The 35th Biennial Congress of the International Paper Historians (IPH) will be held in Washington DC, from September 15 - 18, 2020, with an additional day for an excursion to a paper mill. The conference, the first in the US since 1982, will be co-hosted by The Library of Congress, the National Gallery of Art and the National Archives and Records Administration.

The Appleton Post Crescent reports that those employed in the paper industry gathered last week for their annual awards dinner. The event, previously known as the Hall of Fame Dinner, was renamed “Honors on the River” with the subhead “Celebrating the stars of the past and the bright lights of our future.”

Ence Navia's biofactory has stopped production, which will last until October 30, with the aim of completing the expansion project called “Navia 80.” This action implies the improvement of almost all the industrial processes of the plant. The facilities will see their efficiency remarkably increased, while progressing towards excellence from an environmental point of view.

Milwaukee’s WUWM reports that Wisconsin's paper industry has faced many challenges as mills close and people switch to digital, but there is one sector of the paper industry that is growing: specialty paper.

In 2018, the revenue of the sanitary paper product market in the U.S. amounted to $12B. This figure reflects the total revenues of producers and importers (excluding logistics costs, retail marketing costs, and retailers’ margins, which will be included in the final consumer price). Overall, sanitary paper product consumption continues to indicate a relatively flat trend pattern. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in 2014 when the market value increased by 2.3% year over year. Over the period under review, the sanitary paper product market attained its maximum level at $12.2B in 2015; however, from 2016 to 2018, consumption remained at a lower figure.

Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC), part of the Barry-Wehmiller Converting Solutions Platform, acquired STAX Technologies (“STAX”), headquartered in Čačak, Serbia. The acquisition adds reciprocating flow technology to PCMC’s tissue packaging product line offering.

Valmet will deliver biomass pretreatment system to PRAJ Industries for their second-generation bio refinery project, which is under execution in India. The delivery is planned for the year 2020. The order was included in Valmet’s orders received of the third quarter 2019. The value of the order will not be disclosed.

Domtar Corporation (NYSE:UFS) announced that it will permanently shut down two of its paper machines. The closures will take place at the Ashdown, Arkansas pulp and paper mill, and the Port Huron, Michigan paper mill. These measures will reduce the Company’s annual uncoated freesheet paper capacity by approximately 204,000 short tons, and will result in a workforce reduction of approximately 100 employees. The closure of the Ashdown paper machine will be effective immediately and the closure of the Port Huron machine by mid-November.

Packworld reports that in 2018, the world produced about $36 trillion worth of manufactured goods, almost all of which was packaged, protected, and shipped in some form of industrial packaging. These industrial packaging products are key to the safe, efficient, and economical transport of manufactured goods in local, regional, and global commerce. In Smithers’ latest market report, “The Future of Industrial Packaging to 2024,” it forecasts steady growth in demand for industrial packaging across the next five years, with market value rising from $56.2 billion in 2019 at a CAGR of 3.3% to reach $66 billion in 2024.

Future Markets Inc. has released the market report for Nanocellulose (NC), which is a novel biomaterial with multiple industrial uses for replacing fossil derived raw materials. It is renewable, eco-friendly, has excellent mechanical properties, good biocompatibility, and tailorable surface chemistry. The addition of NC into polymers can enhance mechanical strength and reduce weight compared to fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP).

At the "SPS – Smart Production Solutions" 2019, Siemens will present a completely new overall system for industrial operator control and monitoring. The web-based visualization system consists initially the Simatic WinCC Unified visualization software as well as the new generation of HMI panels, Simatic HMI Unified Comfort Panels. The new system provides the user with a solution for HMI and SCADA applications, and in the future also for Industrial Edge, Cloud and Augmented Reality scenarios.

Andritz presents its new “MasterDry” dryer fabric portfolio based on premium-performance dryer fabric technology. MasterDry includes best-in-class woven and spiral fabrics specifically designed for the broadest range of applications, from the fastest low-caliper, single-tier positions, for high-temperature positions, and for those positions requiring extreme contamination resistance.

According to Sustana Fiber, a common phrase in management, “What gets measured, gets done,” is one you’ve likely heard before. It means ongoing tracking and measurement that helps keep a company focused on improving helps uncover insight and data to inform important decisions. And when it comes to corporate sustainability, that phrase is one worth paying attention to. Consumer demand for sustainable products and services is only increasing. Shoppers are paying attention to every facet of how companies do business, from how they source their food to the packaging they use, sustainability initiatives and more.

Resolute Forest Products announced Delta Management Group has named that Yves Laflamme, Resolute’s President and CEO, to Canada’s 2020 Clean50 and 2020 Clean16 for his contribution to sustainability and clean capitalism in Canada. The awards were announced on October 3rd during the Clean50 Summit 9.0 held in Toronto, Ontario, where over 125 past and new honorees gathered to discuss critical sustainability challenges facing Canada.

Rottneros has appointed Peter Sävelin as Mill Director at Vallvik Mill. Peter most recently comes from BillerudKorsnäs, where he held the position as Senior Technology Specialist. He will take office no later than 1 January 2020 and will be part of the Rottneros Group Management Team.

With increased pressure to produce sustainable products while at the same time reduce costs and increase efficiencies, mills are looking towards new innovations and process advancements to help reach their goals. TAPPI’s Pulping, Engineering, Environmental, Recycling and Sustainability (PEERS) Conference, October 27-30, 2019 in St. Louis, MO, offers mills potential solutions to their sustainability and operational challenges at its New Technology Showcase.

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