Recent Articles

Company to Exit Molded Fiber Business; Additional Facility Changes Planned

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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. 

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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