Rayonier Advanced Materials

What Rayonier Advanced Materials does

Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. (NYSE: RYAM) is a Jacksonville, Florida-headquartered specialty cellulose and biomaterials manufacturer founded in 1926. The company converts renewable wood resources into high-purity cellulose, high-yield (fluff) pulp, sustainable paperboard under the Kallima brand, and second-generation bioethanol. It operates four manufacturing facilities in the United States (Jesup, Fernandina), Canada (Témiscaming), and France (Tartas), serving industrial manufacturers across construction, coatings, electronics, filtration, automotive, food, pharmaceuticals, personal care, hygiene, textiles, specialty bioplastics, and packaging end markets. Named customer relationships include 3M for low-carbon specialty cellulose used in household care products.

RYAM's core technology stack is built on proprietary cellulose-based processing and biomaterials engineering refined over a century, with industry-leading R&D cited as developing products now considered industry standards. The BioSolutions platform includes a second-generation bioethanol facility at Tartas producing fuel reported as 90% cleaner than fossil fuels, and a softwood fluff pulp product line certified under the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. In June 2026 the company appointed a new CEO (Daniel M. Krawczyk, formerly President of Huber Engineered Materials) and is currently conducting a formal strategic alternatives review guided by Morgan Stanley and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.

RYAM generates revenue primarily through direct enterprise sales of commoditized and specialty pulp, cellulose specialties, and paperboard, with Cellulose Specialties generating approximately $862 million in net sales and total 2025 revenue of $1.5 billion (down from $1.6 billion in 2024). The company is executing a value-over-volume pricing strategy, with reported 17-18% average price increases on cellulose specialties through 2025 and Q1 2026. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting large industrial accounts, supplemented by investor relations and industry conference presence (e.g., the Gabelli Specialty Chemicals Symposium). The company carries roughly $715-763 million in total debt with a 3.33x debt-to-equity ratio, has reported seven consecutive years of losses since 2019, and recorded a 2025 net loss of approximately $420 million.

Name

Rayonier Advanced Materials

Legal name

Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc.

Website

https://rayonieram.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Rayonier Advanced Materials (NYSE: RYAM) is a Jacksonville-based specialty cellulose and biomaterials manufacturer founded in 1926, producing high-purity cellulose, fluff pulp, sustainable paperboard, and bioethanol for industrial manufacturers across pharmaceuticals, food, filtration, construction, and packaging end markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Cellulose Manufacturing

NAICS

Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills (3221), Paper Manufacturing (322), Paper Mills (322120)

SIC

Pulp Mills (2611), Paperboard Mills (2631), Papers & Allied Products (2600)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Pulp (Microfibrillated/Nanocellulose, Filter/Technical Grades) (IMAMADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nanocellulose & Cellulose Derivatives (CNC/CNF, MCC, ethers/esters) (IMAMALAD), Hygiene Paper Raw Materials & Components (Pulp, SAP, Nonwovens, Elastics, Adhesives, Fragrances) (IMAMAGAI), Compostable & Bio-Based Packaging (PLA/PHA, Starch Blends, Cellulose Films) (IMALAMAB)

Keywords

• Specialty cellulose manufacturing
• High purity cellulose
• Biomaterials production
• Sustainable paperboard
• Bioethanol manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Jacksonville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. High Purity Cellulose / Cellulose Specialties: Sale of high-purity specialty cellulose products to industrial manufacturers for use in construction, coatings, electronics, filtration, food, pharmaceuticals, personal care, hygiene, textiles, and specialty bioplastics applications. This is the primary revenue driver generating approximately $862 million in net sales annually.
2. Paperboard: Production and sale of sustainable paperboard products including the Kallima brand for packaging and printing applications in North American markets.
3. High-Yield Pulp: Production and sale of fluff pulp and high-yield pulp products for hygiene, tissue, and industrial applications, with Nordic Swan Ecolabel certification.
4. Biofuels / Bioethanol: Production of second-generation bioethanol as a climate-friendly fuel alternative, part of the ReSTart e-SAF project in Tartas, France.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

RYAM manufactures and sells high-purity specialty cellulose for industrial applications in construction, coatings, electronics, filtration, automotive, food, pharmaceuticals, personal care, hygiene, textiles, and specialty bioplastics. It also produces Nordic Swan-certified softwood fluff pulp for hygiene products, sustainable paperboard under the Kallima brand for packaging, and second-generation bioethanol through its BioSolutions platform as a 90%-cleaner-than-fossil-fuels alternative for the European biofuels market.

Product overview

RYAM operates as a specialty cellulose and biomaterials manufacturer producing four main product lines: High Purity Cellulose (cellulose-based solutions for construction, electronics, filtration, food, pharmaceuticals, personal care, hygiene, and specialty bioplastics), BioMaterials/BioSolutions (including bioenergy, biofuel, and bioproducts), High-Yield Pulp (certified sustainable fluff pulp for hygiene applications), and Sustainable Paperboard under the Kallima brand. The company has reorganized into segments including High Purity Cellulose, Paperboard, and High-Yield Pulp, serving global markets across North America, Europe, and Asia with manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Canada, and France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• High Purity Cellulose High-purity specialty cellulose used as a raw material in construction, coatings, electronics, filtration, automotive, food, pharmaceuticals, personal care, hygiene, homecare, specialty bioplastics, and textiles applications.
• BioMaterials / BioSolutions Sustainable biomaterials including bioenergy, biofuel, and bioproducts derived from renewable cellulose-based resources, including second-generation bioethanol produced at the Tartas, France facility as a climate-friendly fuel alternative that is 90% cleaner than fossil fuels.
• High-Yield Pulp Certified sustainable softwood fluff pulp products used in hygiene applications, qualifying as Nordic Swan Ecolabel 'Inspected Raw Material' for environmentally friendly production.
• Sustainable Paperboard (Kallima) Sustainable paperboard products under the Kallima brand for packaging and printing applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% carbon footprint reduction by 2030
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and supporting.

• Verso EnergystrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Verso Energy and RYAM signed an Innovation Fund grant agreement with the European Commission for the ReSTart synthetic sustainable aviation fuel project in Tartas, France. The project was one of only three e-SAF projects selected under the Innovation Fund's Large Scale window in November 2025.
• United SteelworkerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2025In August 2025, RYAM and the United Steelworkers jointly filed anti-dumping petitions with US regulators against Brazilian and Norwegian producers of high-purity dissolving pulp.
• Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & KatzsupportingOthersWachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz serves as legal counsel to RYAM's Board during the strategic alternatives review process.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Borregaard: Norwegian specialty biochemicals and biopolymers company producing lignin-based products and specialty cellulose derivatives. Highly comparable to RYAM's specialty cellulose strategy with similar focus on high-purity, value-added bioproducts serving industrial customers.
• Sappi Limited: Global pulp and paper company with significant dissolving pulp (specialty cellulose) production. Direct competitor in the high-purity cellulose market serving textiles, pharmaceuticals, and specialty applications, with overlapping product portfolio to RYAM's Cellulose Specialties segment.
• Glatfelter Corporation: Specialty paper and engineered materials producer serving filtration, food, and industrial markets. Direct competitor in specialty cellulose-based products with similar end-market focus on filtration and technical applications.
• Mercer International: Producer of market pulp (NBSK and NBHK) and wood products with significant specialty pulp exposure. Comparable to RYAM in pulp mill operations, capital intensity, and exposure to global pulp commodity cycles.

Broad incumbents

• Mondi plc: European integrated pulp and paper group with significant sustainable packaging operations. Comparable in paperboard and sustainable packaging offerings (similar to RYAM's Kallima brand), with broader European market presence.
• Domtar (Paper Excellence): North American pulp and paper producer now owned by Paper Excellence. Comparable as a pulp and paperboard producer in the North American market, with overlapping customer base in industrial packaging and specialty paper grades.
• International Paper: One of the world's largest pulp and paper producers with significant cellulose and packaging operations. Broad overlap with RYAM's paperboard and pulp segments, though operates at far greater scale across more diverse product lines.
• Suzano S.A. Brazilian market pulp giant and subject of RYAM's anti-dumping petitions. Comparable as a major dissolving pulp and specialty cellulose producer; large-scale commodity producer competing directly with RYAM's high-purity cellulose.
• UPM-Kymmene: European forestry and paper company with growing biochemicals and biofuels segments. Comparable in cellulose-based biomaterials strategy and European manufacturing footprint, but operates at much larger scale with broader product portfolio.

Emerging players

• Verso Energy: French sustainable aviation fuel developer and RYAM's partner on the ReSTart e-SAF project. Comparable as a partner and emerging participant in the second-generation biofuels market that RYAM is targeting through its BioSolutions platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RYAMGlobal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rayonier-advanced-materials
• Instagraminstagram.com/ryamglobal

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rayonier Advanced Materials