Ahlstrom-Munksjö Completes Acquisition of Majority Stake in Chinese Decor Paper Producer Minglian

Ahlstrom-Munksjö's Decor business produces paper in a wide range of colors, grades and grammages for decorative applications, mainly used in the production of laminated surface materials for furniture, flooring and other interior and exterior architectural panels.

Jan. 14, 2022 - Ahlstrom-Munksjö has successfully completed the acquisition of a 60% stake in Chinese decor paper producer Minglian New Materials Technology Co., Ltd. and forms a joint venture which comprises a state-of-the-art plant in the city of Xingtai, Hebei Province, China. A non-binding letter of intent with the majority shareholders was initially signed in November 2019 but the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the negotiations and closing of the transaction.

By combining Minglian with its existing Decor business, Ahlstrom-Munksjö creates a global leader in decor papers with improved cost competitiveness and strong presence in Europe, Americas and Asia. The business combination allows Ahlstrom-Munksjö to leverage its brand and capabilities in the large and growing high-end decor paper market in China. It will strengthen Ahlstrom-Munksjö's ability to serve international customers both in the short- and long term.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö will provide technical and operational expertise to Minglian and strengthen Minglian's customer offering and service in the domestic medium and high-quality segments as well as adjacent export markets. Minglian provides cost competitive manufacturing to the combined Decor business platform and opportunities to optimize production and extend further decor paper manufacturing capacities.

Minglian in Brief

Minglian New Materials was established in 2016 by a group of entrepreneurs with a background in the Chinese decor industry. The state-of-the-art greenfield investment in Xingtai, Hebei province, including an eight-foot paper machine equipped with best available technology, was completed in November 2018. The annual production capacity of approximately 50,000 tons is currently fully utilized. The plant site in Xingtai allows future capacity expansion. The current number of employees is 140.

About Decor Solutions Business Area

The Decor Solutions business area is one of Ahlstrom-Munksjö's five reporting segments. The Decor business produces paper in a wide range of colors, grades and grammages for decorative applications, mainly used in the production of laminated surface materials for furniture, flooring and other interior and exterior architectural panels. The production takes place at five plants: Unterkochen and Dettingen in Germany, Tolosa in Spain, Caieiras in Brazil and Arches in France. Annual production capacity is approximately 210,000 tons.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö is a global leader in fiber-based materials offering filter materials, release liners, food and beverage processing materials, decor papers, abrasive and tape backings, electrotechnical paper, glass fiber materials, medical fiber materials, diagnostics and energy storage solutions, as well as a range of specialty papers for industrial and consumer end-uses. To learn more, visit: www.ahlstrom-munksjo.com.

SOURCE: Ahlstrom-Munksjö