Nippon Paper Resources Australia Forms JV Wood Chip Export Business in New Zealand
The acquisition will be concluded in partnership with Pentarch Forestry, a diversified Australasian timber manufacturing and export company. Upon completion of the transaction, the planned shareholding ratio will be 70% for Nippon Paper Resources and 30% for Pentarch Forestry. The share transfer is expected to be completed by the end of February 2026. Following the acquisition, Nippon Paper Resources and Pentarch Forestry plan to enter into a formal joint venture shareholders' agreement and jointly operate the business. MWC will subsequently be renamed NP Wood Fibre Company Limited. NP Wood Fibre will operate a major New Zealand softwood chip production and export business, leveraging off the country's abundant forest resources and positioning itself to meet the anticipated growth in global demand for softwood chips (Pinus Radiata) for pulp and paper manufacturing. The company will take over MWC’s woodchip handling facility at Northport (Marsden Point) in the Whangarei area of Northland, New Zealand. For Nippon Paper Industries, the transaction supports the diversification of procurement sources and the establishment of a stable supply of softwood resource for the Japanese market. In collaboration with Pentarch Forestry, NP Wood Fibre will also market softwood chips across the Asian market, thereby enhancing the revenue potential of the Nippon Paper Group's timber-related businesses. Furthermore, NP Wood Fibre will combine the Nippon Paper Group's expertise in hardwood plantation management, woodchip production and export operations in Brazil and Australia with PF's capabilities across lumber, woodchip, and other timber-related businesses. With the extensive sales and export experience of both NPI and PF in Australia and New Zealand, the newly established NF Wood Fibre joint venture is well positioned to fully leverage these combined strengths and to further expand the forestry and timber businesses of both partners. SOURCE: Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. |
Feb. 6, 2026 - Nippon Paper Resources Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Paper Industries, has entered into an agreement to jointly acquire all the shares of Marusumi Whangarei Company Limited ("MWC"), a New Zealand-based softwood chip production and export company currently jointly owned by Marusumi Paper Company and Marubeni Corporation.