Raute and York Timbers to strengthen cooperation towards a strategic partners

Raute and York Timbers to strengthen cooperation towards a strategic partnership

Raute Corporation, a leading technology and service company in the plywood industry, and York Timbers (Pty), the largest manufacturer of plywood products in Southern Africa, have signed a Cooperative Agreement in order to strengthen the level of cooperation towards a strategic partnership.

The parties’ mutual goal is to enhance the profitability of York Timbers via its plywood division with the aim of becoming an international player in the plywood business. The Cooperative Agreement will be executed in various forms such as production process and capacity development, service delivery, competence development, and sharing of technology upgrades on Raute and other equipment.

"York Timbers and Raute have already cooperated for years. The agreement is a major step forward in strengthening our cooperation in the future", says Mr. Pieter van Zyl, Chief Executive Officer, York Timbers. 

"Raute will be the main technology, service and development partner to York Timbers. This agreement allows us to commit to York Timbers and to develop our operations in Africa in the future", says Mr. Antti Laulainen, Group Vice President of Raute Corporation.

Raute is a technology and service company that operates worldwide. Raute’s customers are companies operating in the wood products industry that manufacture veneer, plywood and LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber). The technology offering covers machinery and equipment for the customer’s entire production process. As a supplier of mill-scale projects, Raute is a global market leader both in the plywood and LVL industries. Additionally, Raute’s full-service concept includes technology services ranging from spare parts deliveries to regular maintenance and equipment modernizations. Raute’s head office is located in the Nastola area of Lahti, Finland. Its other production plants are in Kajaani, Finland, the Vancouver area of Canada and in the Shanghai area of China. Raute’s net sales in 2015 were EUR 127.3 million. The Group’s headcount at the end of 2015 was 646. More information about the company can be found at www.raute.com.

York Timbers is an integrated forestry company, operating through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, York Timbers Proprietary Limited, that owns plantations and processing plants, and Agentimber Proprietary Limited, that runs a wholesale distribution network. York has the largest market share of the South African timber and plywood market. This share in the market is a result of York’s sustainable biological assets, integrated operations of primary and value-added processes. York's revenue was R 1 771 million (approximately EUR 120 million) and total asset value was R 4 561 million (approximately EUR 310 million) in 2016. The company's headcount is 5 238 (includes employees and contractors). York Timbers is listed on the JSE in the Forestry and Paper Index sector under the share code YRK. This year, York is celebrating100 years since incorporation and 70 years of being listed on the JSE – milestones few companies have achieved. More information about the company can be found at www.york.co.za.

FURTHER INFORMATION:
Mr. Antti Laulainen, Group Vice President, Technology services and Sales management, Raute Corporation (antti.laulainen@raute.com, tel. +358 (0)3 829 11)