Operations News

The whistle has blown at the Panama City Paper Mill for the last time.

A man was killed after being pinned between a trailer and a loading dock in Harmar Township on June 7.

Four contractors at West Fraser's Cariboo Pulp and Paper mill in Quesnel were sent to G.R. Baker Hospital after a brief exposure to a by-product of the manufacturing process.

Canfor Corporation is announcing the continuation of reduced operating schedules at its Western Canadian sawmills due to the ongoing global supply chain challenges. The Company has been operating at approximately 80% of production capacity since late March 2022.

A supply chain backlog and rail car shortage will continue to trouble the Taylor mill through summer and likely into the fall.

Tolko can confirm that at 5 a.m. MT on May 20, 2022, a fire started at Tolko's High Prairie division. The mill was evacuated, and the local fire department worked to extinguish the fire. All employees have been accounted for; one employee was injured and sent to hospital, and they are now recovering.

The blaze broke out Sunday morning, May 15, in a kiln, then spread to a second kiln.

Workers had to be evacuated from the building but were released back to work following the incident.

Crews fought the blaze for more than five hours. According to officials, they tried to work quickly as to contain the fire from the nearby lumber yard.

Several fire departments and what appeared to be Hazmat units were called to assist an incident in Stevens Point on May 26.

WorkSafeBC has delivered its report into a May 12 incident at Howe Sound Pulp & Paper Mill that saw six workers taken to the hospital after being exposed to "foul condensate fumes."

It's been almost a month and a half since WestRock made the announcement to close the Panama City Paper Mill. Some would say they never expected the day to come when the Panama City paper mill would close its doors for good.

Resolute Forest Products Inc. announced ratification of a four-year collective agreement by Unifor union members at seven of the company's pulp and paper mills in Canada, following an agreement-in-principle reached on May 15, 2022.

Sonoco, one of the largest sustainable global packaging companies, today announced that Julie Albrecht, who has served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since March 2019, will be departing the Company on June 30, 2022. Albrecht will remain in the CFO role through that date to ensure a smooth and orderly transition of responsibilities. Her successor will be the subject of a future announcement as the Company is undergoing a retained search of internal and external candidates.

Stora Enso has launched a comprehensive biodiversity programme and related targets for its land holdings in Sweden. The programme, which covers the Company's forest land in Sweden, has five focus areas, each with specific actions and measurable targets for 2030.

Tolko Industries says damage and repairs are still being investigated after a fire May 20 at the plant west of High Prairie.

Howe Sound Pulp & Paper (HSPP) Mill was evacuated for about two hours on the morning of May 12.

A "small fire" at Interfor's lumber mill in DeQuincy was quickly brought under control, mill officials said.

Fire crews responded early Friday morning, May 13, to a fire at the WestRock facility in Camillus.

Paper Excellence provided an update on skilled labor shortages in British Columbia that are impacting the company's ability to execute many of its planned shutdowns on time.

Pregis, a leading global manufacturer of protective packaging, recently started production at its new 298,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Reno, Nevada. The facility is producing the Pregis EverTec™ cushioned mailer, a durable, lightweight, curbside recyclable, paper cushioned shipping solution.

Paper Excellence announced that it is nearing completion of a significant project to winterize the pulp mill at Prince Albert Pulp Inc (PAPI). Winterizing the mill means that the interior of the mill is now heated for the first time since 2014, when the site last operated. The project will cost approximately $500,000.

Firemen from Castanea, Lock Haven and the surrounding area were in service for three hours responding to a late Tuesday morning (April 19) alarm at First Quality's Lock Haven Tissue facility.

Pregis has invested in a new 1960 square meter (21,000 square foot) customer experience facility in Europe designed to provide a holistic solutions approach to protective packaging challenges and reduce costly waste incurred by damaged products.

The conciliator has announced that the conciliation between UPM Communication Papers and Paperworkers' Union has been interrupted, as the parties' views are still far apart. At the same time, the conciliator announced that the conciliation in UPM Specialty Papers, UPM Raflatac and UPM Biofuels continues. For UPM Pulp the conciliator has already submitted a settlement proposal.