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The PM40 closed Friday, 28 March 2025, at 5488.

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 28 March 2025 down 5.4% from the 28 March 2024 level.

In this issue of Disconnected Comparisons, we evaluate Smurfit Westrock and Universal Forest Products.

The Trump Administration's executive orders cut across dozens of industries. This searchable tool breaks down the orders and their impact.

I recently attended a seminar that presented data on privately owned versus publicly traded pulp and paper companies. The conclusion was that publicly traded companies are poorer performers, less well maintained and have more of a chance of being obsolete than privately held companies.

A.Celli has been choosen to rebuild the press section of the Umka Cardboard Mill's paper machine in Umka, Belgrade, Serbia. The project will be executed in a strong cooperation model involving actively the Umka and A.Celli technical teams.

Under this first-of-its-kind agreement, HolyPoly, a specialist in the recycling of post-consumer plastic waste, has been licensed by ANDRITZ to collect used paper machine clothing (PMC) from paper mills and recycle it.

EPIQ Machinery, a leader in integrated material handling solutions for the metals & mining, and pulp and paper industries, is proud to announce the strategic acquisition of a 50% stake in FAFECO GROUP, one of India's most respected crane and overhead crane manufacturers.

The implementation of the expansion project will begin in 2026.

Ledinek announces its latest project - supplying a CLT production line to the USA. The line will be installed at Crescent Mill in Northern California, near the Nevada state border.

On Recycling Day, Maflex, a leader in the tissue converting sector in Italy, explores the benefits and challenges associated with using recycled paper in converting lines.

The delivery is scheduled for August 2025.

Introduced in 2024, Valmet DNAe takes a modern and proactive approach to cybersecurity, enabling companies to effectively prevent and respond to evolving cyber threats.

Valmet's new premises in Tikkurila, Vantaa, have been completed. Nearly 700 Valmet employees in Finland, mainly from Järvenpää and partly from Vantaa's Hakkila office, have moved into the new premises in early spring.

The replacement roll will be delivered during the second quarter of 2026.

Ahlstrom, a global leader in fiber-based specialty materials, enhances its offering for its patented lignin-based filtration media. A proven, high-performance alternative to traditional filtration materials further supports customers in making sustainable choices.

Atlantic Packaging has elevated its support to become the newest Pinnacle Member of The Conservation Alliance (TCA), it was announced by TCA Executive Director Paul Hendricks.

Georgia-Pacific's gypsum facility in Fletcher, Okla., is experimenting with artificial intelligence to help make sure people go home the same way they came to work.

Sonoco Products Company, a global leader in high-value sustainable packaging, has been named one of America's Most Trustworthy Companies, ranking 11th in the Transport, Logistics and Packaging sector.

For the second consecutive year, Sustana has maintained its position in the top 5% of companies worldwide recognized for sustainable development. This year's impressive score of 79 now places Sustana in the top 3% of all global companies assessed by EcoVadis.

Tork, an Essity brand and the global leader in professional hygiene, launched the Tork Coalition for Inclusive Hygiene whose mission is to explore how hygiene in public restrooms, often the busiest space in a facility, can be improved for the majority of users.

Looking further ahead to 2027, International Paper predicts its free cash flow to be in the range of $2 billion to $2.5 billion.

Last week, Rottneros issued a profit warning due to rising raw material prices, the world market's declining demand for mechanical pulp and an increasingly weaker dollar exchange rate. The Group is now giving notice of redundancy for 47 people, most of those affected are working at Rottneros Mill in Sunne.

U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threat could motivate more Canadian lumber producers to shift to the U.S. southern border while accelerating efforts to find new markets, industry experts said.

Nordic Paper is currently reviewing options for its long term financing. Due to this, the Board of Directors of Nordic Paper has decided to propose no dividend for the financial year 2024 to the Annual General Meeting to be held on 28 May 2025.

The US president's proposal to increase domestic lumber production by expanding logging on federal lands faces major obstacles, including labor shortages, infrastructure deficiencies, and investment risks.

Japan Airlines (JAL), Airbus, Nippon Paper Industries, Sumitomo Corporation, and Green Earth Institute (GEI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on the realization of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) using bioethanol derived from domestic wood.

Peab and Södra are starting a collaboration to jointly drive climate change in the construction industry. The goal is to develop a standardized ECO hybrid frame solution for industrial volume production of homes where material choices will be guided by function, climate benefit and resource efficiency

British Columbia has committed more than $97 million to support forestry-sector manufacturers through the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund (BCMJF), contributing to the protection of over 3,500 jobs and attracting $680 million in private investment.

The Government of Canada has announced an investment exceeding $20 million to support 67 projects aimed at strengthening British Columbia's forest sector. The funding, unveiled by Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, will enhance competitiveness, sustainability, and resilience in the industry.

The Euro 7.1 million investment completed with cutting-edge technology aims to elevate Saica Flex's operations and support the group's rapid growth, marking a pivotal milestone in the division's journey towards enhanced production and sustainability.

As a result, the transaction is now expected to close on April 1, 2025.

Final preparations at the production site are ongoing, and the project budget remains unchanged.

Stora Enso's new consumer packaging board line at the Oulu site in Finland has started production ramp-up. The first customer deliveries are expected in the second quarter of 2025.

Setra Group will make a transition from continuous production to periodic production of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and wood components at the facility in Långshyttan, Dalarna, Sweden. This adjustment, aimed at ensuring long-term financial stability, will result in layoff notices being issued to around 60 employees.

Sappi Europe introduces Arboro, an educational board game that showcases the versatility of modern paper solutions

The challenge aims to support innovative companies that provide new, innovative compostable or recyclable barrier coatings solutions for paper and other compostable substrates.

Activists from Greenpeace Norden held up banners and played bird sounds through speakers to interrupt proceedings multiple times. They called on the company to adopt a clear and comprehensive policy ensuring that no wood from old-growth or natural forests is used in its products.

Kimberly-Clark's tissue manufacturing site in Koblenz, Germany is on track to move to 100% renewable energy by 2029.

International Paper, the owner of the mill, also agreed to operational and inspection changes, employee training and recordkeeping improvements and potentially upgrades of a key incineration furnace that was the focus of regulators' concerns, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency settlement.

An employee at an Appleton-based paper company died on Wednesday, March 12 after a workplace accident.

Crew says the fire was fully contained in about 80 minutes. No injuries were reported in the event of the fire.

Shreveport Fire Department (SFD) continued to rotate crews in and out every three hours Sunday (March 16), a day after a three-alarm fire involving 9,500 tons of paper erupted at a Pratt Industries recycling facility at the Port of Caddo-Bossier.

UPM Plywood and the Industrial Union have failed to reach an agreement on a new employer-specific collective agreement. The union rejected the mediator's settlement proposal, and the five-week strike at UPM Plywood mills in Finland continues.

A truck driver was killed after strong winds from Sunday afternoon's storms caused his trailer and cab to overturn.