Travels with Larry
TAPPI’s President and CEO, Larry N. Montague, shares his insight

Over the Wire

TAPPI

Thursday, June 20, 2024 - Member
Cristini
Tune in to the podcast on the importance of collaboration and the value of diversity within an organization
 
Weekly Spotlight
World’s First Fully Electric Tissue Machine Announced by Toscotec and Fortissue
Portuguese tissue manufacturer Fortissue is partnering with Toscotec for a groundbreaking project on PM1 at its facility in Viana do Castelo, Northern Portugal. The Toscotec-supplied AHEAD line started up in 2015 (PM1) will be upgraded by Toscotec to become the first tissue machine in the world to operate at 2,000 m/min entirely on electricity. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024.
 
Metsä Group Announces Key Partners for Pre-Engineering Project for Muoto Production Plant
Metsä Group's pre-engineering project for a potential commercial-scale Muoto™ fibre product plant is progressing as planned. After the pre-engineering phase, Metsä Group may consider making an investment decision.
 
WestRock Stockholders Approve Combination with Smurfit Kappa
WestRock Company announced that, based on the preliminary vote count, WestRock stockholders voted to approve the Transaction Agreement and other proposals related to the combination of Smurfit Kappa Group plc (“Smurfit Kappa”) and WestRock (the “Combination”) at WestRock’s Special Meeting of Stockholders.
 
Pixelle Specialty Solutions Announces Significant New Funding
Pennsylvania-based Pixelle Specialty Solutions announced on June 11 that it has secured significant new financing, positioning the company with ample liquidity for continued future growth.
 
Dryer Cylinder Bearing Failures? Beat the Heat with TL-Series Bearings from NSK.
NSK Americas®
Under the high temperatures and thermal stresses of dryer rolls in paper making machines, conventional bearings can experience cracking damage and fail prematurely. NSK’s Tough and Long Life (TL) Spherical Roller Bearings dramatically increase MTBF and significantly reduce maintenance costs and machine downtime.
Learn more: NSKAmericas.com
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From The Experts
April 2024 Manufacturing Technology Orders Slow Decline, Remain Above Historical Average
Orders of manufacturing technology, measured by the U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders Report published by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, reached $317.9 million in April 2024. This is a 25.6% decrease from March 2024 but only 5.4% behind orders in April 2023. Orders in 2024 totaled $1.43 billion through April, 16.2% behind orders placed in the first four months of 2023.
 
Lubrication Engineers
Market Roundup
AF&PA Releases May 2024 Printing-Writing Monthly Report
The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) released the May 2024 Printing-Writing Monthly report.
 
Voith Group Gets Off to a Good Start in Fiscal Year 2023/24
The Voith Group performed well in the first six months of the current fiscal year 2023/24 (October 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024) despite major uncertainties in the markets. The company's focus was on further improving profitability: Voith was able to increase both the operating result and the net income in the reporting period. Net liquidity and orders received also improved.
 
EPIQ Advanced Dynamics Corp
Pulp & Paper
Solenis and PhaBuilder Cooperate to Develop PHA-Based Materials for Sustainable Paper-Based Packaging Market
Solenis, a leading global producer of specialty chemicals for water-intensive industries, has signed an agreement with Beijing PhaBuilder Biotechnology Co., Ltd., (hereinafter referred to as PhaBuilder), an innovative synthetic biology enterprise, to collaborate on further developing key PHA-based (Polyhydroxyalkanoate) technology for the paper packaging market.
 
Valmet and Flootech Enter Partnership to Advance Water Treatment for the Board, Paper and Tissue Industry
Lack of fresh water supply is becoming a challenge for many pulp and paper producers across the globe, which emphasizes the need of water saving and water treatment equipment. Re-using and/or recycling process effluent is today a must for most companies. Valmet and Flootech have on May 23, 2024, signed a partnership agreement to further enhance collaboration in providing advanced water treatment solutions.
 
Suzano Acquires EUR 230 Million Stake in Specialty Fibre Producer Lenzing
B&C Group and Suzano S.A. announced that Suzano has entered into a long-term partnership with B&C with respect to its majority stake in Lenzing AG ("Lenzing" or "the company"), the Vienna-listed leading global supplier of cellulosic fibres for the textile and non-wovens industry.
 
UPG Unified Purchasing Group
Containerboard/Packaging
DS Smith Iberia Installs a New Single-Pass Digital Printer with Water-based Inks
DS Smith, a global provider of sustainable fiber-based packaging solutions, has expanded its high-end digital printing offering and leads the industry with the installation of a Nozomi 14000 AQ single-pass water-based digital inkjet printer. It is a pioneering printer from technology manufacturer Electronics For Imaging (EFI) that is designed for high-resolution printing with water-based ink.
 
Cyklop International Acquires Canada-Based Polaris Systems Inc.
Cyklop International is excited to announce the acquisition of Polaris Systems Inc. in Ontario, Canada. Polaris Systems has been providing a wide range of packaging solutions for over 35 years, making them one of the top Canadian packaging companies.
 
Mondi Introduces Two New Containerboard Grades
Mondi introduces ProVantage SmartKraft Brown and White, an innovative blend of fresh and recycled fibres, setting new standards in sustainability and performance.
 
Precision Green Liquor Heating with Hydro-Thermal
Hydro-Thermal Corp®
Read how Hydro-Thermal solved a bleached paper and board mill challenge in North Carolina, USA, that needed to provide consistent green liquor temperature to two causticizing lines in the recovery process. The mill operates two causticizing and lime kiln lines and heats green liquor to each line. Precise temperature control of the green liquor to the slaker is crucial to a smooth operation.
Read More
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New Products
Mondi's ProVantage SmartKraft Brings Peace of Mind to Packaging Decisions
Amidst the daily whirlwind of business, achieving balance can be truly gratifying. Mondi’s Containerboard team is today launching a campaign to help customers achieve just that. Introducing ProVantage SmartKraft Brown and White — offering a harmonious packaging solution that brings peace of mind. No more compromises; these two containerboard paper grades strike the ideal balance between sustainability, strength, and printability, providing the tranquility needed in packaging decisions.
 
Georgia-Pacific Relaunches ARIA, a 100% Recycled, Three-Ply, Paper Wrapped Bath Tissue
Georgia-Pacific is relaunching its ARIA® brand of bath tissue as a three-ply premium product made from 100% recycled fiber and wrapped in recyclable paper packaging.
 
New Wood Packaging Made with 70 Percent Recycled Plastic
Timber is exposed to demanding circumstances during storage, loading and transportation. "We have developed a new packaging that consists of 70 percent recycled material, without compromising on quality. SCA Wood will be the first on the market with packaging that has such a high proportion of recycled plastic," says Tom Rautakorpi, product specialist at Trioworld.
 
Sustainability
Smurfit Kappa Invests Over EUR 30 Million in Clean Energy Projects at Two Paper Mills in Spain
Smurfit Kappa recently held inauguration events at its Sangüesa paper mill and Nervión paper mill to celebrate clean energy projects. Both mills are located in Spain.
 
Romanian Cardboard Packaging Maker Rondocarton Invests in Renewable Energy
Romania’s cardboard and packaging producer Rondocarton has signed a deal to have local companies Visual Fan and Waldevar Energy develop a 1 MWp solar photovoltaic park for its needs.
 
Metsä Group to Start Investigation on Capturing Wood-Based Carbon Dioxide
Metsä Group and the technology company Andritz will investigate the possibility of building a carbon capture facility in connection with the bioproduct mill. The work focuses on the capture of four million metric tons of carbon dioxide from a mill the size of the Kemi bioproduct mill. The Kemi mill is the largest wood-processing mill in the northern hemisphere.
 
Laser Shaft Alignment Tool
LUDECA, INC.®
Maximize the performance of your rotating equipment with XT770. Align to ANSI tolerances, measure misalignment of horizontal and vertical machines including soft foot, track thermal growth and pipe strain, and document the results.
Watch video from LUDECA
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People
Billerud North America President Kevin Kuznicki Leaving Company
Billerud announced that Kevin Kuznicki, President, Billerud North America and member of the Group Management Team, is leaving the company to pursue other ventures, effective immediately.
 
Circle of Distinguished Leaders Nomination – Jeffrey Schwarz
The International Corrugated Packaging Foundation (ICPF), co-sponsored by AICC – The Independent Packaging Association and Fibre Box Association (FBA), announces the nomination of Jeffrey Schwarz for posthumous induction into ICPF’s Circle of Distinguished Leaders.
 
Dow Silicones Corporation
TAPPI Career Wire
Research Geneticist (Plants)
USDA
Byron, Georgia
 
Landfill Operations Manager
Interstate Waste Services
Amsterdam, Ohio
 
Project Manager II
TransLink
Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
 
Senior Business Development Manager
P2S LP
Long Beach, California
 
Postdoctoral Research Associate - Phenotyping and AI
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
 
TAPPI News
 
Visit https://events.tappi.org/event/extrusioncoating/summary to view the full article online.
 
Corrugators: Get Ready to Unleash Your Inner Rock Star
Head to the SuperCorrExpo House of Blues Rock Star Experience to rock out and mingle with the legends of the corrugated world.
 
Explore Innovations in Paper and Paperboard Coating at Western Michigan University’s Course in Kalamazoo, MI
Unlock cutting-edge insights in packaging, barrier materials, and curtain coating
 
Gain Skills to Advance Your Career in Extrusion Coating
The clock is winding down to save on registration for the three-day Extrusion Coating Course hosted by TAPPI’s International Flexible Packaging & Extrusion Division.
 
Avoid the stress of climbing the learning curve on your own.
Use your TAPPI Member benefits to get direct access to updates on the latest technology, trends and developments.
 
In Memoriam: TAPPI Member and Fellow, Elwood MacDougall Beach
TAPPI honors the legacy of Elwood MacDougall Beach