CM Shipments Fall 5%
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U.S. Coated mechanical (CM) shipments last month decreased 5%, to 281,800 tons, which is the lowest year-over-year decrease since March 2011 when it increased, AF&PA says. Developments over the past year include the shutdown of the NewPage mill in Whiting, Wis., in February 2011, and the permanent shutdown of one paper machine at the Verso Paper mill in Bucksport, Maine. U.S. purchases of CM decreased 5% compared with January 2011.
CM imports officially outperformed CM exports (-9% and -12%, respectively), but the volume of imports is significantly higher, resulting in a decline in U.S. purchases, AF&PA notes. Meanwhile, CM inventories remained essentially flat, increasing less than 1%, up just 600 tons from the prior month.
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