Canfor’s Vida Group Buys Sweden Mills

Canfor Corp. executives announced in mid June that Canfor’s 70%-owned subsidiary, Vida Group, has entered into an agreement to purchase three sawmills located in Sweden from Bergs Timber for $43 million (Can.), plus working capital. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2020.

The mills, in Vimmerby, Mörlunda and Orrefors, Sweden, add approximately 215MMBF to Vida’s annual capacity. According to a company release, after the acquisition, Sweden will represent 22% of Canfor’s global operating platforms, plus 43% in British Columbia, 31% in the Southern U.S. and 4% in Alberta.

The release added that following downtime related to the coronavirus pandemic, Vida is now operating at full capacity, and Canfor’s North America sawmills are operating at almost full capacity as of June 18, 2020.