ASTM International announced the publication of Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing in the Post-COVID-19 Manufacturing Era, a special issue of the Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing Systems (SSMS) journal that can be downloaded at no additional cost.

International technology Group ANDRITZ has received an order from Guangxi Chongzuo Lelin Forestry Development Co. Ltd. to supply a chip washing system and pressurized refining system for its production line near Chongzuo in Guangxi province, China. With a design capacity of 80 bdmt/h, this will be the largest MDF line ever installed worldwide.

SCA has decided to discontinue publication paper production and during the 1Q 2021; all three paper machines on the site will be closed.

Smurfit Kappa’s planned expansion and modernization of its paper sacks business in the Latin American market continues at pace. As a global leader in paper-based packaging, Smurfit Kappa is investing USD $40 million in response to growing market trends and the increasing need for environmentally sustainable paper sacks.

Solidus Solutions recently announced the acquisition of Heathpak Ltd, based in Newport, Wales. The acquisition, which was signed and completed on February 1st 2021, signifies a strategic investment to further expand Solidus Solutions’ operations and broaden the product portfolio.

Greif, Inc. announced a price increase of 7% on all paper tubes, cores, and protective packaging products in the United States and Canada.

Buckman, a privately-held global company specializing in innovative chemistry and smart solutions, announced global price increases of 8 to 25% for all product offerings. The price increases will become effective immediately.

Stora Enso’s 4Q 2020 sales decreased by 11%, or Euro 257 million from the previous year to Euro 2 154 million. Sales were negatively affected by mix and lower prices especially in the Paper and Forest divisions.

Paper Excellence has recently invested more than $600,000 in engineering and consulting work focused on restarting the Prince Albert pulp mill. Paper Excellence originally purchased the Prince Albert pulp mill in 2011. It now plans to restart the facility as soon as possible once the current non-compete agreement with the former owner expires in March 2021.

Valmet will supply Valmet IQ Steam Profiler and Valmet DNA Machine Monitoring systems with condition monitoring analysis and diagnosis services to Zhejiang Jingxing Paper Co., Ltd. in China. The systems will be installed on Jingxing Paper’s paper machines PM12 and PM16 to provide effective moisture profile management and predictive condition monitoring, and to improve production runnability and end-product quality.

MACSashTM is an innovative solution that combines model predictive control, innovative measurements and support services. The integrated solution stabilizes ash levels in the wet end of the papermaking process resulting in reduced filler variability in the final sheet. The solution can be implemented in packaging as well as printing and writing applications.

Twin Rivers Paper Company continues to invest in its PFAS-free oil and grease resistant (OGR) food packaging brand, EcoBarrier®.

Irish-owned Zeus Packaging announced the signing of a binding agreement to acquire Austrian-based food packaging business Petruzalek, which is part of Sirap Group. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Heidi Brock issued the following statement regarding preliminary rulings of circumvention inquires, involving imports of uncoated paper sheeter rolls from Indonesia, Brazil and Australia on existing antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders:

Thwing-Albert is pleased to introduce the optional Automatic Pendulum Return feature for ProTear Elmendorf Tear Testers. The Elmendorf Tear Test is a common test used to measure the propagation of tear in a variety of industries including paper, paperboard

Graphic Packaging International announced the launch of ProducePack™, a sustainable paperboard packaging range of solutions for fresh produce.

Toscotec has launched TT Defender, a groundbreaking innovation in the tissue market that consists of a special coating for the internal surface of its TT SYD steel Yankee dryer for protection against corrosive steam. TT Defender has been successfully applied on a TT SYD that is operating at Lucart’s Diecimo tissue mill in Italy.

Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, has successfully developed a new recyclable functional barrier paper range. Designed with protection in mind, this range of certified recyclable barrier paper solutions is fully integrated across Mondi’s value chain—from paper production to the barrier application—and can run on existing filling lines for form-fill-and-seal (FFS) applications.

Solenis has achieved the Gold Recognition Level for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) performance by EcoVadis, a collaborative platform providing sustainability ratings and performance improvement tools for global supply chains. This is the second year in a row in which the company attained Gold Status.

Stora Enso’s cellulose foam wins “Cellulose Fiber Innovation of the Year 2021” in an award ceremony organized during the 2nd International Conference on Cellulose Fibers (2-3 February 2021).

Valmet announced that Petri Paukkunen (B.Sc., Eng.) has been appointed Area President, Asia Pacific Area as of April 1, 2021. Paukkunen is currently employed as Vice President, Board and Paper Mills business unit (BU) in Valmet's Paper business line. He will be a member of Valmet's Executive Team and report to President and CEO Pasi Laine.

We honor Paul Joseph Capano and send our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.

Share your knowledge and expertise with the industry’s next generation and present at PEERS 2021.

Do you know how to use functional additives to make your product exceed your customers’ needs?

The TAPPI Academy team offers a free, informational newsletter and you’re invited to sign up!

Discover what’s new for industry education for you and your team!