53, 50.25, N, 10, 36, 18.97, E, type:landmark, display=title Renewable resource companies established in 1962 Pulp and paper companies of Norway Manufacturing companies of Norway Companies based in Bærum Companies listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange Norwegian companies established in 1962

History

List of mills

Former mills

See also

References

External links