Ilim Pulp International to Invest USD 147 Million in Production Development in 2004

Saint Petersburg timber corporation Ilim Pulp Enterprise increased its production in 2003 to 2.87 million tones for a 4.8% increase year-on-year. The company's press service said that the production of cellulose paper products also grew by 4.5% to 2.31 million tones.

Companies included in the Ilim Pulp group produced a total of 1.37 million tons of cellulose for an increase of 4.7%, 637.05 thousand tons of cardboard for a year-on-year increase of 4.6% and 233.94 tons of paper for an increase of 4.4%. Pulping also increased by 5.2% to 2.28 million tons. 557.10 thousand tons of wood products including plywood and saw-timber were produced in 2002 for a 6% increase year-on-year.

The timber companies of the corporation also processed more than 7.1 million cubic meters of wood or 10.9% more year-on-year. Ilum Pulp invested more than USD 97 million in production in 2003 and plans to increase its investment in production to USD 147 million in 2004.

Ilim Pulp Enterprise was registered on April 30, 1992. The company is one of the world's ten largest producers of trade pulp and a world leader in terms of timber reserves and logging. Ilim Pulp Enterprise (St. Petersburg) includes the following companies: the Bratsk timber plant, the Ust-Ilim timber plant, the Kotlas pulp and paper plant, the St. Petersburg cardboard and printing plant and 36 logging enterprises. The company also includes transportation and trading organizations as well as the Kommunar paper-mill, the Plzenska Papirna recycling plant in the Czech Republic and the Ilim Gofropack plant. Ilim Pulp Enterprise produces 61% of pulp and 77% of cardboard in Russia.