Dear customers, partners and friends
I would like to start by saying a big thank you for the co-operation between us. The year has been full of challenges and we have made a lot of progress with both new qualities and quantities from our Värö mill. The investment would not have been possible without your support, not just this year but in the preceding years too.
As you know, Södra has long-term relationships in its DNA and we are now in a stronger position than ever to meet your expectations. We know that you need the best when it comes to technical support, sustainability and strong, stable partnerships, trends we have seen coming through our customer surveys too.
2017 brought the unexpected: Global supply capabilities shifted, the Chinese government announced significant measures to improve the environment while strong GDP growth in all major economies resulted in a very tight market. At times, some mills struggled to secure their fibre supply and we did our utmost to support them.
Our workforce is our greatest asset and it is with great sadness that we remember our esteemed colleague, particularly at this time of year, following a tragic accident at Mönsterås some weeks ago. Our thoughts are with his family.
As the snow blankets Växjö in white today, we are reminded that Christmas is approaching and another year is drawing to a close. All that remains is to thank you once again for your support. We all work for big companies but business is done between individuals who trust each other. That trust can never be replaced by excel spread sheets or super digitalized systems. We need each other to succeed.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
Magnus Björkman
