Smurfit Kappa announced that the "scheme of arrangement" in connection with the combination of Smurfit Kappa and WestRock became effective Friday, July 5 at 5:00 p.m. (New York City time). The combination of the two companies has created Smurfit Westrock, a global leader in sustainable paper and packaging operating in 40 countries with over 500 packaging converting operations and 63 paper mills.

Almost 200 people will lose their jobs later this summer in Port Angeles after McKinley Paper Company announced plans to shut down its operations.

The presidential delegation was welcomed by Sonny Aswani, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the company, Bashyam Krishnan, CEO, and Riivo Noor, Mayor of Anija Municipality in Estonia. President Shanmugaratnam received an overview of the activities of the company, followed by a tour in the production facilities.

Overmade has been committed by Zain Paper Industry, an important player in the Middle East, to realize the new tissue production park in DOHA QATAR. The first phase of the project encompassed the installation of two complete tissue plants for the production of high-quality facial tissue.

By Håkan Ekström
For approximately thirty years, British Columbia (BC) has had the most affordable sawlog costs in North America. However, starting in 2018, there has been a decrease in timber supply, a decline in log quality, and a significant increase in wood raw-material prices.

Positive developments VPK Group has announced that, in 2023, the business carried out a number of acquisitions to develop its market foothold. 

Swedish forest industry group Södra has selected international technology group ANDRITZ to supply a complete solution for kraft lignin production to its Mönsterås pulp mill in Sweden. This major investment marks Södra’s entry into the lignin market as part of its strategy to make the most of the wood used in pulp production. This will be the first commercial kraft lignin plant in Sweden and the largest in the world.

American Roller is pleased to announce it has acquired the assets of Schaefer Rolls in Covington, Virginia. The terms of the transaction will not be disclosed.

Valmet is to supply an OptiWin Drum two-drum base winder to Wuzhou Special Paper’s paper machine PM 19 in China. The main target of the investment is to have one winder to handle the high quality and capacity targets of the high-speed paper machine. The winder includes Valmet Perforating Splicer, a new innovation to support the fast parent roll change. The start-up of the winder is scheduled for 2025.

Klabin recently announced that its Board of Directors has approved an investment of R$1.7 billion for a modernization project at the company's Monte Alegre paper mill, located in Telêmaco Borba, Paraná, Brazil.

Hood Container announced that it has entered into an agreement to buy the packaging assets of Independent II, a privately-owned and operated corrugated manufacturer in Louisville, Kentucky.

In a significant move towards sustainable food packaging, Stora Enso is set to launch a state-of-the-art consumer board production line at its Oulu Mill in Finland by 2025.

WestRock broke ground on June 27 at the site of its new corrugated box plant in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. Company executives joined real estate developer Dermody Properties in holding a formal ceremony to commemorate the start of construction on the new $140 million plant, which it announced in January.

Ahlstrom is leading the marketplace towards more sustainable, fluoro-free solutions for fiber-based solutions. Today, Ahlstrom extends its innovative fluoro-free technologies into a wide range of industrial air filtration applications to support filter manufacturers in creating products with long-lasting filtration performance without the use of fluorochemicals.

CHT Germany is successfully on its way to a sustainably acting chemical company. With a corporate strategy consistently geared towards sustainability and a clearly defined path towards climate neutrality, CHT is approaching this goal step by step.

Eletrobras, Latin America's largest energy company, and Suzano, the world's largest pulp producer, announced a partnership to study the development of sustainable solutions such as green hydrogen and synthetic fuels. The research will focus on the technical and economic feasibility of utilising natural biogenic CO2 generated as part of Suzano’s current production process to manufacture new forms of sustainable fuels.

Lecta is pleased to announce an agreement with Naturgy, a multinational energy group, for the supply of renewable gas that will contribute to the decarbonization of its manufacturing activity. Biomethane gas, a renewable gas obtained from the treatment of different types of waste with properties similar to those of natural gas, will now be used as an energy source in Lecta's Spanish mills in Leitza (Navarra) and Zaragoza.

Suzano, the world’s largest market pulp producer, announces that Beto Abreu has assumed the role of CEO. As Suzano celebrates its centennial year and finalises construction of the Cerrado Project, the world’s largest single-line pulp production facility in Ribas do Rio Pardo, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Abreu will now be responsible for leading the company’s ambitious growth strategy.

Susana Alejandro has assumed the Presidency of Saica Group, succeeding Ramón Alejandro, who led the company for 14 years. She represents the third generation of the founding families and is the first woman to hold the top position in the company. “I am proud to become the visible head of Saica and its great team, and I am well aware of what it implies”, Susana Alejandro declared.

Mats Nordlander, Head of Business Areas Containerboard and Pulp, has decided to leave SCA during 2024. Mats Nordlander will remain in his role as Head of the both Business Areas until December 31.

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