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The PM40 closed Friday, 27 June 2025, at 5207.

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 27 June 2025 down 4.5% from the 28 June 2024 level.

In this issue of Disconnected Comparisons, we evaluate Rayonier and UPM Kymmene.

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

As I write this, it is all downhill from here. At least in the Northern Hemisphere--the summer solstice has come and gone, and days are getting shorter. Our Southern Hemisphere friends can look forward to winter and spring. From a business standpoint, we have met this year with some fear and trepidation. After the tariff scare of April, the stock market seems to be recovering. The pulp and paper industry seems to be a bit behind this.

Salico, founded in 1978, manufactures advanced finishing equipment for metal flat strip processing.

The combined company will unite complementary business models to further solidify Solenis' position as a global leader for water and hygiene solutions.

This marks a repeat order for Toscotec, following the successful start-up of a tissue machine at GrandBay's Guatemala site in 2023.

Voith announces a rebuild agreement with GDT Paper Joint Stock Company in Vietnam.

Nordic Paper has entered into an agreement with a syndicate of financial institutions on a long term senior secured financing to Nordic Paper in the form of a Euro 275 million term loan B and a revolving credit facility of Euro 65 million.

Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc., the global leader in High Purity Cellulose, and Verso Energy announced the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen their strategic collaboration. The agreement represents a major step forward in evaluating the development of a breakthrough facility in Jesup, Georgia, to produce electro Sustainable Aviation Fuel (e-SAF) and valorize biogenic carbon dioxide from RYAM's manufacturing operations.

The settlement requires Domtar to remove the PFAS-contaminated sludge from the site and dispose of it in a licensed landfill. Domtar will also be required to investigate the presence of PFAs in the sediment in surface water at the site, and pay $300,000 to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to help clear the site of PFAS.

Delivery driver claims he was deformed after incident involving caustic soda.

Ahlstrom, a global leader in sustainable specialty materials, has started a new state-of-the-art production line for molecular filtration media at its Turin site in Italy. This major investment strengthens Ahlstrom's leadership in the molecular filtration market and enhances its ability to serve the growing global demand for high-performance specialty materials. 

Officials said the company's TimberStrand facility near Monticello and Warren is expected to bring 200 "high quality" jobs to the region upon completion.

An official with International Paper told state and local leaders Monday that the company has decided to forego hiring a commercial broker and will instead handle the sale of its Georgetown mill internally.

The agreement was announced on April 9. All necessary approval and closing procedures and conditions have been satisfied. With four new facilities, Sofidel further strengthens its production footprint in the North American market, which today accounts for 50% of the Group's total revenue.

The acquisition, completed through the newly formed subsidiary, Barnwell Tissue Solutions, is ST's third tissue facility and brings the company's total annual production capacity to 220,000 tons. The expansion strengthens ST's position as a premier supplier of high-quality parent rolls for bathroom tissue, paper towels, and napkins across North America.

The inauguration brought together nearly 20 clients from CMPC's pulp, boxboard, sack kraft, and wood businesses. Guests were welcomed into the company's newly remodeled offices and participated in a series of events aimed at reinforcing collaboration and mutual growth.

Norske Skog Skogn will enter the European market for book paper during the Q2 2026. The new product, branded NOR Book, will be offered in standard qualities pertaining to bulkiness, brightness, and shade.

A unique opportunity to acquire high-capacity paper manufacturing equipment and mill support assets is set to unfold as three leading industrial asset management firms--PPL Group, CRG, and Rabin Worldwide--join forces to conduct a public auction of the former Ponderay Newsprint Mill located in Usk, Washington. The auction will be held online and the two-day sale will be on July 22nd and July 23rd. Pre-Auction offers are encouraged.

Company to Exit Molded Fiber Business; Additional Facility Changes Planned

The idea would be to make two independent companies, which could focus more on their individual areas and be more streamlined. Stora Enso would continue as a renewable packaging provider.

ProAmpac, a leading global flexible packaging company, announced that it has partnered with Western Michigan University to Advance Fiber Packaging Innovation.

Ahlstrom's Thilmany facility, an over-100-year-old paper mill, received Focus on Energy's Energy Efficiency Excellence Award for 2025, with the program celebrating the plant's achievements over the last eight years.

TFL 3 is located within the Selkirk Natural Resource District, about 40 kilometres north of Castlegar, near Slocan, Canada.

With the goal of strengthening the forest's role in climate transition, Södra's Research Foundation is investing SEK 8.75 million in seven research projects. The projects range from soil and growing forests to innovative solutions contributing to the green transition.

In collaboration with the AI company Terra Labs, Södra is now launching an initiative to ensure that members have continuous access to regularly updated insights about their forests. Broad knowledge of forest owners' needs is being combined with AI, automated data, and new working methods to provide members with the best possible decision-making support regarding their forest.

Stora Enso and Metsähallitus Parks & Wildlife Finland announced the start of a cooperation to protect the highly endangered freshwater pearl mussel in Finland. During the almost six-year contract period, mussel habitats will be mapped, inventoried and restored, watercourses will be restored and managed, and information system data will be improved. Stora Enso will finance the programme with Euro 1.1 million by the end of 2030.

Approximately 290 employees will be affected by the closures, which will also reduce Canfor's U.S. lumber production capacity by 350 million board feet annually.

A northern Ontario forestry company says a train crossing Highway 560 collided Wednesday morning, June 25, with logs that were spilled by an overturned contractor's trailer.

Metsä Board ended board production at its Tako mill in Tampere, Finland, on June 17 after shutting down board machine BM1. The closure removed 210,000 tonnes of folding boxboard capacity--about 13% of the company's total--and followed change negotiations announced in March as part of efforts to improve profitability and cost competitiveness, according to Metsä Board Corporation.

Due to the dry weather and wind the fire was very intense.

As crews worked to suppress and extinguish the fire, numerous hot spots were found. The fire was under control and the last units cleared the scene just after 3 a.m. on June 20.

One person died and five others sustained injuries after a reactor burst at a factory in Kamptee, around 17 kilometres from Nagpur city, on Tuesday, June 17.

El Paso Police Department officers responded to a call of a man with a gun, and arrived to find that the manager at the facility --identified as 46-year-old Leonardo Martinez of El Paso -- had been shot and wounded, Gomez said.

Nobody was injured by a fire that broke out at a paper plant in Calhoun, TN late Monday night, June 16.

Unite, the UK's leading union, has committed to oppose the threatened closure of a packaging factory in Derbyshire, as consultations have begun.