Containerboard/Packaging
WestRock to Sell Ownership Interest in RTS Packaging to Sonoco; Agrees to Sell URB Mills in Illinois and Indiana to Ox Industries

Over the Wire

TAPPI

Thursday, November 17, 2022 - Member
Weekly Spotlight
Construction work has begun on the new technology building that will become the innovation campus of the Koehler Group. This momentous occasion was rung in symbolically by the group’s COO Dr. Stefan Karrer and the management team of Koehler Innovation & Technology in a groundbreaking ceremony.
 
Sappi North America today announced the approval of a $418 million capital project to convert Paper Machine No. 2 (a coated freesheet machine) at its Somerset Mill in Skowhegan, Maine, to increase its capacity and produce solid bleached sulfate board (SBS) products. The project will be funded from free cash flow.
 
Central National Gottesman Inc. (CNG) announced that its Kelly Spicers division is acquiring the West Coast operations of Connemara Converting, a custom paper and board converting company and supplier to label printers, envelope converters, and paper and packaging distributors.
 
Valmet entered into an agreement to acquire the U.S. based NovaTech Automation's Process Solutions business. The value of the acquisition will not be disclosed.
 
From The Experts
By Jim Schneider, Sustana Fiber’s VP of Operations

As vice president of operations at Sustana Fiber, I’ve spent a lot of time helping brands determine and improve the recyclability of their products. As a collaborator, I always consider two questions: Where can we incorporate recycled fiber to recover more materials, and how can we build a sustainable supply chain together?
 
Market Roundup
WestRock Company announced results for its fiscal fourth quarter and year ended September 30, 2022.
 
Pulp & Paper
In 2022 Toscotec has managed more than 25 tissue machine rebuilds for leading manufacturers that remain confidential. The projects are located at different mills across 6 continents: Africa, North and South America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.
 
Saudi Paper Group selected Toscotec for a second tissue line to be installed at its Dammam facility in Saudi Arabia. The new AHEAD 2.2L machine (PM5) will be a full-on turnkey project and it follows Toscotec’s supply of a complete AHEAD 2.2S line that is currently undergoing erection at the same tissue mill. The start-up of PM5 is scheduled for 2024.
 
UPG Unified Purchasing Group
WestRock Company announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to wholly divest its ownership interest in RTS Packaging, LLC, to joint venture partner Sonoco Products Company for $330 million, subject to customary price adjustments.
 
Mondi Provides Sustainable eCommerce Packaging Solutions for MODIVO SA
Mondi, a global leader in sustainable packaging and paper, has been appointed as the exclusive packaging provider for one of Europe’s largest fashion enterprises. Following a product trial earlier this year, Mondi will support MODIVO in switching from the standard rigid packaging currently used in the distribution of the e-retailer’s full collection of shoes, bags and clothes.
 
Optimize Your Starch Cooking Capabilities
Hydro-Thermal Corp®
Starch cooking is a vital component in successful paper production. Hydro-Thermal’s original Jetcooker™ ensures that producers have a reliable supply of consistently cooked starch for improving wet end sheet strength, size press surface properties, and overall coating quality.  Learn more about how Hydro-Thermal is the right pick in Starch Makedown, Starch Cooking, and Cooked Starch Handling.
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New Products
Quality Innovation Award for Valmet’s and Metsä Group’s 3D Fiber Demo Plant
Valmet and Metsä Group's innovation company Metsä Spring have received national Quality Innovation Award 2022 in Finland with their demo plant that manufactures new kind of fiber products called Muoto®. The joint development project won the category of potential innovations.
 
International Paper Launches OHMEGA® Conductive Ink + Touchcode™ to Enhance Customer Security, Satisfaction
International Paper (NYSE: IP) announced OHMEGA® Conductive Ink + Touchcode™, its latest technology that provides a new dimension to brand protection in the packaging industry.
 
Sustainability
Metsä Board Wins the Finnish Circular Economy and Quality Award for the Second Year Running
Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, has again won both the Finnish Circular Economy Award and the Finnish Quality Award in the Excellence Finland assessment. Both the Quality Award and the Circular Economy Award are based on an assessment using the international EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) model. 
 
Suzano Announces Creation of Alliance to Restore and Preserve Forests in Brazil
Suzano announced the creation of a new company focused entirely on the restoration, conservation and preservation of forests in Brazil. The new entity includes other major companies Itaú Unibanco, Marfrig, Rabobank, Santander and Vale.
 
AF&PA Announces Award-Winning Sustainability Projects
The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has announced its Better Practices, Better Planet 2030 Sustainability Award winners, which recognize exemplary sustainability programs and initiatives in the paper and wood products manufacturing industry.
 
Klabin Successfully Starts Up New Gasification Plant Supplied by ANDRITZ
Klabin has successfully started up a biomass gasification plant at the Puma Unit, located in Ortigueira/PR, Brazil, with a new biomass treatment line supplied by ANDRITZ. The gasification plant enables 100% fossil-free operation of the lime kiln by replacing all heavy fuel oil currently burned in one of the mill’s lime kilns, significantly reducing the Klabin pulp mill’s carbon footprint.
 
Viega
Free Webinar: Effectively Measure Total Dissolved Solids
Vaisala Oy®
The pulping industry can use liquid concentration or density as a key parameter for controlling processes such as brown stock washing and black liquor management. This can be done using refractometer technology or density meters, but what are the operational and economic benefits of both techniques? Register today for Vaisala’s upcoming webinar on November 15th at 10am ET to learn how measuring refractive index can optimize energy efficiency and safety.
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People
OASIS Alignment Services Announces Key Manager Promotions
OASIS Alignment Services (OASIS), a division of In-Place Machining Company, announced the promotions of two key managers in the OASIS Northeast Service Center located in Rochester, New Hampshire.
 
TAPPI News
 
Visit https://na.eventscloud.com/ereg/index.php?eventid=562653& to view the full article online.
 
Mills Eager for Innovative Solutions at TAPPICon 2023
Reach key decision-makers as an exhibitor, but don’t delay. Exhibit space is going fast.
 
Share Your Insights at TAPPI Nano 2023, 12-16 June 2023 in Vancouver, BC
TAPPI Nano 2023 Call for Presentations is now available! Are you ready to submit your abstracts?
 
Experience Matters When it Comes to Your Education
TAPPI's Introduction to Pulp and Paper Technology Course delivers unparalleled training from three knowledgeable instructors.
 
Get to Know TAPPI's Kraft Recovery Operations Course Experts
Nearly two dozen international experts are coming together in January to help you solve the most common issues in operations.
 
How Will You Take Advantage of the TAPPI Press Fall into Savings Event?
Apply your 25% discount to these best-sellers!
 
Let TAPPI help you train your brain
Sharpen your skills and know-how through webinars, courses and live events, or choose from our library of e-Learning courses.
 
 
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