News Paper Pulp
Kruger completes acquisition of Domtar’s Kamloops Pulp Mill; strengthens its position in B.C.

Kruger’s affiliate Kruger Specialty Papers has completed the acquisition of Domtar’s Kamloops Pulp Mill in British Columbia. The companies had entered into a definitive agreement for this acquisition in May this year.

“We are very happy to welcome our new Kamloops colleagues into our group and to expand our activities in British Columbia,” said Francois D’Amours, Kruger’s executive vice-president and chief operating officer. “Kamloops is a world-class facility and a natural fit for Kruger considering its strong emphasis on product quality, employee safety and sustainability. Over the coming weeks, as we support and empower our Kamloops team to keep doing the great work they’ve been doing, we will also focus on strengthening relationships with the mill’s existing customers, suppliers, and business partners, as well as with the local community which we are proud to call home from now on.”

The Kamloops mill manufactures northern bleached softwood kraft pulp (NBSK) and unbleached softwood kraft pulp. It will continue to operate as usual and honour all existing volume commitments and agreements with customers and suppliers. The current 320 jobs at the mill will remain untouched. Kruger additionally plans on maintaining ongoing initiatives for mordenizing the mill.

With this acquisition, Kruger secures the supply of high-quality pulp for some of its paper mills, including those in Quebec. In its Quebec mills, Kruger is investing about $1 billion for the construction of two state-of-the-art tissue plants.

Kruger added in a statement that it understands the important role that the Kamloops Mill plays in the Thompson/Okanagan region. It will work closely with local sawmills and wood fibre suppliers to strengthen relationships with these key partners.

Kruger is strengthening its presence in British Columbia with this acquisition and establishing itself as a major employer and provider of essential products. With the Kruger Products tissue plant in New Westminster and Kruger Energy’s Zeballos Lake Hydro Plant on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island in addition to the Kamloops mill, the company now has close to 700 employees in the province.