Major Announcements

Interfor announced that it will indefinitely curtail operations at its sawmills in Meldrim, Georgia and Summerville, South Carolina. These curtailments are in response to persistently weak lumber market conditions.

The Supervisory Board of Heinzel Holding GmbH announces the appointment of Karl Achleitner as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Heinzel Holding, effective September 2, 2024. Achleitner will join the top management team of Heinzel Group, alongside CEO Sebastian Heinzel.

Nearly 10,000 Canadian rail workers will end their work stoppage after the Canada Industrial Relations Board sided with a federal order to resume operations at Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National Railway. The board also imposed binding arbitration to reach new collective agreements between the rail companies and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, the union representing the workers.

'We're not asking them to give the mill away," Unifor Local 233 president said, 'but to sell it for its market value and get out of town'.

While the precise intentions for the acquisition remain undisclosed, Green Bay Packaging's history of developing large plants throughout the country -- including a new 600,000-square-foot facility in Fort Worth and a 370,000-square-foot facility in Ohio -- indicates a pattern of strategic expansion, and it recently announced an expansion of its Great Lakes Packaging Division in Wisconsin with 270,000 square feet of manufacturing space.

The company that owns the mill, Willamette Falls Paper Company, says it will lay off 158 of its 223 total employees on August, 9th. Affected employees were notified on August 6th.

Mondi Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Sucheta Govil as an independent non-executive director of Mondi plc with effect from 1 October 2024.

John Baird, Chairman of the Canfor Corporation Board of Directors, announced that Don Kayne, President and Chief Executive Officer, plans to retire at the end of the year.

Suzano announces that Beto Abreu has assumed the role of CEO. As Suzano celebrates its centennial year and finalises construction of the Cerrado Project, the world's largest single-line pulp production facility in Ribas do Rio Pardo, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Abreu will now be responsible for leading the company's ambitious growth strategy.

DS Smith's Group Chief Executive has called for the new UK government to help make the UK a more attractive place to invest, and to align with EU regulation to support trade.

The Michigan Strategic Fund board on Tuesday voted to rescind $29.4 million in tax incentives for a $1.06 billion transformation of an Upper Peninsula paper mill after the facility's Swedish owner canceled the project earlier this year.

In a statement, Lenzing said its CEO Stephan Sielaff would not be renewing his contract with the company's management board, "by mutual agreement" with its supervisory board.

She is the first woman in the history of Saica as the head of the company.

Mats Nordlander, Head of Business Areas Containerboard and Pulp, has decided to leave SCA during 2024. Mats Nordlander will remain in his role as Head of the both Business Areas until December 31.

McKinley Paper Company plans to lay off 193 employees at its Port Angeles location on Aug. 25.

James K. Irving, a titan in Canadian business and industry, passed away at the age of 96, leaving behind a legacy deeply intertwined with the economic and social fabric of Canada. Born into the esteemed Irving family, James, along with his brothers, John (known as Jack) and Arthur, were the sons of K.C. Irving, whose vision and enterprise laid the groundwork for one of Canada's largest and most diversified conglomerates, J.D. Irving Ltd.

Metsä Group's pre-engineering project for a potential commercial-scale Muoto fibre product plant is progressing. After the pre-engineering phase, Metsä Group may consider making an investment decision. The partners selected for the pre-engineering project are Elomatic, SRV, Valmet Technologies and A-insinöörit Suunnittelu.

Protective packaging supplier Sealed Air (SEE) has announced the appointment of Patrick Kivits as its new chief executive officer, effective 1 July 2024. Kivits is now serving as president of corrugated packaging at paper and packaging company WestRock, overseeing all the company's business in Central America.

Starkraft, a business unit of Heinzel Pöls, part of the Heinzel Group, announces the successful launch of its PM6 at the Steyrermühl paper mill in Austria, marking a significant milestone in its journey towards enhanced productivity and global expansion. With this strategic investment, Starkraft elevates its production capacity to a total of 350,000 tons of kraft paper per year.

Sustana, an innovator of clean materials and the industry-leading producer of sustainable, recycled fiber-based products and services, announced the appointment of Nathan Jeppson as Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Fabian de Armas. Mr. Jeppson brings more than 20 years of leadership experience driving growth and innovation at premier manufacturing, industrials, and materials businesses, including global roles at Shell Chemical LP and Dow.

After 14 years as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Tolko, and over 40 years with the company founded by his grandfather Harold, Brad Thorlakson has transitioned to the role of executive chair of the board. Further to Brad's transition, Pino Pucci has assumed the role of president and CEO.

Paper Excellence Canada announced that it has reached a settlement with the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada, that acknowledges plans to transform and reopen Northern Pulp Nova Scotia in Pictou will not proceed and provides for a review process agreed between the Northern Pulp group and the Province of Nova Scotia that is aimed to determine whether a new, modern mill in Nova Scotia is viable. The agreement also provides for the settlement of outstanding litigation and loans between the two parties and fully addresses the pensions of former mill employees.

International Paper ("IP") announced that Jamie A. Beggs and Scott A. Tozier have been elected to IP's Board of Directors, effective May 21, 2024. The company also announced that Ilene S. Gordon has retired from the Board citing personal and health reasons, effective May 21, 2024.

Billerud's Board of Directors has decided to not proceed with plans to convert its Escanaba mill to cartonboard production. Instead, the company will target to shift its product mix gradually towards packaging materials in North America with a moderate investment level.

Stora Enso will immediately begin the search for Seppo Parvi's successor.