Over the Wire

Dairy food packaging market in Asia-Pacific is expected to show a tremendous growth rate during the forecast period. Demand is surging because of growing popularity of smaller packs and rising consumer preference for dairy products such as yogurt. North America and Western Europe are expected to register slower growth.

 

The North American printing and writing paper demand was down 4.4% y/y in July, and down 4.5% thru the first half of this year.

 

Index moved slightly higher in July, representing the first rise in 10 months, according to figures maintained by U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics.

 

The global Synthetic Market is projected to reach $386.5 million by 2020, at a CAGR of 7.0% during the forecast period, 2015 to 2020.

 

Company will invest more than EUR 1.3 million to build a pilot plant for coating resins at its Performance Coatings site located in Felling, U.K. The state-of-the-art facility will create three new jobs and safeguard an additional 28 positions at the site.

 

The Howe Sound pulp mill in B.C., Canada recently suspended papermaking due to low water levels in Lake Seven. Water conservation efforts have been implemented to maximum effect. Drought conditions are not expected to reach into the fall, which could potentially shut down more operations.

 

Up to 20-25 workers at the mill in Lincoln, Me., USA will be laid off. A USW staff representative, speaking for the union most of the 215 employees of the facility are a member of, said the loss of positions would be for an indefinite time period. Slight overproduction in global tissue markets are cited as a potential cause.

 

The company has ordered a new high-speed tissue machine with a production capacity of 34,000 metric tpy (110 metric tpd) from A.Celli, Italy. The investment is part of the Romanian Group’s growth plan that aims at an important increase in production capacity.

 

Resolute has selected Valmet's Advantage NTT tissue production technology and automation solution for the new facility being built in Calhoun, Tenn., USA, to manufacture at-home, premium private label tissue paper, including bath and towel. Start up is planned for early 2017.

 

A decision has been made to invest in increased capacity for pulp production in the new Forest Products division, which will encompass all forest industry operations and all forest land owned by SCA. The company will invest at the Östrand pulp mill in Timrå, Sweden.

 

The Solombalsk Group, Arkhangelsk, Russia, filed bankruptcy this past week for a division in charge of cellulose and paper production after a Jan. 20 bankruptcy filing for Solombalsk LDK, a division overseeing chemical wood processing enterprises in the region.

 

Initially, the project involved replacing the old slitting unit and updating the tension control system. In a subsequent phase, the intervention was extended with the addition of a new unwinder with brake and load cell system.

 

Swedish company is investing SEK 60 million in a biomass boiler to replace LPG with bioenergy as the energy source for its flash dryer. The ground work is just about to start.

 

The globally successful and patented Formsoft technology has enabled tissue makers to produce their products with higher quality and at increased efficiency, Xerium notes, adding that Formsoft is one of the fastest growing products it has ever launched into the market.

 

With this acquisition, Atlantic continues to gain access into the U.S. market while adding depth to the company's converting capabilities. Skybox, based in Mansfield, Ohio, manufactures corrugated packaging products and distributes packaging supplies and equipment.

 

The company, owned by PaperWorks, announced last week that it will hire about 150 employees across all areas of pre-press and production over the coming year at the Ont., Canada, facility, boosting the current workforce of 295 to well over 400. Carton production capacity will increase by almost 75%.

 

Alaska Plus and leading GC1 coated paperboard product Arktika, have reached a new high during the past quarter, underlining the market’s positive response to the respective products.

 

This past week the groundbreaking ceremony for the new state of the art Display and Consumer Packaging plant took place in Erlensee, Germany. DS Smith is investing EUR 50 million in the plan, including purchasing the latest machine technology. About one half of the 88,000 sq. mile area will be developed during this phase.

 

Greg Pallesen, VP for the Assoc. of Western Pulp and Paper Workers, confirmed the employee strike in Longview, Wash., USA. "The entire plant site is shut down," he said. "Part of it was already down for maintenance, but the entire plant site is shut down. We’re on an unfair labor practice strike."

 

Initial cash consideration for the divestment of shares for the plant located in Hungary is approximately EUR 12 million. Based on 2014 figures, the divestment would reduce Stora Enso sales by EUR 14 million and decrease annual corrugated packaging converting capacity by approximately 15 million sq. meters.

 

ISO 50001 is an energy management system for continuous improvement in energy efficiency, and in consequence energy costs and environmental impacts. Nancy is the first UPM Raflatac site to achieve this certification.

 

Tambrite H/S boxboard has become popular in Europe due to strong value, runnability, and performance in its key end-use segments: pharmaceutical, food, and chocolate packaging. It can also be used as an all-round packaging material. Tambrite can flexibly cater to the needs of other end uses as well.

 

FP 115 is designed to effectively secure the paper to the core during roll startup, hold the splice during processing, and anchor the end of the roll securely. It is also ideal for tasks in which the tape must stick well to itself, including shingling and overlapping applications.

 

Recycled wood fibers enriched with the fresh strength of virgin tomato plant fibers could become an important part of the paperboard recycling chain in farming regions where excess stalks can be easily gathered. After harvest time each year, tomato plant residue flow becomes available in large quantities.

 

Tetra Top is a departure from traditional beverage packaging with its clean, modern look, bottle-shaped design, and recyclable packaging made primarily from paper, a renewable resource.

 

Finland was one of the first countries to achieve endorsement of its national forest certification system back in 2000, followed by two successful re-endorsements of the system in 2005 and 2010. According to a recent report by Gaia Consulting, PEFC has had a far-reaching impact on Finnish forestry.

 

On Tuesday (Sept. 1), Iggesund Paperboard, Sweden, announced on the Holmen Group website the success of their pro-sustainability gift cards the company began issuing in the spring. The area needed to plant a tree for each of the 3,000 customers who purchased a card has now been acquired and made ready for the seedlings.

 

This program is designed to meet market needs in thirteen states in southern regions of the U.S. through family-owned forests, while protecting and enhancing forest health and habitat. AFF will assess how family forest benefits vary across woodbaskets in the south and how sustainable land management can play a more active role.

 

With more than 25 years of experience in the world of tissue converting and packaging, Fazzi has great familiarity with international markets, in particular Asian markets, and his areas of competence span from the financial to the administrative to the commercial fields.

 

Make plans to attend this year's conference in Milwaukee, Wis., USA, on September 15-17. This is the only conference in North America dedicated exclusively to specialty papers.

 

If you aren’t already, please consider exhibiting at PEERS. We’re making sure that your potential customers will be there and you will have many opportunities to talk with them face-to-face.

 

The TAPPISAFE® Basic Safety Orientation program has been implemented within the company. Training time for each AstenJohnson field staffer has been reduced from five or more hours to two hours each year. The feedback from staff has been good, and the program has been easily adopted internally.

 

Paulwas known by many in TAPPI for his creativity and engaging personality that brought life to many technical sessions when he was able to travel to TAPPI conferences. He died August 21 at age 74 where he lived in Rotorua, New Zealand.

 

Is a cloud based system right for your mill? TAPPI invites you to a complimentary webinar on Tuesday September 22, at 12:00 p.m. EST, hosted by Christophe Deslandes, VP and CTO of KapStone Paper and Packaging, to learn more about this exciting topic.

 

TAPPI's Tissue360° forum is seeking forward-thinking speakers and ideas for the upcoming program.

 

This is a "must -have" communication tool for suppliers and their customers to assist in the identification and elimination of roll and web defects. This industry resource was written and edited by 22 industry experts with more than 500 years of web-handling and winding experience, along with 16 contributing editors.

 

TAPPI–IDCON courses are specifically designed to help you master the essentials of maintenance.

 

This course, held November 17-18, offers an introductory-level curriculum designed for anyone who wants to strengthen their knowledge of overall tissue operations.

 

Sealed Air Corp is currently seeking a Process Engineer in Pennsylvania.