Portucel benefits from weak euro and a massive rise in overseas exports in the first half-year 2015

摘要

Higher pulp and paper prices and a weak euro contributed to the excellent results generated by Portuguese pulp and paper producer Portucel Soporcel in the first half of this year. Compared to the corresponding period of 2014, the company improved its operating result by 15.5% to €130m and raised its sales revenues by 6.4% to €795m. Although Portucel stepped up its efforts to find "alternative areas of growth" and is growing primarily in the areas of market pulp and tissue, the group still generates more than 70% of its sales with printing and writing paper. Its business with uncoated fine paper was lively in the period under review, reports Portucel. Compared to the first half of 2014, sales climbed by 0.7%, and production volume went up by 1%."The reduction in apparent paper consumption in Europe (approximately 2.6% in annual terms) and the strength of the dollar against the euro led a significant number of manufacturers to search for more profitable business opportunities outside Europe, and exports increased significantly over the first six months of the year," reports the company. Accounting for a share of 42%, Portucel alone sold almost half of the volume of woodfree uncoated paper exported by European compa- nies in the first half of this year, thereby adding 40,0001 to its deliveries outside Europe. The average price per tonne rose by 3.4% compared to the first six months of the previous year.