FEDERAL WAY, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 30, 2009--
Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE:WY) today announced that it intends to build
a new cellulose fibers processing plant in Gdansk, Poland. City
officials in Gdansk, the largest port city in Poland, announced that
Weyerhaeuser had won a competitive tender process to purchase 100,000
square meters of land for this project. The land-sale agreement is
expected to be completed by year end, and the company plans to break
ground for the 17,000-square-meter facility in the spring of 2010.
The facility will process cellulose fibers for use in hygiene products.
It will employ at least 45 people upon its expected completion in 2012.
The facility will be Weyerhaeuser’s first cellulose fibers manufacturing
plant outside of North America.
“Weyerhaeuser is committed to investing in and carefully growing
business segments that add value to its timberlands portfolio and that
have demonstrated top-quartile performance in their competitive
categories,” said Dan Fulton, Weyerhaeuser president and CEO. “We expect
worldwide demand for cellulose-based products to increase over the long
term. This new plant will enable our Cellulose Fibers business to grow
with a key customer.”
Procter & Gamble will be the facility’s primary customer, and the
state-of-art plant will supply P&G operations in Poland and western and
eastern Europe. “The plant Weyerhaeuser is building in Gdansk supports a
variety of P&G strategies,” said Stassi Anastassov, vice president of
Baby Care Central Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa for Procter &
Gamble. “These include encouraging local sourcing of raw materials,
fostering local employment, reducing overall costs and minimizing the
company’s environmental footprint by reducing logistics requirements.”
Polish government officials acknowledge the significance of the
investment in a depressed global economy. “This is one of the most
important foreign investment commitments in the country in 2009 and was
supported from the very early stages of project development by the
PAIiIZ staff,” said Sławomir Majman, president of the Polish Information
and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ).
“Weyerhaeuser’s choice of Gdansk demonstrates the city’s many strengths
in serving central and eastern Europe,” said Pawel Adamowicz, mayor of
Gdansk. “Our excellent location, modern logistics infrastructure, and
industry investment programs are some of the many advantages.”
The Invest Gdansk Economic Development Agency (INVESTGDA) played a
critical role in helping to broker the land purchase. In addition to
INVESTGDA, Weyerhaeuser acknowledges and appreciates the cooperation
that it has received from numerous polish officials and entities,
including the city of Gdansk and mayor Pawel Adamowicz, the Pomeranian
Special Economic Zone, the Pomerania Development Agency and the Polish
Information and Foreign Investment Agency. P&G representatives in Poland
also provided critical local support and expertise.
About Weyerhaeuser Cellulose Fibers
Weyerhaeuser is one of the world’s largest softwood market cellulose
fibers producers, with a global direct sales force supported by
manufacturing facilities in North America. As a leader in
cellulose-based research and development, Weyerhaeuser works extensively
with its customers to develop unique or specialized applications for
cellulose fibers. Weyerhaeuser fiber is found in familiar products such
as kitchen towels, bathroom tissue, baby diapers, household wipes and
nonwoven fabrics. Additional information about Cellulose Fibers is
available at http://www.weyerhaeuser.com/Businesses/CelluloseFibers.
About Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser Company, one of the world's largest forest products
companies, was incorporated in 1900. In 2008, sales were $8 billion. It
has offices or operations in 10 countries, with customers worldwide.
Weyerhaeuser is principally engaged in the growing and harvesting of
timber; the manufacture, distribution and sale of forest products; and
real estate construction and development. Additional information about
Weyerhaeuser's businesses, products and practices is available at http://www.weyerhaeuser.com.
For more about the Gdansk Economic Development Agency (INVESTGDA) go to www.investgda.pl;
the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone, www.strefa.gda.pl;
and the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ), www.paiz.gov.pl.
Source: Weyerhaeuser Company
Weyerhaeuser Company
Media
Greg French,
253-924-2806
or
Analysts
Kathy McAuley,
253-924-2058
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