COVID-19 Impact
Demand for Tissue Paper Growing in China

Over the Wire

TAPPI

Thursday, February 4, 2021 - members edition
Cristini
Metsä Fibre reports that the unexpected outbreak of COVID-19 has had negative impacts on various industries, including the paper industry in China
 
Weekly Spotlight
Stora Enso to Close Its Virdia Operations in the United States
Stora Enso has decided to permanently close its US-based Virdia operations during 2021. Virdia was acquired in 2014 and has focused on conversion of cellulosic biomass from sugar cane bagasse into refined sugars.
 
Ukranian Scientist Develops New Technology for Production of Paper From Fallen Leaves
A unique technology for the production of paper from fallen leaves has been recently presented in Ukraine by some local inventors, according to recent statements, made by some local media.
 
SCA to Invest $54.7 Million in Tunadal Port, Sweden
SCA will invest approximately $54.7 million in Tunadal port, Sweden, between 2021 and 2024. The investment will encompass a new container port and new cargo handling areas.
 
Green Bay Packaging’s New VariFlex Winder Shipped from Voith Plant to its Permanent Home
How do you get a 142,000-pound machine from its assembly plant to its permanent home 51 miles away? The answer is with careful planning, plenty of patience and just the right tools.
 
Extended Uptime in Contaminated Environments: Molded-Oil™ Bearings.
NSK Americas®
Under conditions of liquid or dust contamination, even sealed conventional bearings will fail prematurely. Molded-Oil Bearings with DDU seals from NSK deliver continual, clean, no-leak lubrication for dramatically increased service life and maintenance intervals.
Learn More
Advertisement
Merichem Company
Market Roundup
Sonoco to Hike Price for All Grades of Uncoated Recycled Paperboard in the US and Canada
Sonoco announced it is implementing a $50 per ton price increase for all grades of uncoated recycled paperboard (URB) in the United States and Canada.
 
Suzano Sees Price Recovery for Its Market Pulp as Demand Pressures Supply
Bloomberg reports that Suzano SA, the world's biggest wood pulp maker, expects a sharp recovery in prices to benefit earnings and speed up de-leveraging this quarter.
 
UPG Unified Purchasing Group
Pulp & Paper
AFRY Awarded Engineering Assignment for SCA’s New Pulp Production Line Project in Sweden
SCA has awarded AFRY a piping engineering assignment for the Chemical Thermomechanical Pulp (CTMP) production project in Ortviken, Sweden. The assignment includes piping design of the CTMP processes, dewatering, drying and baling. The value of SCA’s investment is SEK 1.45 billion and production is expected to start at the beginning of 2023.
 
Mainstream Pine Products to Build New Crude Tall Oil (CTO) Biorefinery in South Carolina
Mainstream Pine Products, LLC, today announced plans for an estimated $90 million crude tall oil (CTO) biorefinery at the Charleston International Manufacturing Center (CIMC) in Berkeley County. The biorefinery will be a highly advanced recycling facility with capacity to process 110,000 tons of CTO for use in a wide range of industrial applications.
 
International Paper Announces $52 Million Upgrade in Louisiana
BIC Magazine reports that Bernie Chascin, plant manager at International Paper in Bogalusa, announced last week that the company plans to invest up to $52.2 million to increase the plant’s efficiency.
 
Kuraray America, Inc.
Containerboard/Packaging
OPTIMA and Voith Develop Sustainable Paper Packaging Solutions
At the end of 2020, the Optima Group entered a development partnership with the technology group Voith. The objective of this alliance is to develop sustainable paper packaging solutions.
 
Greif Implementing Price Increases for Uncoated Recycled Paperboard and Containerboard
Greif, Inc. announced that it is implementing price increases on certain paperboard and containerboard products.
 
Nanotechnology
The Global Market for Nanocellulose to 2030
The global nanocellulose market has accelerated over the last few years as producers in Japan and to a lesser extent North America and Europe bring products to market. The development of these remarkable materials has compelled major paper and pulp producers to gravitate their traditional business towards advanced biorefineries, which have met with initial success and resulted in production capacity increases.
 
New Products
Valmet Launches a New Blade Consistency Measurement for Pulp and Paper Producers
Valmet launches a redesigned Valmet Blade Consistency Measurement (Valmet SP) for pulp and paper producers. With the latest technology, new user interface, and patented internal detection principle, the transmitter continues to offer reliable, accurate, and cost-efficient consistency measurement for all applications.
 
Emballator Launches New Range of Sustainable Plastic Packaging from Recycled Raw Materials
For the past two years, Emballator has been focusing on developing a new plastic material and has now created a product that matches their customer’s high expectations. The new material, called rPP Soft Grey, is 100 % recyclable.
 
Veolia Water Technologies
Sustainability
Smurfit Kappa Sets New Sustainability Targets With Better Planet 2050
Smurfit Kappa has announced ambitious new sustainability targets in a number of different areas. The new targets focus on a further reduction of its environmental footprint, increased support for the communities in which it operates and further enhancement to the lives of its employees.
 
Sappi Achieves the First Ever PEFC Forest Management Certificate in South Africa
Sappi Limited, a global forest products leader, is proud to announce that its South African division has been awarded the first ever Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) forest management certificate in South Africa.
 
People
Verso Corporation Names Randy J. Nebel as President and CEO
Verso Corporation announced the appointment of Randy J. Nebel as President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Nebel has served as interim President and Chief Executive Officer since October 2020 and has been a member of Verso's Board of Directors since November 2019.
 
PCMC names Andy Piotter as Business Development Manager, Packaging Systems
Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC)—a division of Barry-Wehmiller and a leading supplier of high-performance converting machinery for the tissue, nonwovens, package-printing and bagconverting industries worldwide—is pleased to announce that Andy Piotter has accepted the position of Business Development Manager, Packaging Systems.
 
TAPPI News
TAPPICon 2021 Announces Virtual and Live Formats in Spring and Fall 2021
Stay abreast of the latest technologies, processes and advancements throughout the year. Attend TAPPICon VIRTUAL in the spring and TAPPICon LIVE! in the fall.
 
Ask The Experts: Web Handling
Watch live as technical experts Walker, Jones and Roisum answer questions on web handling; wrinkling, winding, and troubleshooting.
 
Join us for the Pulp and Paper Basics Virtual Workshop
Taking place March 1-5.  Perfect for non-technical staff, sales force and new employees. 
 
Learn more about the Circular Economy at Flexible Packaging Virtual Conference
From suppliers to converters to brand owners, this event offers critical sustainability information.
 
Pay it Forward! Sponsor a Student for Only $35
TAPPI-PIMA Student Summit 2021 has more than 300 students attending the virtual event. Please help support them by sponsoring TAPPI Student Memberships for these eager learners.
 
Naylor Association Solutions