Over the Wire

Resolute Forest Products Inc., Montreal, Que., Canada, has permanently closed its previously idled pulp and paper mill in Fort Frances, Ont.

 

Orchids Paper Products Co., Pryor, Okla., USA, this week announced a strategic alliance with Fabrica de Papel San Francisco, S.A. de C.V. to support the growth of Orchids' U.S. west coast sales.

 

Verso Paper Corp., Memphis, Tenn., USA, a producer of coated papers, this week announced that its existing senior leadership team will continue to lead Verso following the completion of its pending acquisition of NewPage Holdings Inc.

 

Kimberly-Clark Corp., Dallas, Texas, USA, this week filed the Form 10 Registration Statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the company’s previously announced plan to spin off its health care business.

 

Katherine Hodges Harper, a well-known leader in the printing industry and the first female chairman of the Foundation of the Flexographic Technical Association International Forum as well as the first female to chair a TAPPI International Conference, passed away May 3.

 

Australia was for many years the world’s leading exporter of wood chips and the major supplier of wood fiber to the pulp industry in Japan,but this changed in 2012 when Australian exports fell to their lowest level in more than 10 years.

 

Economic growth is expected to continue in the U.S. throughout the remainder of 2014, say the nation's purchasing and supply executives in their Spring 2014 Semiannual Economic Forecast.

 

The Canadian forest products industry is well positioned for a bright future after making robust advances in labor productivity even while facing one of its worst downturns in history.

 

Bosch Rexroth, Charlotte, N.C., USA, this week marked the opening of its new hydraulics manufacturing and distribution center in Bethlehem, Pa., with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and facility tour for customers, distributors, and local officials.

 

Fortress Paper Ltd., Vancouver, B.C., Canada, this week reported that its Durasafe banknote paper produced at the company’s Landqart Mill in Switzerland has been confirmed as the substrate of the ninth series of the Swiss Franc by the Swiss National Bank.

 

Glatfelter, York, Pa., USA, has approved a $25 million increase to the company’s share repurchase program and extended the expiration date of the program to May 1, 2016.

 

Kemira Oyj, Finland, this week closed its acquisition of BASF's global AKD emulsion business announced in February.

 

Klabin S.A., Brazil, this week signed a supply contract with Valmet, Finland, to provide two pulp drying lines to Klabin's new plant in Ortigueira, Paraná, Brazil.

 

Metsä Fibre is planning to build a bioproduct mill in the existing mill area in Äänekoski, Finland, that will cost . approximately EUR 1.1 billion and be the largest ever investment in the forest industry in Finland.

 

H.B. Fuller reports that it has invested $1 million in a Packaging Center of Excellence at its North American headquarters in St. Paul, Minn., USA..

 

Stora Enso, Finland, has ordered from Valmet, Finland, a bleached chemi-thermomechanical pulp (BCTMP) plant and a board production line for its new mill site in Beihai, Guangxi Province in China.

 

 

FiberMark, West Springfield, Mass., USA, a producer of paperboards, fiber-based specialty covering materials, and print media for world-leading brands, has announced a new portfolio of folding carton, turned-edge, and bag stock products specifically engineered to meet design demands of the upscale health and beauty packaging market.

 

Battelle, Columbus, Ohio, USA, says that its scientists have developed a tiny bead, the Battelle Smart Corrosion Detector bead, that not only detects corrosion but "delivers a payload" to help heal the microscopic cracks that rust creates.

 

SCA, Stockholm, Sweden, along with its global hygiene brand Tork, is offering two new IT-based washroom services--Bloe® washroom service and Tork EasyCubeTM.

 

Unisource Worldwide Inc., Norcross, Ga., USA, has introduced QuickBox, a corrugated packaging offering.

 

Rentech (Renewable Energy Technology) Inc., Los Angeles, Calif., USA, this week announced that it has acquired New England Wood Pellet (NEWP), the largest producer of wood pellets for the U.S. heating market, for $34.5 million in cash.

 

Rayonier, Jacksonville, Fla., USA, announced that H. Edwin Kiker became SVP and CFO of the company, effective May 1.

 

Early registration savings are available only one more week for TAPPI’s Introduction to Wet End Chemistry Course taking place June 10-12 in Metro Atlanta, Ga., USA

 

Know a good candidate to help guide the future of our industry? Nominations close May 15.

 

TAPPI "gears-up" for this May 13-15 course, back by popular demand.

 

Membership Delivers Value to Industry.

 

PPSA, partially sponsored by TAPPI, will hold this three day conference June 22-25 in St. Petersburg, Fla., USA.

 

Innovation is the focus of TAPPI’s Introduction to Wet End Chemistry Course taking place June 10-12 in Metro Atlanta, Ga., USA. Learn more about the May 12 early-registration rates

 

This comprehensive volume details all aspects of extrusion coating and is available to TAPPI members for a $47 dollar discount off the list price

 

TAPPI and NCSU are partnered to offer this second of three introductory courses for industry professionals that cover the entire pulping and papermaking process

 

Through a partnership with North Carolina State University and TAPPI, this three-day workshop, July 30 - August 1, helps you estimate financial outcomes and supports your decision making

 

This e-book describes in detail the measurement technology used in quality controls systems and is available to TAPPI members for a $70 discount

 

Get employees updated and better qualified with the most up-to-date, in-depth industry e-Learning Courses available

 

This book is a collection of two to three page summaries on recently completed and on-going research with high strength nanomaterials. It identifies a who’s-who of research as well as leads on successful applications