The transaction is in line with UPM’s strategy to grow as a cost competitive pulp producer and become an active market participant in global pulp markets.
 
Raj Kumar Jain, director marketing at Anika International, the Indian representative for UPM Paper, said: "This will definitely increase the UPM’s production capacity and share in the domestic and international market. We will now be able to cater a wider section of publication groups with range of products."   
 
Meanwhile, UPM is the first Finnish company to be awarded a certificate for complying with the new FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) standard. The FSC certificate covers around half of UPM's forests in Finland. UPM's forests have previously been awarded a PEFC (Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes) certificate.
 
Jain said: "FSC certification of Finnish forests further expands UPM's portfolio of eco-labelled products. We already have the markets' most extensive selection of paper products with the EU Ecolabel. Forest certificates, such as FSC and PEFC are a guarantee to our customers that our wood fiber comes from sustainably managed forests."
 
UPM’s annual paper production capacity is currently about 10 million tonnes. The group’s current asset base consists of four modern pulp mills, three in Finland and one in Uruguay. The product range covers northern hardwood and softwood pulp as well as eucalyptus pulp.
 
In 2010, UPM's sales exceeded 10 billion Euro mark. UPM has production plants in 16 countries and it employs approximately 24,500 people worldwide. UPM shares are listed on the Nasdaq OMX Helsinki stock exchange.