12.8.2008

The shareholders of two Raisio-based pilot plants, the Future Printing Center Oy (FPC) and Coating Technology Center (CTC), have signed a letter of intent providing for the merger of their operations and the related restructuring of ownership. According to the letter of intent, the FPC will acquire ownership of the CTC business operations. The operations will later be merged into a new company to be owned by the plants' current shareholders. The CTC's employees will automatically transfer to the FPC Oy. The merger is set to be finalised by early October as agreed in the letter of intent.

The merger deal will

• help to improve resource planning and internal efficiency
• increase the resources available for business development
• build a stronger service offering and improve the level of service to customers through one-stop shopping.

The new service entity will form an efficient and unique hub for product development for customers in the paper and graphic arts industries, including papermakers, ink manufacturers, and pigment and chemicals suppliers around the world. The areas of research will cover all stages of paper manufacture, from base paper through coating and calendering to the finished print - all with complete quality assurance. The merger will establish a joint-stock company, owned by Ciba Finland Oy, Hansaprint Oy, Omya Oy, Metso Paper Oy and Nordkalk Oyj Abp.

"The merging of the two pilot plants into a single company, FPC Oy, will send a strong message about our commitment to develop our pilot services in the long term. Our guiding principle will be to continuously develop our offering in order to meet the needs of our customers. This is where our highly skilled staff and state-of-the-art technology come in. We can cater to customers in the paper, board and graphic arts industries, and our areas of research range from base paper and coating concepts to packaging printing. The two plants together have a staff of 27," explains Päivi Miettinen, Managing Director of FPC Oy.

A pilot plant specialising in coating and calendering of paper and board, the CTC has been operating since 1990. The test printing plant, Future Printing Center Oy, began operations in 2004. The CTC and the FPC are located in the same building complex in Raisio, in southwest Finland.

Future Printing Center Oy
Load photos: www.fpc.fi

Further information:
FPC Oy, CTC
Kerrolankatu 2, FI-21200 Raisio
Päivi Miettinen
Tel. +358 (0)20 721 5353, (0)50 3789914

Iiris Ponkala-Kauppila
Communications, Ciba Finland Oy
Tel. +358 (0)20 721 5363