NewPage Corporation to Outsource IT and HR to Accenture

Under the information technology agreement, Accenture will haveday-to-day operational responsibility for NewPage's enterprise ITfunctions, including infrastructure operations and maintenance,application maintenance and systems integration. Accenture is teamingwith (i)Structure, which will provide a portion of the infrastructureservices. NewPage retains responsibility for IT project management,business analysis, mill systems, strategic technical architecture andinformation security functions.

Under the human resources agreement, Accenture will provideNewPage with payroll, benefits administration, health and welfareadministration, contact center management and related IT services forthe company's more than 6,300 employees. The services will be providedthrough Accenture HR Services, an Accenture business that providespeople-management services on an outsourced basis.

NewPage Corporation began operating as an independent company onMay 2, 2005, when it acquired the Printing and Writing Papers Businessof MeadWestvaco Corporation. The agreements with Accenture aredesigned to enable NewPage to rapidly achieve operational efficienciesand better manage costs following the acquisition.

"One of our first priorities and challenges was to make NewPageCorporation a stand-alone entity, and we view our relationship withAccenture as one of the strategic catalysts to achieving this goal,"said Peter H. Vogel, Jr., president and CEO of NewPage Corporation."By outsourcing HR and IT services, we are creating a competitiveadvantage for NewPage, enabling us to focus our attention on marketstrategies and continually improving our core business processes."

"Current structural changes in the paper industry are driving anincreasing need for flexibility and competitiveness. This type ofbundled information technology and business process outsourcingprovides a flexible, cost-effective solution for companies to rapidlyand dramatically improve non-core processes," said Dave Abood, asenior executive in Accenture's Forest Products industry group. "Thisrelationship should enable the NewPage management team to focus evenmore on driving the core business."

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology servicesand outsourcing company. Committed to delivering innovation, Accenturecollaborates with its clients to help them become high-performancebusinesses and governments. With deep industry and business processexpertise, broad global resources and a proven track record, Accenturecan mobilize the right people, skills and technologies to help clientsimprove their performance. With more than 115,000 people in 48countries, the company generated net revenues of US$13.67 billion forthe fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2004. Its home page iswww.accenture.com.

About Accenture HR Services

Accenture HR Services, an Accenture business, providespeople-management services to enterprises on an outsourced basis.Employing advanced technology and best-of-breed human resourcespractices, Accenture HR Services works in close collaboration with itsclients to accommodate the unique needs and characteristics of theirbusiness operations and people. In this way, Accenture HR Servicesenables organizations to concentrate on optimizing their core businessactivities while reducing their cost and realizing the greatestpossible value from all of their assets. Its home page iswww.accenture.com/hrservices.

About NewPage Corporation

NewPage Corporation, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, is a leadingU.S. producer of coated papers in North America. With more than 6,300employees, the company operates five integrated pulp and papermanufacturing mills located in Chillicothe, Ohio; Escanaba, Michigan;Luke, Maryland; Rumford, Maine; and Wickliffe, Kentucky. These millshave a combined annual capacity of approximately 2.5 million tons ofcoated and carbonless paper. For additional information, please visitthe company's Web site at www.newpagecorp.com.