Monthly Archives: August 2017
Fibria Produces First Eucalyptus Pulp Bale on New Production Line at Tres Lagoas Mill; the new pulp mill started operations ahead of schedule
(Sao Paulo, Brazil, August 28, 2017) Fibria said that the first bleached eucalyptus pulp bale at its new pulp production line in Três Lagoas (Brazil) was produced on August 26, 2017, and therefore successfully concluded the production cycle.
The new pulp line officially started operations on Aug. 23.
According to Fibria, the pulp produced has Forest Stewardship Counsel (certificate number FSC-C104120) and Cerflor/PEFC.
Fibria said that its suppliers and other business partners of the Horizonte 2 Project will work together in the Read More...
Smurfit Kappa Acquires Russian Corrugated Packaging Company, Soyuz
(Dublin, August 22, 2017) Smurfit Kappa announced that it has acquired the Russian corrugated packaging company, Soyuz, based in Moscow. The company has approximately 300 employees.
Smurfit Kappa already has three plants in Saint Petersburg, Russia producing paper-based and Bag-in-Box® products for customers across Europe.
“This acquisition enables Smurfit Kappa to further strengthen its position in Russia and broaden its offering to its multinational and local customers,” the company said in a press release.
Pim Wareman CEO of Smurfit Kappa North East Read More...
Elopak Launches Pure-Pak Cartons with New Paperboard ‘Natura Life’ by Stora Enso
(Helsinki, August 29, 2017) The collaboration between Elopak and Stora Enso has resulted in the launch of the first gable top cartons made from natural brown unbleached paperboard, creating the Naturally Pure-Pak® carton with a highly distinctive, natural look and feel.
The new paperboard, Natura LifeTM by Stora Enso, retains the natural brown colour of the wood fibres and has a visible fibre structure. This creates a naturally different, sustainable and authentic package that meets demands from growing trends in Read More...
Neenah launches Kimdura DualTech
(USA, August 22, 2017) Neenah Paper has characterized its new synthetic paper as “a significant addition” to its portfolio of labels for harsh environments. The Neenah Performance Labels portfolio of high performing, highly engineered substrates is designed for applications in demanding conditions. Its Kimdura line of label stock has been used for more than 30 years for challenging applications – including labels and tags for drum chemicals, hazard communications, health care, industrial, logistical and outdoor. Kimdura DualTech is available Read More...
Mondi to Postpone New Speciality Kraft Paper Machine Investment at Steti Mill
(Czech Republic, August 30, 2017) Mondi announced that it has decided to postpone its EUR135 million investment in a new 90,000 tonne per annum machine glazed speciality kraft paper machine at its Steti mill in the Czech Republic.
In January of this year, Mondi announced plans to invest a total of EUR 470 million in the modernisation and expansion of the Steti mill. The project consists of the installation of a new recovery boiler, the rebuild of the fibre lines, Read More...
33 Companies Joining Forces with VTT to Develop New Generation Sustainable Forest Products
(Finland, August 30, 2017) Together with a large industrial consortium, VTT Technical Research of Finland has launched a EUR 4.5 million project to speed up the development of fibre-based products as alternatives to oil-based materials like plastics. The project, funded partly by the European Regional Development Fund ERD, has brought together 33 companies, ranging from small to large, global companies.
The Future Fibre Products project coordinated by VTT will transform laboratory-scale results into pilot-scale demonstrations for products and processes with Read More...
Rapid technology changes drive growth in speciality papers market
(London, UK, 15 Aug 2017) The speciality paper industry is changing as fast as the markets are moving. New machinery and technology is entering the markets, as the commodity printing and writing market went through rapid decline and now is slowly shrinking in the developed countries. This will tend to disrupt the speciality paper makers, as new technology will enable faster and wider machines to effectively and economically produce more technical speciality grades.
Smithers Pira’s latest report ‘The Future of Read More...
Smithers Pira forecasts steady growth for liquid paperboard demand
(London, UK, 15 Aug 2017) There will be steady increases in demand for liquid paperboard materials across the next five years according to the latest in-depth industry study from Smithers Pira.
Exclusive data published in The Future of Liquid Paperboard to 2022 shows production of liquid packaging board (LPB) and food/cupstock (FCS) boards combined passed the 7 million tonne mark in 2015. This has grown by over 3% annually on average since 2012. Reaching 7.2 million tonnes in 2016, this Read More...
Voith builds new XcelLine board machine for Bohui Paper Group
(Heidenheim, Germany, August 18, 2017) In February 2017 Bohui Paper Group contracted Voith to supply a new board machine. The BM 4 will be built at Dafeng in the Chinese province Jiangsu and following completion will be one of the largest board machines in the world. Voith will supply the complete XcelLine process line from wet end process to winder. This reduces the number of interfaces for the customer to a minimum and provides cost transparency for the entire Read More...
Mercer International’s 2Q revenues up 30 per cent
(Montreal, Canada, 16 Aug 2017) Mercer International Inc. reported results for the 2Q ended June 30, 2017. For the 2Q 2017, net loss was $2.1 million, compared to a net loss of $4.2 million in the comparative quarter. In the prior quarter, net income was $9.7 million.
Total revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2017 increased by approximately 30% to $283.2 million from $218.1 million in the same quarter of 2016 primarily due to 24% higher pulp revenues Read More...
US paper manufacturer calls for antidumping duties on Canadian imports
(Gernsbach, Germany, 16 Aug 2017) The US paper manufacturer Norpac claims that Canadian companies received state subsidies and were therefore able to sell paper cheaper on the US market, according to Euwid.
The company calls for antidumping and countervailing duties on certain grades of uncoated groundwood paper.
Norpac recently filed a petition with the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) on 9 August to impose antidumping and countervailing duties on Canadian imports. (Source: EUWID)
Read More...
Uncoated Free Sheet: Admit It or Not, Lots of Support Emerging
(New York, USA, August 15, 2017) According to Vertical Research Partners’ packaging and forest products analyst Chip Dillon, there are a number of forces that could influence an increase in pricing of uncoated free sheet. Through June (the latest month for which complete data are available), North American (PPPC) and US (AF&PA) demand are down year-to-date by 4.7% and 5.3%, respectively. The PPPC indicates a North American YTD operating rate of 89% while the AF&PA shows that US mills Read More...
Recovered paper exporters look for new markets as China tightens scrap paper imports
(Brussels, July 27, 2017) Supported by strong domestic dynamics and healthy global demand, Chinese economic growth registered 6.9% in the second quarter to match that of the previous three months. Emerging economies are expected to grow at an average of 3.7% and the projection for the EU is 1.7%.
During the second quarter, exporters became concerned about the possible impact of the enforcement of China’s “Border Gate Sword” operation, with an announcement of the implementation of 100% control on all Read More...
Sappi Limited Delivers Solid Profit during Fiscal Third Quarter
(Johannesburg, Aug. 3, 2017) Sappi Limited today provided a financial summary for the quarter ending June 2017 (the company's fiscal third quarter):
• Profit for the period US$58 million (Q3 2016 US$32 million)
• Net debt US$1,318 million, down US$265 million year-on-year
• EPS excluding special items 11 US cents (Q3 2016 11 US cents)
Commenting on the group's performance, Sappi's Chief Executive Officer, Steve Binnie, said, "I am pleased to report that during the past quarter Sappi delivered profits up 81% from a year ago Read More...
Brazil’s Revenue from Exports of Pulp, Paper and Wood Panels Up 7.3% in First Half 2017
(Sao Paulo, August 4, 2017) The Brazilian Tree Industry (Ibá) reported that in the first half of 2017 (January - June) pulp exports rose 6.8% in comparison with the same period of the previous year, reaching 6.8 million tons; exports of wood panels increased by 34.8%, with 597,000 cubic meters directed to foreign markets, and paper exports grew 1% with almost 1.1 million tons traded. This positive performance propelled export revenues past the US$4 billion mark in the first Read More...