Suzanne Blanchet, president and CEO of Cascades Tissue Group, Candiac, Que., Canada, has won a Gold Stevie® Award for the "Female Executive of the Year in Canada" category in the tenth annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business

 

Rayonier Inc., Jacksonville, Fla., USA, reports that in regard to its import of dissolving pulp products into China, MOFCOM (China’s Ministry of Commerce) has preliminarily exempted the company’s high purity cellulose acetate and other high purity products from dumping determination

 

The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), Ottawa, Ont., Canada, is calling on the federal government to renew and replenish the highly successful Investments in the Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program to help the sector further develop innovative breakthrough technologies

 

Cool Planet Energy Systems, Denver, Colo., USA, a developer of small scale bio-refineries for the conversion of non-food biomass into biofuels and soil enhancing biochar, was awarded a grant by the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to develop the scientific underpinnings for using beetle-killed wood as a sustainable feedstock for distributed bio-refineries.

 

The Society of Wood Science and Technology (SWST) will hold its 57th International Convention at Zvolen, Slovakia, in conjunction with The 7th Wood Structure and Properties Conference and The 6th European Hardwood Conference, together with co-hosts, the Technical University (Zvolen) and the University of West Hungary

 

Wood-based feedstocks are expected to play a key role in the production of advanced biofuels over the next five to ten years in North America and Europe

 

Through September of this year, wood pulp exports from Russia totaled 1.36 million metric tons, worth $716.5 million, according to the Federal Customs Service of Russia

 

The sale of the Cham Paper Group's (Switzerland) mills in Carmignano and Condino, Italy, to the Delfort Group, Traun, Austria, announced this past July 15, has fallen through due to the unsuccessful outcome of contract negotiations between the Delfort Group and the Italian employees' representatives in Carmignano

 

Canfor Pulp Products Inc., Vancouver, B.C., Canada, and UPM-Kymmene Corp., Finland, have agreed to a strategic sales and marketing cooperation

 

The family-owned company Fripa - Papierfabrik Albert Friedrich KG, Germany, has ordered from Voith, Germany, a new tissue production line for its Miltenberg location in Germany

 

Ilim Group, St. Petersburg, Russia, reports that it successfully underwent a qualification audit confirming production compliance of cut size paper at its Koryazhma mill in line with requirements set for International Paper brands

 

Kimberly-Clark de México (KCM), the Mexican arm of Dallas, Texas, USA-based Kimberly-Clark, has announced that it will install a new tissue machine in Querétaro, central Mexico, to start up in the second quarter of 2014

 

Metalicplas SRL, a member company of MG Tec Group, one of Romania’s leading industrial groups, has successfully completed the installation and startup of a new tissue line at the Dej mill in Romania

 

Metsä Tissue, part of Metsä Group, Finland, reports that it will invest EUR 10 million in a new tissue consumer products converting line at its Mariestad mill in Sweden

 

Omya, Switzerland, this week announced that its Group Sales & Marketing Paper department has been renamed Group Sales & Marketing Forest Products Industry

 

Sappi Fine Paper Europe, Brussels, Belgium, has confirmed investment plans of approximately EUR 120 million over the next three years that will significantly reduce the cost base and improve the profitability of its two leading coated graphic paper mills

 

SCA, Stockholm, Sweden, reportedly will shut down its Carmona tissue mill in Spain and focus production capacity at its Allo (Navarre) and Valls (Tarragona) mills in that country

 

SCA, Stockholm, Sweden, has completed its offer for the Chinese tissue manufacturer Vinda and is now the majority shareholder with 59.95% of the shares

 

Tauriga Sciences Inc., Danbury, Conn., USA, reports that it has received SPEC sheets covering the full suite of 100% Tree-Free Bamboo products according to its agreement with Green Hygienics Inc. signed this past June

 

It’s a myth that eliminating corrugated packaging will automatically reduce the amount of waste in the food supply chain, according to U.K.-based Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI), which is supporting its stance with recycling figures and information on enhanced production processes

 

BillerudKorsnäs, Sweden, reports that its current generation of cartonboard already meets stringent requirements of upmarket packaging solutions

 

Mpact Ltd. installed a new Voith (Germany) VariFlex winder on its No. 3 corrugated base paper machine in Felixton, South Africa, in just eight days

 

The Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) and executive committee of the Nonwovens Institute (NWI) at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C., USA, reports that the Nonwovens Corporate Research Center (NCRC) has now been completely merged into NWI, and that NWI has adopted the NCRC bylaws as its bylaws

 

Appleton Coated, Combined Locks, Wis., USA, is expanding its technical and specialty papers business with the launch of Appleton Coated Pharma Insert Opaque

 

KaMin LLC, Macon, Ga., USA, will increase prices for its kaolin clay products for the global paper industry by 4% to 7%, depending on the product category, effective January 1 or as contracts allow

 

Kemira Oyj, Finland, will implement a price increase of up to 15%, depending on product segment, for its pulp and paper chemicals

 

Sonoco, Hartsville, S.C., USA, has announced price increases of 4.2% on fabricated packaging assemblies containing EPS and/or PE and corrugated materials, 3.7% on all EPS parts and components, and 15% on corrugate packaging

 

Metso's Pulp, Paper, and Power business, the future Valmet (Finland), will supply Uni Viridas d.o.o., Croatia, with a complete biomass fired power plant that will provide power and heat to the city of Babina Creda in Croatia

 

Battelle, Columbus, Ohio, USA, reports that its engineers and scientists have developed a mobile device that transforms unwanted biomass materials such as wood chips or agricultural waste into valuable bio-oil using catalytic pyrolysis

 

Sappi Fine Paper North America (SFPNA), Boston, Mass., USA, this week announced that after more than 30 years of paper industry experience, Rick Dwyer will be retiring as managing director and Mike Schultz will be assuming his role at the company’s Cloquet Mill in Cloquet, Minn.

 

The Alberta Forest Products Association (AFPA), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, this week announced that Craig Armstrong has been elected chair of the association’s board of directors

 

This TAPPI webinar, hosted by Linda Robertson of International Microbial Associates, will discuss freshwater treatment and the impact water system closure has on paper and board.

 

A flash drive containing more than 100 presentations and papers presented throughout the 2013 conference is now available for purchase through TAPPI Press. All proceedings are available on this fully searchable flash drive.

 

For next year's conference, abstracts focused on additive manufacturing, 3D printing, and other industrial manufacturing applications are preferred.

 

The Introduction to Pulp & Paper Technology Course, returning January 2014, has delivered a comprehensive overview of the entire pulping and papermaking process for 40 years.

 

TAPPI member reinvents himself using TAPPI resources.

 

This intermediate-level course combines the skills and knowledge from 14 internationally recognized kraft experts who will help you improve efficiency, minimize operating costs, and reduce environmental impact. Save more than $900 if you register by December 7.

 

The TAPPI NET division has announced the Introduction to Nonwovens Processes webinar, to be held December 12 at 12:00 p.m. EST. This webinar, the first in a series on nonwovens processes, will be presented by two of the NET division's highly accomplished volunteers - Christina Ruiz and Sneha Swaminathan of Hollingsworth & Vose.

 

TAPPI PRESS in conjunction with Green Bay Packaging, is pleased to announce a new and improved training application on How Boxes Are Made.