YEAR-END RELEASE 2002 QUARTERLY REPORT OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2002

ROTTNEROS IN BRIEF

Rottneros, with its origins in the 1600s, is an independent and flexible supplier of customised, high-quality paper pulp. Through continuous product development, high delivery reliability, technical support and service, Rottneros is able to adapt to satisfy its demanding customers.

As one of the world’s leading independent market pulp producers, Rottneros is a market leader in groundwood pulp for the open market and one of the main producers of other grades of pulp.

Rottneros has a total production capacity of more than 700,000 tonnes of pulp per year produced at five mills in Sweden and Spain, making the Group one of the ten biggest suppliers of market pulp in the world. Increasingly intensive product development in accordance with customers’ demands should lead to more stable and higher profitability throughout an economic cycle. In addition the Group has an extensive risk management policy comprising hedging of mainly currency, pulp prices and electricity in order to even out the volatility over the business cycle.