Archives

We are updating this list as these happen in the pulp, paper and forest products industry

The PM40 closed Friday, 14 January 2022, at 4516.

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 14 January 2022 up 35.4% from the 15 January 2021 level.

In this issue of Disconnected Comparisons, we evaluate WestRock and PCA.

Reported insider trading since the last issue of PaperMoney.

Ladies and gentlemen, the first class of inductees to the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame in Appleton, Wisconsin was inducted more than two decades ago in 1995, and today, close to 150 papermaking innovators and legends have been enshrined. This month, we profile the late Harry F. Lewis, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.

ANDRITZ has successfully started up a new 950 t/d HERB chemical recovery boiler at JK Paper Limited, Unit: CPM at Fort Songadh, in the Tapi District of Gujarat state, India.

ANDRITZ has successfully completed all the performance test runs for the PrimeLineCOMPACT tissue production line delivered on turnkey basis to MG TEC Industry for its mill in Dej, Romania.

Core Link has been awarded a combined contract by Metsä Board for new Core Handling and Roll Handling systems, to ensure the planned production capacity increase on BM1 at the Metsä Board Husum Mill.

Voith has achieved an ambitious sustainability goal: As of the beginning of 2022, Voith has successfully reduced the CO2 emissions at all its sites to "net zero." Therefore, the Group's operations will be climate neutral from January onwards.

Valmet introduces the Valmet Fiber Furnish Control application package for board and papermakers to stabilize refiner operation for maximized production efficiency with ensured furnish quality. Based on real time measurements of multiple fiber properties and freeness, the control features advanced feedback and feedforward solutions together with model predictive control.

Valmet, a global leader in the supply and development of technologies, automation, and services for the pulp, paper and energy segments, celebrated a year of partnership with Klabin through its machine maintenance contract.

Valmet will supply a new IntelliJet V hydraulic headbox to Andhra Paper Ltd. for its Kadiyam facility in India. The start-up of the equipment is scheduled for the third quarter of 2022.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö introduces EcoJetTM Transfer S Series fordigital-transfer printing applications. The new product series consist of high-quality transfer papers that offer excellent printing and transfer resolution, fast ink drying, and high ink acceptance, especially suitable for hard surface image transfer.

However, while paper-based packaging is appealing, its use for many foods and other sensitive products remains limited today because the market lacks a high-barrier, recyclable paper-based solution. Solving this packaging innovation challenge is one that Amcor's experts are about to turn from ambition to reality.

Clearwater Paper Corporation has introduced NuVo® with BioPBS™, a sustainable cup stock that provides foodservice operators with a compostable alternative to hot cups coated with low-density polyethylene.

Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) has been included in Forbes magazine's 2021 list of "World's Best Employers" -- one of only 24 U.S.-based manufacturing/engineering companies to make the list.

Sappi Limited, a leading producer of dissolving pulp sold under the brand name Verve, is pleased to announce that it has completed a self-assessment of the Higg Facility Social and Labour Module (FSLM) at its Ngodwana and Saiccor Mills in South Africa.

Sonoco, one of the largest sustainable global packaging companies, announced the successful pricing of its first green bonds to support the Company's sustainability strategy.

In a partnership with WestRock and Grupo Gondi, Grupo Modelo is investing roughly 4 million dollars in the sustainable, fiber-based CanCollar® Eco solution in Quintana Roo, a Mexican state on the Yucatan Peninsula. The partnership aims to help advance the beer company's sustainability goals by eliminating its use of plastic rings in Mexico.

Ilim Group has signed two trilateral strategic partnership agreements with Shanghai High Hope Pulp and Paper, with the third parties to these agreements being Hengan Group and Mudanjiang Heng Feng Paper, which consume Ilim's pulp and paperboard to produce their own P&P products.

Columbia Pulp I, LLC and GMCO Corporation announced plans to partner in the processing and sale of an innovative chloride-free soil stabilization and dust control product under GMCO's IntegriBlend brand. The IntegriBlend-CF product developed by GMCO is built upon Columbia Pulp's novel biopolymer chemistry platform, introducing a high-performance non-chloride alternative to dust suppression and soil stabilization applications.

Nouryon has signed a 15-year agreement with Suzano, a world leading eucalyptus pulp producer. Under the long-term agreement, Nouryon will commission its sustainable Integrated Manufacturing Model for the new Suzano eucalyptus pulp mill in the municipality of Ribas do Rio Pardo, located in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

Tetra Pak, in partnership with Elvir, a subsidiary of Savencia Fromage & Dairy - a world leading milk processor - has become the first carton packaging player in the food and beverage industry to launch a cap using certified recycled polymers.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman in Manhattan dismissed claims by water management company Suez Water New York Inc that E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Co and three related companies should pay for upgrades to five water-treatment plants in southern New York due to the companies' alleged role in pollution of the state's water with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

R. R. Donnelley & Sons said the recent systems intrusion that it disclosed last month has been contained, as per its latest SEC filing.

A hack targeting business communications company RR Donnelley was behind recent service outages at Fidelity and may have caused a six-day outage on Vanguard's website, according to news reports.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) announced on Wednesday a settlement with Verso Corp. over National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System violations at the company's Escanaba Mill.

Governor Ralph Northam announced that Kamine Development Corporation and Nicollet Industries, LLC, green infrastructure and sustainable development leaders, will invest $267 million to establish a joint venture paperboard recycling and production facility, Celadon Development Corporation, at the Chesapeake Deepwater Terminal site in the City of Chesapeake. Virginia successfully competed with South Carolina for the project, which will create 210 new jobs.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö has successfully completed the acquisition of a 60% stake in Chinese decor paper producer Minglian New Materials Technology Co., Ltd. and forms a joint venture which comprises a state-of-the-art plant in the city of Xingtai, Hebei Province, China. A non-binding letter of intent with the majority shareholders was initially signed in November 2019 but the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the negotiations and closing of the transaction.

Bast Fibre Technologies Inc. (BFT), a manufacturer of premium natural fibres for the global nonwoven and textile industries, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Lumberton Cellulose LLC (LC), a natural fibre processing facility located in Lumberton, North Carolina from Georgia-Pacific Cellulose LLC.

Potential uses for the six-story south section of the mill building are being explored. KKIL is conducting a feasibility study to see if converting the space into apartments -- including indoor parking, an outdoor rooftop area and other amenities -- is possible.

Greif, Inc., a global leader in industrial packaging products and services, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to divest its 50% share in the Flexible Packaging joint venture, or "FPS" to Gulf Refined Packaging (GRP) for a total cash consideration of $123 million, subject to certain conditions and post-closing adjustments. Greif expects to use the proceeds for debt repayment.

Huhtamaki has acquired full ownership of its Polish joint venture company Huhtamaki Smith Anderson sp. z o.o. from Smith Anderson Group Ltd. (SA). The company manufactures and sells foodservice paper bags in Eastern Europe at Huhtamaki's facility in Czeladz, Poland.

Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, purchases from Pohjolan Voima Oyj all the shares in Hämeenkyrön Voima Oy that it owns. Metsä Board has announced its plan to purchase the shares on 27 September 2021.

Pactiv Evergreen Inc. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Evergreen Packaging International LLC (Evergreen Packaging), to sell its carton packaging and filling machinery businesses in China, Korea and Taiwan to SIG Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft GmbH, a subsidiary of SIG Combibloc Group Ltd, for an enterprise value of approximately $335 million.

Sonoco Recycling, a unit of Sonoco, has acquired American Recycling of Western North Carolina, a privately owned recovered paper recycler located in Asheville, North Carolina.

Verso Corp. holder Hoak & Co. is against the company's $27/share sale to to BillerudKorsnas and would like the company to remain independent.

Green Bay Packaging Inc. has announced it will begin construction of a new 600,000 square foot corrugator plant in Fort Worth, Texas. Construction on the site is set to begin in the first quarter of 2022 and startup operation is scheduled for the second quarter of 2023.

Georgia-Pacific has announced the acquisition of property in Centralia, saying in a news release it intends to expand its corrugated packaging operations in the Pacific Northwest.

Jan. 3 marks Enviva Inc.'s first full trading day as a corporation on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: EVA) following its successful conversion (the "Conversion") from Enviva Partners, LP, a master limited partnership, to Enviva Inc. ("Enviva"), a Delaware corporation, on December 31, 2021. As part of the Conversion, Enviva also announced the appointment of three new members to its board and changes that will further strengthen its executive leadership team.

We are updating this list as these happen in the pulp, paper and forest products industry

The province's independent watchdog for forest practices says Tolko Industries Ltd. could have done more to assess the potential impacts of its tree harvesting over the past few years between two North Okanagan communities.

In addition to causing cancer, the compound known as dioxin can also cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage to the immune system and interfere with hormones. It's sometimes produced by chlorine bleaching of pulp and paper.

Huhtamaki has taken a significant first step in China towards its global sustainability ambitions by installing and commissioning its first solar panel arrays at its factories in Guangzhou and Shanghai and successfully connecting these to the electricity grid on January 1, 2022.

Mondi has accelerated plans to take action on climate by committing to transition to Net-Zero by 2050. This next step builds on almost two decades of progress, including a 45% reduction in specific greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions against a 2004 baseline and science-based targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in 2019.

Rayonier Advanced Materials, Inc., a global leader in the production of high purity cellulose pulp, announced that it has achieved International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Plus (ISCC+) recognition at its Fernandina Beach facility.

Smurfit Kappa has had its emissions reduction targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) as consistent with levels required to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. The targets covering greenhouse gas emissions from Smurfit Kappa's operations (scopes 1 and 2) are consistent with reductions required to keep global warming to well-below 2°C.

Sustana Fiber along with a group of prominent paper mills and end markets across North America signed a declaration of acceptance and a commitment to increasing recycling of paper cups. The group includes Essity, GP PRO, Graphic Packaging International, Great Lakes Tissue Company, ND Paper, Pratt Industries, WestRock and Sustana Fiber.

SWM International released its 2021 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report as part of its ongoing efforts to increase transparency around its ESG strategy and initiatives. The report highlights the Company's commitment to sustainable business practices and how it is addressing key ESG areas of focus.

BillerudKorsnäs has been awarded the Climate Prize as part of the supplier engagement initiative "Join us in protecting the planet", driven by Tetra Pak. The company, which is one of BillerudKorsnäs' most important customers, launched this initiative last year to create a movement aimed to accelerate sustainability actions across its value chain.

UPM Raflatac and WWF Poland have renewed their contract to build a smarter future beyond fossils together.

Incidents in 2022: We are updating this list as these happen in the pulp, paper and forest products industry

Boise Cascade Company announced the expansion of its Building Materials Distribution (BMD) operations in Minnesota and Northern Kentucky.

Graphic Packaging Holding Company announced that Maggie Bidlingmaier will join Graphic Packaging as EVP and President of the Americas business unit.

IT Tech Packaging, Inc., a leading manufacturer and distributor of diversified paper products in North China, released a letter to shareholders from the Chairman of the Company's board of directors.

A fire that started inside a mixing tank Friday morning, Dec. 31, at Georgia Pacific Chemicals in Taylorsville was quickly brought under control.

Officials have recovered a body that was reported in a retention pond at Georgia-Pacific's facility in Brunswick.

A person has died following a medical incident at the Oji Fibre Solutions Kinleith Mill.

The Finnish Paperworkers' Union has issued a new strike announcement to UPM, declaring that their strike at UPM's Finnish mills will be extended by two weeks until 5 February 2022, unless new agreements are reached before that. The Paperworkers' Union's strike at UPM Pulp, UPM Biofuels, UPM Communication Papers, UPM Specialty Papers and UPM Raflatac units in Finland started 1 January 2022.

Shortly before the holidays, the group of warehousers at the packaging giant voted unanimously to ratify a new three-year contract. The agreement brings wage increases of $1/hr in the first year, maintains health and welfare benefits, and strengthens retirement security with the new Retirees Plus XL plan.