The Dissolving Pulp Forum at TAPPI's PEERS Conference this week in Portland, Ore., USA, had overflow, standing-room-only attendance at both the Sunday, October 2, and Monday, October 3, sessions. The half-day Sunday program explored evolving technology developments and new dissolving pulp process approaches, while Monday's bridge session with the PEERS program took a close-up, in-depth look at trends and drivers in the global marketplace.

On Sunday, Andritz's Eric Wiley and Metso's Paul Flickinger provided updated insight into process modifications and new system design routes some companies are taking to install both greenfield dissolving pulp capacity and to repurpose existing paper grade pulp capacity. Pierre Mouyal and Freddie Sandel of the dp Group served as session "hosts" on Sunday, bringing a collective 70-plus years of mill and related dissolving pulp production experience into the discussions and helping answer frequent questions asked by the attendees. Mike Meredith of Jacobs Engineering represented the consulting engineer's perspective. His presentation, especially appreciated by attendees, examined specific questions and concerns companies should carefully consider before entering the dissolving pulp race.

Monday's market focused presentations by David Fortin of RISI and Gordon Floe of Poyry International looked at historical developments in the chemical cellulose sector and focused directly on the recent dissolving pulp "gold rush" that pushed prices and demand to record levels worldwide. Both presentations closely examined the direct relationship between cotton crop yields/pricing and dissolving pulp market outlook, and made realistic projections for capacity growth and market demand into the foreseeable future.

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A live news feed this week by TEXO Consulting & Controls Inc., Canada, reports that "dissolving pulp was a hot topic at TAPPI PEERS." The feed notes that following a featured article in TAPPI's Paper360o magazine titled "Dissolving Pulp GOLD RUSH in High Gear" and "the extremely well attended session hosted by Pierre Mouyal and Freddie Sandel of the dp Group LLC, several key points came out of the lively and open discussions."

Freddie Sandel, the TEXO feed continues, "highlighted the importance of wood chips in producing consistent dissolving pulp quality." Wood chip parameters such as species, moisture, chip size, and bark content, it emphasizes, "are paramount to producing high quality dissolving pulp in meeting both viscosity targets and metal ions content specifications."

TEXO Consulting & Controls displayed its CMS Chip Management System at the PEERS event in Portland, Ore., this week, demonstrating that wood chip measurements such as moisture content, bark content, and chip size distribution "are indeed proven technologies since 2004." Sandel, the company points out, "highlighted that this mature technology is what is required by the dissolving pulp producers to keep up with quality in an increasingly competitive market."

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Weyerhaeuser Co., Federal Way, Wash., USA, will participate in a portion of the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance consortium led by Washington State University to study the feasibility of producing jet biofuel from woody feedstocks in the Pacific Northwest. The WSU-led project is one of two five-year, $40 million grants announced this week in Seattle, Wash., by Thomas Vilsack, U.S. secretary of agriculture. The University of Washington received the other $40 million grant.

The WSU-led grant aims to address the urgent national need for a domestic biofuel alternative for U.S. commercial and military air fleets. NARA researchers envision developing a new, viable, aviation fuel industry using wood and wood waste in the Pacific Northwest, where forests cover almost half of the region. The project also will focus on increasing the profitability of wood-based fuels through development of high value, bio-based co-products to replace petrochemicals used in products such as plastics.

As a subcontractor to the WSU-led grant, Weyerhaeuser will focus on three areas:

• Determining the feasibility of sustainable production of woody feedstocks for use in biofuel and value-added products
• Understanding how to more cost-effectively collect currently under-utilized harvest material
• Exploring ways to convert woody biomass lignin components into value-added bio products.

"The consortium is designed to capitalize on the unique contributions of the participants, and Weyerhaeuser is pleased to be part of that," said Dan Fulton, Weyerhaeuser president and CEO. "Sustainability is absolutely critical to the successful production of feedstocks and aviation biofuel on an economical scale, and we're proud to bring more than a century of forest science and innovative solutions to the effort."

As part of its involvement, Weyerhaeuser will establish a new research site near Springfield, Ore., to better understand the effect of forest management practices on soil, water, and wildlife. The site is intended to provide information on the effect of biomass removal, compaction, and fertilization on soil, water, and wildlife. Weyerhaeuser scientists Greg Johnson and Scott Holub will lead the study.

Weyerhaeuser also will work with collaborators to understand how to develop more cost-effective ways to collect currently under-utilized harvest residuals for emerging biofuel and bioproduct applications. Gevan Marrs is the lead Weyerhaeuser scientist on the aspect.

Weyerhaeuser notes that lignin is the second most abundant polymer in nature, but today is mainly used in basic applications such as being burned for green energy in the pulp mills or as an additive in cements. The company will study ways to create high value bioproducts from residual lignin. John Westland is the Weyerhaeuser lead on the lignin study.

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AstenJohnson, Charleston, S.C., USA, has acquired Paperchine, Rockton, Ill., and reports that it has begun the process of merging the engineering and equipment company with JohnsonFoils, an equipment division of AstenJohnson. The new company will be called Paperchine and will be based in Rockton. Laurie Wicks, currently president of Paperchine, will lead the new company.

Paperchine was founded in 2000 by four former Beloit Corp. employees. The company serves the paper industry with engineering, technical support, and paper machine products. Paperchine primarily serves the North American paper industry.

JohnsonFoils was started by the former JWI Group in 1963 to complement its offering of paper machine clothing and specialty fabrics products. The North American paper industry is a primary focus for the company, but it also serves the European and Asian paper industries.

"This is an ideal merger for our customers," says Dan Cappell, president and CEO of AstenJohnson. "We are combining the expertise of two well established equipment companies into one organization that can offer the paper industry proven rebuilds down the entire paper machine. At the same time, we will continue to offer the JohnsonFoils product line. We have collaborated with Paperchine in the past, so this will be a natural fit in terms of culture, products and people."

Laurie Wicks adds that "this merger gives the paper industry not just another choice, but a well- known choice that offers proven capabilities in machine rebuilds and superior service from experienced machine builders and papermakers. Both companies have experienced significant growth over the years, so together we expect to be a more viable option for papermakers."

In addition to the office in Rockton, the new company will have engineering, manufacturing, and customer service sites in Springfield, Mass. USA, Montreal, Que., Canada, Chicopee, Mass., USA, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, and Thailand.

Filling other key positions will be Vaughn Wildfong, sales and technology, Dan Morris, operations, and Larry Voss, finance, accounting, and purchasing.

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Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA, is modernizing the stock preparation system of its pilot paper machine using significant donations by the Nalco Foundation and the Georgia-Pacific Foundation. The grant allowed for the purchase of two pumps and associated instrumentation and controls that will further enable the pilot paper machine to use multiple stock sources.

The key objective of the project was to allow for increased process flexibility and to provide the option to meet a wide range of process needs that are the nature of a pilot paper machine. With the installation of the pump(s), a continuous flow of stock is now possible from the beater to the stock chests and then directly onto the machine chest.

The initial construction phase of the work was completed by a senior design project team with faculty oversight. The team included Joe Carlin (PSE/ChemE-paper-‘11), Tony Brusadin (ChemE-‘11), and Glen Slejko (ChemE-paper-‘12), under the guidance of Dr. Catherine Almquist.

The new system enables up to three fiber furnishes to be prepared in advance in the three 250-gal chests on the lower level, and then pumped to a custom mix tank just prior to the headbox. The result of these changes is such that rapid changes in the stock composition are now possible. Multiple addition points for filler and chemical additives are included in the design so that the influence of furnish and additive changes on product properties can be studied.

The Nalco Foundation provided a $25,000 grant that was used for digitally controlled stock pumps, process control instrumentation, and plumbing for chemical addition points. Georgia-Pacific Foundation initiated the project with a donation of $10,000 for the initial fan pump, custom blend chest, and piping.

As a result of the upgrade, it is now possible to control stock flow to the mix tank as well as to control the additive concentrations, and to control the fan pump speed, all through a single digital control panel. The learning experience was enhanced not only by having the ability to vary the production parameters and test their effects, but also by being able to play an active role in the design and assembly of the system.

The Paper Science & Engineering Foundation and the Chemical & Paper Engineering Department have expressed their "deepest appreciation" for the support provided by the Nalco and Georgia-Pacific Foundations.

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According to data release by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), Japan, the total value of wood product exports (except pulp and paper) from Brazil this past August fell 2.7% compared with August 2010, from $217.4 million to $211.5 million. Pine sawnwood exports increased 0.7% this August compared with the same month in 2010, from $14.3 million to $14.4 million. In terms of volume, exports increased 6.1%, from 61,800 m3 to 65,600 m3 year-on-year.

Exports of tropical sawnwood fell both in volume and in value, from 42,300 m3 in August 2010 to 35,600 m3 in August 2011 and from $19.9 million to $18.7 million, respectively, over the same period. This performance represents an overall 6.0% decline in value and 16% decline in export volumes.

Pine plywood exports dropped 23% in value this August compared with levels in August 2010, from $32.2 million to $24.7 million. The decline in volume amounted to 29% over the same period, from 87,800 m3 to 62,600 m3.

Exports of tropical plywood also dropped, from 9,800 m3 in August 2010 to 7,300 m3 this past August, representing a 25.5% decline. In terms of value, a 17% fall was recorded, from $5.4 million to $4.5 million. Exports of wooden furniture also suffered as the value of exports fell from $48.1 million in August 2010 to $45 million this August, a 6.4% decrease.

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Wood fiber costs continued to go up for the global pulp industry in the second quarter of this year, having trended upward since early 2009, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly (WRQ), Seattle, Wash., USA. The Softwood Wood Fiber Price Index (SFPI) reached $109.52 per oven-dry metric ton (odmt) in the second quarter, a 3.7% increase from the previous quarter and 23% higher than two years ago.

In local currencies, wood chip and pulp log prices have increased the most in the U.S. Northwest, Western Canada, Russia, and Finland. The weakening U.S. dollar against most global currencies in the second quarter resulted in higher fiber prices in all 18 regions covered by the WRQ.

The Hardwood Wood Fiber Price Index (HFPI) reached a new all-time-high in the second quarter at $116.44/odmt, which was 5.5% higher than in the first quarter of this year, and almost 27% higher than in early 2009. Recently, hardwood prices have gone up the most in Indonesia, Finland, Russia, and Brazil.

Wood fiber prices, which currently are at or close to record highs, have fluctuated quite substantially the past 24 years the WRQ has tracked global forest industry markets. Prices trended downward during most of the 1990s and early 2000s when they were 60% below current levels. This was followed by a substantial increase from 2002 to 2008, with wood costs reaching record levels in early 2008, only to plummet almost 20% in late 2008, with the onset of the global recession. In 2009 and 2010, wood fiber markets have strengthened as a result of higher prices for market pulp, limited availability of wood chips from sawmills worldwide, and a weakening U.S. dollar against most currencies, WRQ explains.

It is interesting to note, WRQ says, that the SFPI index has been higher for most of the past 24 years. It was not until 2009 that the hardwood price index surpassed the SFPI. In the second quarter of this year, the global hardwood fiber price was 6.3 % higher than the softwood fiber price, as reported by the WRQ.

Wood costs have gone up not only in real terms but also as a percentage of the total production costs when manufacturing pulp, WRQ continues. The global average wood cost share of the total cash cost has increased from 52% in 2005 to 60.9% in the first quarter of this year, according to Fisher International. The wood cost percentage varies from around 50% in New Zealand and Canada to more than 70% in China, Indonesia, and Brazil.

More information is available online

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National statistics released by the Forestry Commission show that the U.K. has seen a rise of 19% in wood imports, thanks to the recent push for biomass fuels. The figures suggested that the total value of wood products, including timber, imported in 2010 into the U,K, totaled GBP 6.8 billion and comprised 10 million m3 of wood and 8 million metric tons of pulp and paper, according to KMS Baltics.

U.K. forests were also able to help counter carbon dioxide emissions by removing more than 10 million metric tons from the atmosphere, another welcome side effect of the increase in biomass demand throughout the U.K.

Woodland area in the U.K. in 2011 stands at 3.1 million hectares, with an additional 8,000 hectares of new forest created in 2010 - 2011.

According to Wagener Lohse of the forestry and climate change project, Futureforest, Europe's woodlands are key to sustainable economic development as they currently support more than four million jobs and trap 286 million metric tons of carbon a year.

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North American pulp producers Domtar, West Fraser, Canfor Pulp, and Tembec have all announced a $20/metric ton decrease for U.S. NBSK (northern bleached softwood kraft) pulp, which would take list prices to $950/metric ton ($85/metric ton below July's peak of $1,035/metric ton), Mark Wilde, senior analyst with Deutsche Bank, reports. Realized contract prices (netting out ˜20% discounts off list) and spot prices are much lower, he notes, adding that several producers are expected to take downtime in the fourth quarter.

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ABB, Zurich, Switzerland, this week completed its acquisition of the Sweden-based Lorentzen & Wettre from ASSA ABLOY AB. Lorentzen & Wettre makes equipment for quality control, process optimization, and test instrumentation for the pulp and paper industry and will be integrated into ABB's Process Automation division

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AbitibiBowater Inc., Montreal, Que., Canada, this week announced that it will take advantage of its strong liquidity position to redeem an additional $85 million of its debt. The redemption will reduce AbitibiBowater's total debt to a face amount of approximately $586 million. This step is in addition to the approximately $270 million of debt the company redeemed this past June.

"Today's announcement underscores our commitment to reduce debt and the associated interest burden at every opportunity," Richard Garneau, president and CEO, said. "Debt reduction remains a key part of our strategy to decrease fixed costs and improve the company's financial position and competitiveness."

The company will use available cash to carry out the redemption of $85 million in principal amount of its 10.25% senior secured notes due 2018, plus accrued and unpaid interest. The redemption is scheduled to occur on November 4, 2011, at a redemption price of 103%.

AbitibiBowater and other member companies of the Forest Products Association of Canada, as well as a number of environmental organizations, are partners in the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. The group works to identify solutions to conservation issues that meet the goal of balancing the three pillars of sustainability linked to human activities—economic, social, and environmental.

AbitibiBowater owns or operates 18 pulp and paper mills and 24 wood products facilities located in the U.S., Canada, and South Korea.

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Canfor Pulp Products Inc., Vancouver, B.C., Canada,, which owns 49.8% of Canfor Pulp Limited Partnership (CPLP), this week reported that the startup of one line at its two-line Northwood Pulp Mill in Prince George, B.C . has been delayed by two weeks to complete a recovery boiler upgrade project.

This delay will result in a reduction of pulp production in the fourth quarter of approximately 10,000 metric tons. Mill management is focusing on managing the associated project delays and mitigating anticipated project cost overruns.

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Georgia-Pacific LLC, Atlanta, Ga., USA, this past week closed a new senior unsecured credit facility totaling $3.5 billion, which matures in 2016 and consists of a revolving credit facility, a domestic term loan, and an international term loan. G-P has used proceeds of the facility, along with proceeds from an equity contribution from Koch Industries, to "extinguish" all obligations under its existing senior secured credit facilities.

As a result of this refinancing, G-P's capital structure will be unsecured with the exception of its accounts receivable securitization facilities.

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Holmen Paper, Sweden, and Metso, Finland, have completed a roll service agreement for Holmen's Hallsta Paper Mill in Sweden. The value of the agreement was not disclosed.

According to the three-year agreement, Metso will be responsible for all mechanical roll services at the Hallsta mill. Roll grinding and part of mechanical roll maintenance will be carried out at Metso's workshops in Borlänge and Karlstad, Sweden. A Metso maintenance engineer will be based at the Hallsta mill to serve as a link between Metso and the mill. Metso's workforce will also include two maintenance technicians.

Daniel Peltonen, technical manager at the Hallsta Paper Mill, notes that "we have high expectations for this agreement, and not just regarding the quality of roll grinding and maintenance efficiency. We also expect it to have positive effects on productivity."

Holmen Paper, established 400 years ago, produces printing paper. The three paper machines at the Hallsta Paper Mill produce MF magazine paper and a range of special qualities of wood-containing printing paper. The mill' annual production capacity is 670,000 metric tons.

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A U.S. Federal judge in San Francisco, Calif., has ruled in a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) lawsuit that plaintiffs NCR Corp. and Appleton Papers Inc. are liable for an estimated $950 million in combined cleanup costs and reimbursement of natural resource damages related to PCB contamination at the nation's largest Superfund site, located in eastern Wisconsin.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, NCR manufactured carbonless copy paper using polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at the site, which includes the Lower Fox River. The river flows 39 miles from Lake Winnebago to Green Bay, Wis. Recycling mills later processed NCR's wastepaper at the site.

In the ruling, U.S. District Court Judge William C. Griesbach of the Eastern District of Wisconsin reversed part of his February 2011 decision stating that private parties such as the defendants lack legal standing to seek NRDs under Section 113 of CERCLA. That decision had blocked defendants from suing for NRD reimbursement from NCR and Appleton Papers.

The case, Appleton Papers Inc. and NCR Corp. v. George A. Whiting Paper Co. et al., was filed in 2008 by NCR and Appleton Papers seeking to hold the recycling mills liable under CERCLA for hundreds of millions of dollars they had spent to clean up contamination at the site.

However, in 2009, the Court found that NCR and Appleton Papers profited from the use of PCBs that made their product hazardous, knew there was a risk of environmental damage, and were responsible for cleaning up the contamination. In contrast, the recycling mills had almost no knowledge of their PCB discharges and made no profit from PCBs in the carbonless copy wastepaper they recycled.

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Rayonier, Jacksonville, Fla., USA, this week elected James H. Miller, chairman and CEO of PPL Corp., to its board of directors. Headquartered in Pennsylvania, PPL and its subsidiaries own or control about 19,000 MW of generating capacity in the U.S., sell energy in key U.S. markets, and deliver electricity and natural gas to about 10 million customers in the U.S. and the U.K.

In addition to the PPL board, Miller also currently serves on the board of directors of Crown Holdings Inc. He holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Delaware and served in the U.S. Navy nuclear submarine program.

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UPM, Helsinki, Finland, reports that it is the first Finnish company to be awarded a certificate for complying with the new FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) standard. The FSC certificate covers some half of UPM's forests in Finland. UPM's forests have previously been awarded a PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes) certificate.

"FSC certification of Finnish forests further expands UPM's portfolio of eco-labeled products. We already have the markets' most extensive selection of paper products with the EU Ecolabel. Forest certificates, such as FSC and PEFC are a guarantee to our customers that our wood fiber comes from sustainably managed forests," says Thomas Ehrnrooth, VP, Marketing, Paper.

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As part of its planned expansion in North America, Kontrelmec s.I. (Kmec), Girona, Spain, and Kmec USA Inc., Knoxville, Tenn., have signed an agreement with Webco, Southborough, Mass., USA, to market its products in the U.S. and Canada. There are many similarities between the two companies making this arrangement a "natural fit."

Both companies say they are strong believers in customizing the product to suit the particular customer requirement. Each having executed that policy for more than 40 years has earned them the reputation of supplying quality equipment to paper mills and converters.

As the companies note, the synergy of this new set-up is realized in the expansion of the range of equipment now available from Webco, from the two drum winders on which Webco has largely built its reputation through sheeters, coating and laminators, embossing, and labeling equipment.

As an integral part of the arrangement; Bob Preddy, formerly of Kmec USA has joined Webco as its sales director.

Critical factors in the future plans of collaboration and development between the companies are technical service and joint manufacturing. More information is available on the Webco website and the Kmec USA website.

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Jiangsu Longheng Paper Co., China, has selected PMT Italia, Italy, as a key partner for its new duplex board machine project. The new board machine will be installed at the company's mill in Jiangsu province, close to the town of Xiangshuivin. Startup is scheduled for the second quarter of 2012.

PMT Italia will supply paper machine sections including an M4 headbox with dilution control, a shoe press, and a winder. The new PM 1 board machine will be designed to produce duplex board in the range of 230 to 450 gsm at a speed of 650 m/min, the trim width at the reel being 4,550 mm.

The scope of supply also includes the control and automation systems of the related paper machine sections to be integrated into the main MCS and the sectional drive for the winder, together with all erection supervision, commissioning, and startup services.

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MeadWestvaco Corp. will host qualified investors and analysts at its global headquarters in Richmond, Va., USA, on Wednesday, December 14, to feature the company's packaging strategy. The session is expected to begin at 8:00 a.m. and conclude at 2:30 p.m.

Senior leaders from across MWV's Packaging businesses will review the company's strategies for profitable growth in its targeted global packaging end-markets. The company also will feature an array of its packaging solutions and demonstrate the capabilities of its Center for Packaging Innovation.

To register for the event, contact Loretta Carter-Getter at (804) 444-7762. An agenda and lodging details will be provided to registrants. Other interested parties will be able to access the presentation slides and listen live to the event by visiting the Investors page of MeadWestvaco's website. A replay of the event will be available on the website for 30 days.

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Pregis Corp., Deerfield, Ill., USA, this week announced that it will sell its Hexacomb business unit to an affiliate of Boise Inc, Boise, Idaho, for $125 million. Sales of the Hexacomb business for the 12 months ended August 31, 2011, were $109.8 million, with EBITDA (before unallocated corporate expenses) of $13.2 million. Proceeds from the transaction will be used to repay a portion of Pregis' asset-based lending facility and will be otherwise retained for debt repayment, general corporate purposes, and future reinvestment.

Hexacomb is a supplier of paper-based protective packaging used by industries including furniture, consumer, automotive, textile, food, building products, energy, glass, and industrial. Hexacomb has 12 manufacturing plants, with nine in North America and three in Europe.

Pregis is a producer of protective, flexible, and foodservice packaging, as well as hospital supply products. It currently operates 46 facilities in 18 countries around the world.

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Due to severe fouling inside the DuoStabilizer rolls of the first dryer group on its KM 6 board machine, Weig Karton, Mayen, Germany, has had to clean the stabilizer rolls once a year. This cleaning process is extremely laborious, as the approximate 130 mm thick tender side covers have to be dismantled every time. As production time increased, the dirt on the rolls caused considerable difficulties.

The mill worked with Voith, Germany, and its FRS OnSite group to make the laborious cleaning process easier. The project began with drilling manholes into the tender side covers of five rolls. In addition, openings and covers were provided in the disks separating threading zone and rolls. These measures allow Weig Karton to save about 38 hours of cleaning work a year for each of the five rolls – around 190 hours in total.

The difficult part of this process was to drill through the particularly thick covers. But after just 80 man-hours, FRS OnSite successfully completed its work on KM 6, considerably faster than envisaged in the ambitious 96-hour scheduled program. It was also possible to dynamically balance the DuoStabilizer rolls during this mechanical service at the customer's premises. This helps the machine run at optimum performance.

At its Mayen plant, Weig produces board on two machines, KM 3 and KM 6. The 5.30 m wide KM 6 machine produces about 340,000 metric tpy of plasterboard for the corrugated and plasterboard industry.

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Neenah Paper, Alpharetta, Ga., USA, says it is proving that making a final paper selection doesn't have to be overwhelming and time consuming. The company has updated and simplified the paper selection process by refreshing all four of its Classic Papers brands, including Classic Crest, Classic Linen, Classic Columns, and Classic Laid Papers.

Neenah's extensive research identified the increasing project demands falling on designers, making efficiency a top priority when choosing paper for print projects. Hence the newly updated Classic brands provide a simplified platform of premium papers that are complete, consistent, and compatible. The revision focuses on five key components:

• Ten common colors are now offered across all six paper finishes common to the four Classic brands. These additions allow each brand to work seamlessly together to deliver many design alternatives and combinations.
• Digital printing papers were expanded across all finishes in the 10 common colors. This makes Classic Digital Papers the most expansive offering in the marketplace, Neenah notes.
• Common green certifications across all four brands---FSC certified, Green-e certified, and made Carbon Neutral Plus. Recycled papers are made with a minimum of 30% and 100% post-consumer fiber, and are Green Seal certified.
• Heavier cover weights are featured across all 10 common colors.
• Two new finishes—Eggshell and Stipple—have been added to the Classic Crest brand.

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SMART Papers, Hamilton, Ohio, USA, has re-engineered and expanded its premium high-gloss, cast-coated Kromekote Label papers brand and is now introducing the product line to label printers and converters across North America and Europe. All papers are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.

The Kromekote Cut and Stack label line has been reformulated for improved dimensional stability in wet-glue applied label applications. The line now features nine products, including new lightweight offerings, new papers guaranteed for digital presses, new wet-strength papers, and a 30% post-consumer waste (PCW) label paper. Cut-and-stack labels, used in wine, spirits, and consumer packaged goods, are sold to label printers and paper/packaging distributors.

The Kromekote Converting line now offers eight products for high-gloss, pressure-sensitive label face stock, including new lightweights, new digital press-guaranteed papers, and new wet-strength papers. This product line is sold exclusively to pressure-sensitive label converters.

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Sonoco, Hartsville, S.C., USA, reports that Jim C. Bowen, SVP, Primary Materials Group, North America, will be retiring from Sonoco following a 40-year career. As a result of his decision, John M. Grups has been named division VP and GM, Primary Materials Group, North America.

Bowen's retirement is effective March 31, 2012, and he will continue to work on several manufacturing initiatives until that time. He has been a SVP since 2002, holding various senior management positions in the company's paper, recycling, manufacturing, and internal supply functions. He joined the company in 1972 after graduating from the pulp and paper engineering program at North Carolina State University. He also received an MBA from Duke University.

In his new position, which became effective October 1, Grups will have responsibility for Sonoco's 12 uncoated recycled paperboard mills in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, Sonoco Recycling, and the company's Adhesives and Forest Products divisions. He will continue to report to Jack Sanders, president and CEO.

"John is a 35-year veteran of Sonoco and has extensive manufacturing experience, including division VP, Global Operations, Consumer Products, along with other operating leadership and plant management responsibilities," Sanders noted. "For the past eight years, he has led our Operating Excellence initiatives, which have enhanced our Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing operating philosophies and improved our purchasing and logistics functions."

Grups is a 1974 graduate of The University of Missouri with a B.S. degree in Math and a B.A. degree in Philosophy. He also holds a master's degree from Purdue University in Industrial Management.

To further leverage Sonoco's global manufacturing support efforts, the company's supply management organization, including purchasing, logistics and other support services will report to Marty F. Pignone, VP, Global Operating Excellence. Pignone will have responsibility for driving standardization with the company's global manufacturing processes while leveraging productivity, quality, supply management, supply chain, environmental services, safety, and engineering functions.

Pignone joined the Company in 1997 and has been VP, Global Manufacturing, since 2009. He graduated in 1978 from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering and received a M.S. degree in business administration from Stanford University in 1991. Prior to joining Sonoco, he worked for General Electric and Kodak.

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Tembec, Canada, this week announced the appointment of Ken Duffy to VP of Sales for its High-Yield Pulp group. Duffy will be responsible for directing sales activities for the High-Yield pulp mills to maximize contribution margins while ensuring the achievement of short and long range profit and growth objectives.

Reporting to Duffy will be Jorg Bruschweiler, director of Sales, Paper Pulp, Europe; Tiean Huang, chief representative and GM, Beijing Office, China; and Lisa Guimont, customer service coordinator. Various agents throughout the Tembec High-Yield Pulp network will also coordinate their sales activities through Duffy.

Duffy has more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience selling to the pulp and paper industry. His experience consists of specialty chemical solutions for pulp and paper mills, including managing corporate contracts for multi-national client organizations, and more than 10 years of sales management experience.

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Eleven-year TAPPI member Rory Wolf has been actively engaged in the Polymers, Laminates, Adhesive, Coating and Extrusion (PLACE) Division ever since joining in 2000, focusing much of his energy into leadership roles. For Rory, being an active member has meant getting back a lot more than you give.

"I have had the personal pleasure of meeting and collaborating with industry leaders who make ground-breaking contributions to society," says Rory. "Membership has allowed me to form not only the strongest possible technical network, but also lifelong friendships with truly amazing people." Find out how by reading this month's Member Spotlight.

Spotlight participants are recommended by fellow members and staff. If you would like to nominate a member just send their name (or names) to MemberSpotlight@tappi.org. We will forward a Spotlight Questionnaire to fill out and return.

We look forward to seeing you in the Spotlight!

 

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TAPPI Sustaining Company Membership offers companies in the pulp, paper, packaging and converting industries cutting-edge technical information, educational opportunities, and industry recognition. With TAPPI's prestigious Sustaining Membership program, your company will increase visibility and show support for the industry through your support of TAPPI. We would like to take this opportunity to say "Thank You" to the Sustaining Members Companies.

View the Sustaining Member Companies

Interested in becoming a Sustaining Member Company? Click here to download an application.

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Upcoming Courses That Make Training Maintenance Teams as Easy as 1-2-3!

Three upcoming courses in December will help to train your Maintenance Teams on processes that help to sustain equipment, minimize production downtime, and increase safety procedures.

In partnership with TAPPI, IDCON will be holding these courses in Raleigh, NC. The three courses include:

• Planning & Scheduling
  December 5-7, 2011
• Reliability-Based Spare Parts & Materials Management Training
  December 8, 2011
• Practical Root Cause Problem Elimination
  December 13-14, 2011

Learn more about these courses at the TAPPI website.

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Lake States TAPPI/North Central PIMA have put together an Energy Optimization Program entitled "Case Studies in Energy Reduction in the Paper Mill" to be held on Wednesday, November 2, 2011. This Technical Program will be held at the Miron Corporate Office, 1471 McMahon Drive, Neenah, WI.

Topics include:

• Sub Metering
• Flambeau River Papers – Update on energy saving projects in the mill
• Spiral Heat Exchangers/Steam Turbine Upgrades
• Vacuum System Study
•  EnergyStar – How the EnergyStar program has helped save energy within the mill
• Benchmarking Energy Usage
• FOA Update
• Yankee Dryer Efficiency
• Pinch Projects
• Screening Systems
• Steam, Condensate, and Dryer Management Systems

For additional information, please use the following links:

Program Agenda

Register for This Event

Additional Program Information

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Slate Announced for Election of 2012 TAPPI Board of Directors

TAPPI's 2011 Nominating Committee announced a slate of candidates for three director positions. The Candidates are: Michael Exner, Sr. VP-Containerboard Mills, RockTenn; Steven Shifman, President, Michelman Inc.; and Clayton Teague, Director (Recently Retired), National Nanotechnology Coordination Office.

Voting begins December 1, 2011. Per the TAPPI Bylaws members of the organization have until November 1, 2011 to review the slate.

Learn more about the slate and election process.

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