FORM
6-K
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
Report of
Foreign Private Issuer
Pursuant
to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16
under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the
month of December, 2009
Commission
file number: 1-14872
SAPPI
LIMITED
(Translation
of registrant’s name into English)
48
Ameshoff Street
Braamfontein
Johannesburg
2001
REPUBLIC
OF SOUTH AFRICA
(Address
of principal executive offices)
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under
cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
|
Form
20-F
|
X
-------
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Form
40-F
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Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted
by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b) (1):
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted
by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b) (7):
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in
this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant
to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
|
Yes
|
No
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X
-------
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If “Yes”
is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in
connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82-
INCORPORATION
BY REFERENCE
Sappi
Limited’s information below is furnished by the Registrant under this Form 6-K
is incorporated by reference into (i) the Registration Statements on Form S-8 of
the Registrant filed December 23, 1999 and December 15, 2004 in connection with
The Sappi Limited Share Incentive Scheme, (ii) the Section 10(a) Prospectus
relating to the offer and sale of the Registrant’s shares to Participants under
The Sappi Limited Share Incentive Scheme, (iii) the Registration Statements on
Form S-8 of the Registrant filed December 15, 2004 and December 21, 2005 in
connection with The Sappi Limited 2004 Performance Share Incentive Plan and (iv)
the Section 10(a) Prospectus relating to the offer and sale of the Registrant’s
shares to Participants under The Sappi Limited 2004 Performance Share Incentive
Plan.
FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
In order
to utilize the “Safe Harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Reform Act”), Sappi Limited (the “Company”)
is providing the following cautionary statement. Except for historical
information contained herein, statements contained in this Report on Form 6-K
may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Reform
Act. The words “believe”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “intend”, “estimate “, “plan”,
“assume”, “positioned”, “will”, “may”, “should”, “risk” and other similar
expressions which are predictions of or indicate future events and future trends
which do not relate to historical matters identify forward-looking statements.
In addition, this Report on Form 6-K may include forward-looking statements
relating to the Company’s potential exposure to various types of market risks,
such as interest rate risk, foreign exchange rate risk and commodity price risk.
Reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements because they involve
known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are in some cases
beyond the control of the Company, together with its subsidiaries (the “Group”),
and may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Group to
differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievements
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements (and from past results,
performance or achievements). Certain factors that may cause such differences
include but are not limited to: the highly cyclical nature of the pulp and paper
industry; pulp and paper production, production capacity, input costs including
raw material, energy and employee costs, and pricing levels in North America,
Europe, Asia and southern Africa; any major disruption in production at the
Group’s key facilities; changes in environmental, tax and other laws and
regulations; adverse changes in the markets for the Group’s products; any
delays, unexpected costs or other problems experienced with any business
acquired or to be acquired; consequences of the Group’s leverage; adverse
changes in the South African political situation and economy or the effect of
governmental efforts to address present or future economic or social problems;
and the impact of future investments, acquisitions and dispositions (including
the financing of investments and acquisitions) and any delays, unexpected costs
or other problems experienced in connection with dispositions. These and other
risks, uncertainties and factors are discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on
Form 20-F and other filings with and submissions to the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including this Report on Form 6-K. Shareholders and prospective
investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of the
submission of this Report on Form 6-K and are not intended to give any assurance
as to future results. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or
revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new
information or future events or circumstances or otherwise.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto
duly authorized.
Date: December
10, 2009
| SAPPI LIMITED, | |||
|
|
by
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/s/ L. Newman | |
| Name: L. Newman | |||
| Title: Group Financial Controller | |||
 |
Fine
Paper Europe
|
Media
Release
10 December
2009
Sappi
Fine Paper Europe announces closing of its Sappi Finland I Oy’s Kangas
site
Brussels -- Sappi
Fine Paper Europe has today announced it will shut down its Kangas paper mill in
Finland. The permanent closure of its Kangas mill is expected to take place no
later than the early part of the first calendar quarter of 2010.
Sappi Finland I Oy
concluded an agreement with its Kangas mill employee representatives on
Wednesday 9 December which specifies redundancy terms and includes provisions
for outplacement and training support for all employees, to ensure that people
have the best possible opportunity to secure new employment. The Kangas site
employs around 150 employees.
The plant has
operated in Finland for 137 years. "We recognize this is a difficult decision
affecting our employees, their families and the communities surrounding the
mill," commented Berry Wiersum, CEO of Sappi Fine Paper Europe. “Unfortunately
this action was necessary to address the impact of the global
recession, which has caused a structural drop in demand for mechanical coated
paper.”
Sappi is
together with Jykes and Jyväskylä town investigating
the possibility to utilize the site as an industrial area in the
future.
The volumes
produced at the mill, will be transferred to Sappi Lanaken and Sappi Kirkniemi.
The Galerie Silk range will be supplied to customers from the Sappi Lanaken mill
in Belgium and a complementary grade, Galerie Fine Silk, will be introduced from
the Sappi Kirkniemi mill thereby widening Sappi’s coated magazine paper range.
There will be no supply interruption to customers during the mill closure and
transfer of production.
ENDS
For further
information contact:
|
Anders
Ek
Mill
Director
Sappi Finland
I Oy
Kangas
Mill
Tel +358 1046
45261
Mobile +358
50 307 1103
Email
:anders.ek@sappi.com
|
Martti
Savelainen
Mill
Director
Sappi Finland
I Oy
Kirkniemi
Mill
Tel +358 10
464 2475
Mobile +358
505 987 621
Email:
martti.savelainen@sappi.com
|
|
Claudia
Hammerich
Manager
Corporate Communications
Sappi Fine
Paper Europe
Tel: +32 2
676 97 84
Mobile: +32
472 61 89 66
claudia.hammerich@sappi.com
|
André
F Oberholzer
Group Head
Corporate Affairs
Sappi
Limited
Tel: +27 11
407 8044
Mobile: +27
83 235 2973
andre.oberholzer@sappi.com
|