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The PM40 closed Thursday, 25 February 2021, at 3867.

Get the latest PM40 updates by listening to the weekly Nips show and the PM40 Daily Show on Pulp & Paper Radio International.

The PM40 closed 25 February 2021 up 23.8% from the 28 February 2020 level.

In this issue of Disconnected Comparisons, we evaluate Ennis, Inc and Amcor.

Reported insider trading since the last issue of PaperMoney.

The last month has seen pulp and paper mills in the United States struck by outside forces out of their control. Or were they? First, WestRock was reportedly invaded by a ransomware attack. We will not know what the damage was there until the next quarter's earnings are reported. Then, southern mills, especially in Texas but throughout the south, were crippled by a severe winter storm. What are the learnings?

Oji Fibre Solutions has appointed ABB to supply a specially-designed winder safety system - the first of its kind in New Zealand - as well as a winder drive control system and DCS880 drives.

Caverion has signed an agreement with Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, for the installation of electrical and ICT systems in the world's most modern sawmill under construction in Rauma, Finland. The project includes all electrical installations for the building solutions, such as electricity distribution, lighting, telecommunications, fire alarm and emergency lighting installations.

This April 27-29 we'll be hosting a series of parallel Energy & Natural Resources events online, including the International SAP Conferences for Building Materials, Forest Products, Paper & Packaging and Mining & Metals.

Toscotec successfully accomplished an extensive rebuild of Russian containerboard manufacturer JSC Yarpaper's PM1 at their mill in Yaroslavl, near Moscow. PM1 has a wire width of 2,830 mm and produces 100% recycled-based fluting and test liner in the range from 90 to 175 gsm.

Kadant Black Clawson LLC and Kadant Lamort SAS, subsidiaries of Kadant Inc., announced the global launch of the Foundations fiber product line. The integrated stock preparation product portfolio was developed to address the application challenges facing the fiber processing industry today including highly variable raw material, alternative fibers, dirtier furnishes, getting more with less, and short supply of industry knowledge and dependable support, among others.

The new bioproduct mill will have an annual pulp production capacity of 1.5 million tonnes and in addition produce various other bioproducts. The new totally fossil fuel free mill is scheduled to start-up in the third quarter 2023.

Republic Paperboard installed and commissioned a new curtain coater system, which was built by Voith and will allow Republic to produce coated Gypsum Linerboard for the first time.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö works to create innovative products that provide high performance as well as sustainability benefits for customers and consumers. As part of the company's continuous commitment to sustainability, CelluStraw™ papers are now BPI® certified, in addition to carrying OK compost HOME and OK compost INDUSTRIAL certifications, qualifying compostability in a home environment and in industrial facilities.

Domtar has been honored as one of the winners of the Beyond the Bag Challenge, led by the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag -- a collaboration convened by Closed Loop Partners with leading retailers, environmental partners, global design firm IDEO and others.

International Paper is one of only six companies to be recognized for the 15th consecutive year and one of only two honorees in the forestry, paper and packaging industry. In 2021, 135 honorees were recognized spanning 22 countries and 47 industries.

Kimberly-Clark has been recognized by Ethisphere for the third consecutive year as one of the 2021 World's Most Ethical Companies and a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices.

Lecta expands its portfolio of Adestor pressure-sensitive products for the industrial, logistics and healthcare industries with the launch of Adestor PET Laser MW.

Quad/Graphics, Inc. and the Quadracci family's Windhover Foundation are announcing a three-year, $1 million commitment to The BrandLab, a non-profit dedicated to changing the face and voice of the marketing industry by creating opportunities for young people from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company announced its work to create tangible moments for Kindli, a social media alternative focused on positivity and connecting people with acts of kindness.

Smurfit Kappa announced the launch of a new packing system for its sustainable TopClip product, a paper-based replacement for plastic shrink wrap that bundles beverage multi-packs.

Smurfit Kappa is launching its innovative punnet portfolio in Europe. The "Safe&Green" portfolio is Smurfit Kappa's paper-based, sustainable solution to plastic packaging for fresh produce, and consists of unique designs that are 100% renewable, recyclable, and biodegradable.

SCA increases the prices on white and brown kraftliner in Europe by €50 per tonne. The new price is valid from April 1, 2021.

Sun Chemical will increase prices across a broad portfolio of its packaging and commercial sheetfed inks, coatings, and adhesives in North America (also EMEA and Latin America), effective March 15, 2021.

Through close and enduring collaboration BillerudKorsnäs and Tetra Pak aim to push the figure of renewable material from wood fibre in carton packages towards 100%. Already today the figure is about 70%. New innovations to further increase the sustainability of packages are since long top of the agenda for both companies.

Wisconsin startup accelerator Gener8tor and Georgia-Pacific, a major manufacturer of tissue, pulp, paper, packaging, building products and related chemicals, are partnering on a new accelerator program that will be operated from the Atlanta-based company's consumer products R&D center in Neenah.

A venture part-owned by Finnish forestry group Stora Enso, Sweden's H&M and IKEA said on Tuesday it was set to build a demonstration plant in Sweden for a new, more sustainable wood-based textile fibre after years of research.

Mondi Group, a leading global packaging and paper company, announces a three-year strategic partnership to support the United Nations World Food Programme's (WFP's) efforts to save lives, change lives around the globe.

Brazilian pulp group Suzano and Finnish cellulose fibre startup Spinnova will build a plant in Finland to make a sustainable textile fibre from wood and waste.

The dispute over Eldorado began in September 2018, when billionaire brothers Joesley and Wesley Batista, owners of Eldorado and behemoth meatpacker JBS SA, canceled the sale to Paper Excellence.

A major construction project at the Louisiana Pacific Houlton mill in New Limerick will begin this summer. $150 million dollars is being invested in the project that will convert the mill to manufacture LP's Flagship product.

Pregis, a leading manufacturer of protective packaging, is announcing a new 300,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Bethel, Pennsylvania. The plant will be producing lightweight, recyclable all-paper cushioned mailers to support demand in the Northeastern region of North America.

Packaging Corporation of America announced that it has discontinued production of uncoated freesheet (UFS) grades on the No. 3 paper machine at its Jackson, AL mill and will begin preparing for the permanent conversion of the machine to linerboard.

Commercial Development Company, Inc. (CDC) announced the acquisition of a 162-acre retired lumber mill property in Coos Bay, Oregon. The site was acquired by CDC affiliate Coos Bay LLC and purchased from Georgia-Pacific West, LLC. The transaction includes the acquisition of real estate, machinery & equipment, and assumption of environmental liabilities. CDC affiliate Environmental Liability Transfer, Inc. facilitated the transfer of environmental liabilities.

The speculation comes as the company is set to close the sale of its personal care business this quarter and after the company announced last month that CEO John Williams would be taking temporary leave after contracting Covid.

Further to the announcement on December 10, 2020, hygiene and health company Essity has now entered an agreement with hygiene company Asaleo Care to acquire the remaining 63.8% of the shares in the company for AUD 1.40 cash per share. Asaleo Care is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and Essity is the largest shareholder, currently holding 36.2% of the shares.

International Paper has acquired Berkley International's Molded Fiber (pulp) manufacturing division, Berkley MF LLC, for an undisclosed purchase price. Calabasas Capital served as exclusive financial advisor to Berkley.

Mill Rock Capital, a growth and operations oriented private investment firm, announced today that its portfolio company Mill Rock Packaging Partners LLC ("Mill Rock Packaging") has acquired All Packaging Company ("All Packaging"), a leading specialty paper packaging company focused on various consumer end markets.

Mondi Plc, the packaging and paper group, is exploring a potential takeover of British rival DS Smith Plc, according to people familiar with the matter.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Paul Quinn has suggested that B.C.'s Big 3 could become the Big 2, with Canfor buying Interfor.

A key investor in Greater Manchester industrial tapes and wound care group Scapa has called on its directors to strike a better deal with its US suitor.

UFP Industries, Inc. announced that one of its wholly owned subsidiaries, Sunbelt Forest Products Corporation, signed an agreement to purchase the net operating assets of Spartanburg Forest Products, Inc. and its affiliates. The purchase price for Spartanburg's property, plants and equipment is approximately $17 million.

Weyerhaeuser Company announced an agreement to purchase 69,200 acres of high-quality Alabama timberlands from Soterra, a subsidiary of Greif, Inc., for approximately $149 million. The acquisition is comprised of highly productive timberlands situated in southwest Alabama, approximately 100 miles north of Mobile.

Appvion Inc. officials announced Monday they will close the Spring Mill, which has been operating since 1866, this spring and nearly 300 jobs will be lost.

Domtar Corporation announced that John D. Williams will return from temporary medical leave following having contracted the Covid-19 and is resuming authority and responsibility as President and Chief Executive Officer on Monday, March 1st, 2021.

Commercial Development Co. Inc., the St. Louis, Missouri-based company that purchased the mill from WestRock, began auctioning off heavy equipment, steam-generating machinery and other items last fall.

JobsOhio has provided BurrowsTM with a $400,000 grant to invest in new machinery, equipment and infrastructure at its manufacturing plants in Franklin and Mount Vernon, Ohio.

Significant progress has been made at the former Madison Paper Industries mill under its new leadership.

Thursday February 25, at 7.07 am, SCA closed permanently paper machine LWC4 at Ortviken paper mill. With this, SCA's all production of publication paper has come to an end.

Stora Enso recently announced that it will host TreeToTextile's demonstration plant for sustainable textile fiber.

As more states, counties and cities ban plastic bags, DS Smith, the leading supplier of sustainable packaging solutions, now is offering grocery stores and consumers Greentote, the first reusable, moisture-resistant, modular, 100% recyclable container made from renewable resources.

Enviva, a leading global renewable energy company specializing in sustainable wood bioenergy, announced its goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its operations by 2030.

The Ministry of the Environment says it will continue to look into an incident where Resolute Forest Products was discharging "higher than normal contaminant levels" through its effluent into the Kaministiquia River.

This certification was awarded as a result of Mondi Steinfeld switching to renewable energy and supporting certain climate projects in 2020.

Port Hawkesbury Paper is developing a wind farm project that could be the largest in Nova Scotia.

The Ministry of the Environment says it will continue to look into an incident where Resolute Forest Products was discharging "higher than normal contaminant levels" through its effluent into the Kaministiquia River.

Tetra Pak has announced the introduction of certified recycled polymers, becoming the first company in the food and beverage packaging industry to be awarded the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) Advanced Products certification. Its carton packages integrating attributed recycled polymers are now available for food and beverage manufacturers.

UPM has joined The Climate Pledge, a cross-sector community of world-class companies working together to crack the climate crisis and to decarbonise our economy. These companies are committed to reach the targets of the Paris Agreement well in advance. The Climate Pledge was co-founded by Amazon and the Global Optimism.

Production at UPM sawmills is now running completely on renewable energy. Since the beginning of 2020, no fossil energy sources have been used in production at any of the company's four sawmills.

Clearwater Paper Corporation announced that it temporarily suspended its pulp and paperboard operation in Cypress Bend, Arkansas. The cold weather has resulted in the curtailment of natural gas deliveries to the mill as natural gas providers prioritize residential needs.

Fire department officials described the fire as tough to put out because it was in a difficult spot to reach. Additionally, the burning material was likened to mulch, which is prone to deep-seated fire that can smolder for hours.

Fire crews spent several hours overnight Feb. 18 keeping an eye on a portion of the Domtar mill where a small fire broke out just before midnight. KFR crews assisted emergency crews from Domtar in dealing with the issue.

Domtar Corporation announced appointments to the company's management committee. These appointments streamline and simplify the company's management structure and will help advance Domtar's strategic plan to lower costs and refocus the company's portfolio on paper, pulp and packaging.

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation has announced they will restart production at the Peace Valley OSB Mill in Fort St. John.

Nordic Paper has appointed Henrik Essén to a position as Head of IR and Strategy. He will assume his position on March 1st 2021 and will be part of the executive management team of the company.

Novolex announced that Dennis Norman has been appointed Chief Financial Officer, effective March 1, 2021. In this capacity, Norman will lead Novolex's finance organization and will be responsible for finance, accounting, treasury, risk management and information technology.

Rottneros' CFO Monica Pasanen will leave her position in the autumn of 2021. Thus, the recruitment of her successor will begin immediately.

The fire involved the finished cardboard canisters manufactured by the facility, which were stored on plastic pallets and shrink-wrapped, then stacked three pallets high, according to authorities.

Quinte West Fire Department investigators will be returning to the Cascades containerboard packaging facility in Trenton Monday morning, February 22, 2021.

The state Department of Labor and Industries is investigating the death of a truck driver who was struck by a 1,500-pound cardboard bale at a McKinley Paper Company unloading area.

Loewe joins Weyerhaeuser from Visa, where she served as senior vice president of finance, and she brings more than 20 years of financial and operating experience across multiple industries.