Over the Wire
TAPPI
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Papermaker Domtar Corp., Montreal, Canada, has joined the Green My Parents youth movement as a founding partner. Green My Parents aims to help kids teach their parents about easy ways to save energy, water, and waste. Through the program, kids learn how their families can save more than $100 a year by turning off and unplugging devices that waste electricity, printing responsibly, and walking or biking instead of driving.
The program is starting with 100 kids, each of whom will then recruit 100 more. As this pattern continues and the movement spreads, more than $100 million could be saved by Earth Day 2011. The fast-spreading movement now includes support from many organizations, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star Program. Domtar's role as the program's exclusive paper and forestry partner is part of the company's latest push to promote ongoing forest conservation and environmentally responsible paper products. The company recently launched "Paper Because," a campaign it developed to highlight paper's value and demonstrate how to print responsibly. ##SHARELINKS##
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Billerud, Sweden, is working with ActionAid, Johannesburg, South Africa, to reduce food waste by producing strong packaging materials.
Also, employees at Billerud may donate 60 Swedish krona, the cost of a lunch, through an internal program. Billerud adds 100 Swedish krona to each employee's donation. The two donations combined can provide five at-risk families with seeds and tools to begin small-scale farming, or give five orphans porridge for school lunches for a whole year. Two Billerud employees will also go along with ActionAid to Nepal to build houses. The company will finance construction of six houses. ##SHARELINKS##
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For the eleventh straight month, U.S. containerboard production rose over the same month a year ago, according to AF&PA's (Washington, D.C., USA) September 2010 U. S. Containerboard Statistics Report released this week. Total production increased 189,500 tons or 7.0% compared with September 2009. Production fell 3.3% over August 2010, but the month-over-month average daily production was flat. Year-to-date 2010 production has increased 9.2% over 2009.The containerboard operating rate for September 2010 rose 10.7 points over September 2009 to 98.7%. Additional key findings from the report include:
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The near-term focus in containerboard has "shifted to defense" as the North American industry tries to maintain prices flat through a seasonally weak period, according to Mark Wilde, senior analyst with Deutsche Bank. Domestic box shipments showed surprising strength in September, +4.6% year-over-year. "While inventories rose for the fourth straight month, levels remain relatively low and we were encouraged by the strong shipment figures. Exports appear to be providing an offset to some of the easing in domestic demand. A weaker U.S. dollar could make exports attractive for domestic producers and act as an outlet for excess production," Wilde says.
On the pricing side, a Deutsche Bank survey of several brokers and independent converters last week found little evidence of discounting on containerboard. On the cost side, domestic OCC rose for the third month in a row, up $12/ton to $147/ton in October "and we have heard reports of OCC as high as $175 - $180 in some markets," Wilde adds. ##SHARELINKS##
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Total Kraft paper shipments were 134,200 tons in September, an increase of 2.2% compared with September 2009, but a decrease of 1.5% compared with August 2010, according to AF&PA's (Washington, D.C., USA) September 2010 Kraft Paper Sector Report released this week. Total year-to-date shipments rose 13.4% over last year. Total inventory was down 6.0% from last month. Additional key findings in the report include:
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The tenor of the CFS market in North America has been improving, reports Mark Wilde of Deutsche Bank. List prices for most grades rose $10 - $25/ton in September. No. 3, 60-lb rolls rose $25/ton to $930 - $1,000/ton. Verso, NewPage, Sappi NA, and Appleton have all announced $40 - $60/ton price increases, effective mid-September/early-October. NewPage last week also announced a $40/ton price increase effective November 1 on some of its coated paper grades. Preliminary September shipments were +9.0% year-over-year and +1.3% month-over-month, Wilde notes, adding that year-to-date shipments are up 21.5% year-over-year. Thermal POS coated paper prices rose for the third straight month in September, +2.5% month-over-month.
Things aren't so rosy elsewhere, Wilde points out. "A trip to China last week brought us face-to-face with evidence of continuing oversupply in the Chinese market. Companies discussed the issue and we saw visual evidence of the inventory overhang," he says. ##SHARELINKS##
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As expected, market pulp prices fell $20 - $30/metric ton in October, Wilde reports, adding that lower prices were driven by the prospect of higher September inventories, mill restarts, and the specter of the normal year-end slowdown. U.S. NBSK fell $20/metric ton to $970/metric ton, with buyers pushing for further declines. U.S. hardwood markets appear far weaker than softwood. Spot hardwood prices continue to decline and there are reports of producers under-cutting quotes, Wilde explains.
European markets, where NBSK prices remained flat in the past two months, are showing signs of weakness with producers cutting prices by $20 - $30/metric ton. In China, where local producers such as APRIL are selling BHK for $150/etric ton lower than the $800/metric ton set by Latin American producers, BEK prices are eroding. "We are hearing reports that BEK prices to China are down as much as $60/metric ton in the last month," Wilde says. ##SHARELINKS##
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The U.S. Department of Justice is suing 10 companies and two municipalities for about $950 million to pay for environmental cleanup work at Lower Fox River and Green Bay in Wisconsin. Included in the defendants are paper companies that allegedly contaminated sediment in the Fox River and Green Bay by making and recycling a specific type of "carbonless" copy paper.
A significant amount of cleanup and natural restoration work—at a cost of $300 million—has already been done in the area through partial settlements and an administrative order from the Environmental Protection Agency.Those who are performing the cleanup have not agreed to complete the cleanup or pay all damages, but the lawsuit could result in a court order that will require them to continue funding and performing the cleanup. Completing the cleanup could cost an additional $550 million. The U.S. and Wisconsin filed a proposed settlement with one of the newer defendants--Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP, which agreed to pay $7 million to cover some of the government's costs. The lawsuit is proceeding against 11 other defendants, including: NCR Corp., Appleton Papers Inc., CBC Coating Inc., the city of Appleton, Kimberly- Clark Corp., Menasha Corp., the Neenah-Menasha Sewerage Commission, NewPage Wisconsin Systems Inc., P.H. Glatfelter Co., U.S. Paper Mills Corp., and WTM I Co. ##SHARELINKS##
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UPM reports that its Fray Bentos pulp mill in Uruguay is taking extensive maintenance downtime as part of a complete shutdown of the mill. In addition to normal annual maintenance work, the super heaters in the recovery boiler will be replaced. Between 800 and 1,000 additional workers are working onsite during the maintenance shutdown, which is the most extensive maintenance done since the mill began operations in November 2007.
The mill is scheduled to be restarted on November 10. It has an annual capacity of about 1.1 million metric tons of bleached eucalyptus pulp. ##SHARELINKS##
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Georgia-Pacific, Atlanta, Ga., USA, is awarding $175,000 in grants to small town and rural community fire departments across the U.S. This year's grant total for the Georgia-Pacific Bucket Brigade is the largest amount awarded in the program's five-year history.
Twenty-five Georgia-Pacific Bucket Brigade winners were chosen from more than 120 applicants in 23 states. The program has contributed more than $600,000 to rural and small town fire units in communities with Georgia-Pacific facilities. Grants pay for programming and equipment, as well as fire safety education materials for schools. ##SHARELINKS##
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Gunns Ltd., Australia, which plans to build a pulp mill in Tasmania, supports a forest statement of principles that will ultimately help the island transition from a logging site to a plantation-based industry. The statement of principles places an immediate moratorium on logging high conservation value forests in an effort to end a long-term conflict between industry and environmental groups. The groups' statement also noted the importance of a pulp mill in creating a strong, sustainable, plantation timber industry.
Gunns supports the end of the long-standing community conflict, and the statement of principles is in line with Gunns' existing strategy of becoming a fully plantation-based company. The company's proposed Bell Bay pulp mill will have a capacity of 1.1 million tons per year. ##SHARELINKS##
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Holmen Paper, Stockholm, Sweden, is cutting 29 jobs –-seven in production and 22 in administration—at the company's mill in Madrid, Spain. As part of a continuing effort to achieve greater efficiency, the company is also looking into alternative options for the mill's PM 61. One possible option is to switch to other product areas.
PM 61, the smaller of the mill's two paper machines, has been operating at a loss for some time, the company says, despite switching from production of newsprint to production of coated printing paper, LWC, based on 100% recovered fiber. Employees were laid off last month due to a recovered paper shortage. PM 61 has a capacity of 170,000 metric tpy of printing paper. ##SHARELINKS##
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The National Geographic Society presented its Chairman's Award to International Paper, Memphis, Tenn., USA, for the company's considerable efforts toward improving the quality of geography education in the nation's schools.The Chairman's Award is given to individuals and organizations for outstanding leadership in education, conservation, and wildlife management programs.
International Paper has given more than $5 million since 1997 to National Geographic's environmental education and literacy efforts. International Paper donations have provided classroom resources and training to geography educators, a MapMachine on NationalGeographic.com, and classroom magazines for children. These environmental and literacy education efforts reinforce the importance of conservation and natural sciences. ##SHARELINKS##
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Korsnäs, Sweden, reports that it is increasing sheeted paper capacity at its Frövi mill in Sweden by installing another sheeting machine. The SEK 30 million ($4.5 million) project involves modifications to the existing equipment and premises as well as new equipment. The mill has two existing machines with a total sheeting capacity of 60,000 metric tpy, but this is not enough to meet future market needs, the company says.
Korsnäs notes that addition of a modern sheeting machine means that it will be able to offer the latest technology in meeting customers' increasing quality requirements and the market's increased tonnage needs. The capacity of the new machine is estimated to be 30,000 metric tpy and it is expected to be brought online and aligned during the autumn of 2011. "Carrying out sheeting adjacent to cartonboard production is favorable from the point of view of quality, since our positioning towards premium applications imposes increasing quality requirements on sheeted products," explains Håkan Krantz, mill director at Korsnäs Frövi. Korsnäs operates three production facilities: Gävle, Frövi, and Rockhammar in Sweden. Its production capacity totals 1.1 million metric tpy of cartonboard and paper, with integrated pulp production. Korsnäs develops, manufactures, and sells virgin fiber-based packaging materials. The company also produces biofuel pellets at two plants in Latvia. The company exports approximately 90% of its products. ##SHARELINKS##
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Myllykoski, Plattling, Germany, has been awarded two commendations from the European Rotogravure Association for its new, My Volume gravure coated printing paper. My Volume gravure earned its first European Publication Gravure commendation in the innovation category, while the second went to Prinovis, which printed "The Red Bulletin" magazine on My Volume gravure.
Working with Prinovis, Myllykoski developed My Volume gravure, a new type of paper that opens up new opportunities for gravure printers to differentiate from offset. It also gives companies a cost-effective paper variety for sophisticated, heavier print products. ##SHARELINKS##
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Nexterra Systems Corp., Vancouver, B.C., Canada, is opening offices in Philadelphia, Pa., and Atlanta, Ga., as part of the company's expansion into the U.S. The biomass heat and power systems supplier has also appointed a new sales leadership team as part of a company-wide expansion to support Nexterra's biomass gasification heat and power solutions in North America. Three regional vice presidents of sales will lead the new sales leadership team.
Scott Layne, regional VP sales, U.S. North Region, will be based in Philadelphia. He has more than 25 years of experience, including management positions at Siemens Industry, Building Technologies Division, where he developed and implemented large-scale projects in renewable energy, performance contracting, and smart grid technologies. Larry Bridger, regional VP sales, U.S. South Region, will be based in Atlanta. He has 20 years of experience in sales and marketing of energy products and service solutions in the utility, industrial, and institutional markets. Bridger previously held positions of regional business development manager of services for ABB, and sales and marketing manager for Siemens Industrial Services. Carl Dunaway, regional VP sales, U.S. West and Canada Region, has an extensive sales and marketing background in the industrial power generation and cogeneration industry, with companies such as Finning and Amerada Hess. A Nexterra employee since 2007, Dunaway was most recently director of sales. He will be based in Vancouver. Phil Beaty, a co-founder of Nexterra, will continue as VP sales engineering, providing support to the regional sales teams. ##SHARELINKS##
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Tolko Industries will receive $2.26 million in funding from the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program to make its kraft paper mill in The Pas, Manitoba, Canada, more energy efficient and allow it to produce more renewable energy. Alterations to the power and recovery boilers will promote better fuel combustion and help Tolko replace its fossil fuel consumption with renewable energy.
The new equipment will increase the production of thermal energy from wood waste and black liquor by about 114,000 gigajoules a year. This amount is enough energy for 2,650 homes. This will also lower the mill's need for fossil fuels and reduce the mill's greenhouse gas emissions by about 10,000 metric tons per year. Twenty-three other pulp and paper companies across Canada have qualified for credits under the $1 billion program. ##SHARELINKS##
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Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., Missoula, Mont., is releasing few details about its talks with a potential buyer for its Frenchtown paper mill site. Company officials did not disclose the potential buyer's name or the buyer's plans for the site.
About 400 people lost their jobs when the Frenchtown paper mill stopped operating in January. Smurfit-Stone emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June. The company reportedly had eight offers from interested buyers. A business development official in Gov. Brian Schweitzer's office indicated that the buyer in question does not appear to be doing anything paper-related with the mill. ##SHARELINKS##
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Norampac Trenton, Trenton, Ont., Canada, is receiving C$83,000 from the Government of Canada's Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program to make its paper mill more energy efficient. Funds from the program will be used to upgrade the mill's existing corrugated paper machine so that it can capture and redirect energy for other uses within the mill.
A division of Cascades Canada Inc., Norampac has made improvements that have increased the efficiency of the mill's heat exchangers. Recovering this additional energy will reduce the mill's energy needs and its use of natural gas to heat the paper machine departments by more than 20,000 gigajoules per year. Greenhouse gas emissions will be cut by more than 1,000 metric tpy, which is equal to the amount of emissions that 250 cars produce in a year. Cascades Canada is one of 24 pulp and paper companies in Canada that qualified for credits under the $1 billion program. ##SHARELINKS##
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The Association of Independent Corrugated Converters (AICC), Alexandria, Va., USA, announced that its Comprehensive Guide to Salaries and Benefits for the Independent Boxmaker is now available.
The 2010 Salary, Hourly Wage & Benefit Survey highlights the latest salaries and hourly wages for key employees in all regions the AICC serves in the U.S. and Canada. It also provides statistical data regarding salary and benefit information for more than 50 job positions in independent corrugator and sheet plants. Salary and benefit information is broken down by plant type, position title and AICC region. More information about purchasing copies of the report is available online. ##SHARELINKS##
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Sappi Fine Paper Europe, Brussels, Belgium, will increase prices for its specialty products by 8%. The price increase is in effect November 1 for both European and overseas markets.
The company increased prices earlier this year, but the costs of oil-related additives, starches, and wood have increased as well, it notes. ##SHARELINKS##
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Cathay Forest Products Corp., Toronto, Ont., Canada, has appointed Charles Kwan General Manager as of October 31. Kwan will report to the CEO and be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Shanghai head office, and the relationship with the company's offices outside of Shanghai and its partners in China. Kwan will oversee all contractual arrangements in China-based provinces where the company operates.
Previously the GM of Sino United Publishing (Holdings) Ltd., a conglomerate of book publishing, printing, and retailing, Kwan received a Masters in Business Administration from San Francisco State University. He is fluent in both Mandarin and English. "We are pleased to have attracted the caliber of talent and business experience that Charles brings to Cathay Forest, in particular his experience in dealing with various levels of Chinese governments" said John Duncanson, Cathay's Interim CEO. ##SHARELINKS##
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SCA, Philadelphia, Pa., USA, has promoted Scott Milburn from Senior Strategic Account Manager to Director of National Accounts, Commercial and Industrial, for its Tork brand of products. Milburn, who joined the company in 2001, will develop the company's Tork products and services within the commercial, industrial, public interest, and healthcare segments.
"Scott brings strong industry knowledge to this role, commitment to driving customer satisfaction and value, and a proven track record of building effective multi-level relationships with our strategic customers," said David Rizley, VP of sales, Strategic Accounts, for SCA's North American tissue division. Milburn has nearly 20 years of industry sales and marketing experience. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from Valparaiso University, and attended Syracuse University's graduate school of sales and marketing management. ##SHARELINKS##
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Weyerhaeuser Co., Federal Way, Wash., USA, has named Sara Kendall VP for corporate affairs and sustainability. Effective immediately, Kendall succeeds Ernesta Ballard, SVP for corporate affairs, who is retiring.
Kendall has overall responsibility for the company's federal and regional public affairs, communications, community investment, sustainability, and environment, health, and safety functions. She reports directly to the president and CEO. Kendall will also maintain the duties of her former role as VP of environment, health and safety, and sustainability, which includes the company's remediation, safety, and regulatory affairs, as well as sustainability initiatives. At Weyerhaeuser, Kendall also worked in the law department and in the timberlands and wood products businesses. Before joining Weyerhaeuser in 1989, she was a natural resource legislative counsel for U.S. Senators Dan Evans and Slade Gorton. A graduate of Northwestern University, Kendall earned her law degree at Georgetown University. She also holds a Master of Forest Science from Yale University. ##SHARELINKS##
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NETInc (Nonwovens Engineers and Technologists Innovative Nonwovens Conference) organizers have created the not-to-miss event for the nonwovens industry November 10-12 in Raleigh, N.C., USA. Not only is the NETInc program designed for -- and by -- nonwovens professionals, it features a State of the Industry Address, a keynote presentation by the Global Strategy Leader for Kimberly-Clark, a tour of the Nonwovens Institute's Pilot Facilities, and a Nonwovens Process Tutorial. Here is just a sample of the caliber of information that will be covered at NETInc: * During session 4.3, ‘Update on Antimicrobial Work', researchers from Auburn University will discuss the advances they have made in attachment chemistry and in understanding the activity and stability of halamine antimicrobials. You'll see their results in side-by-side tests with other antimicrobial chemistries for the efficacy. * The US Army NSRDEC is conducting research to develop rapid and novel electrochemical biosensors for the detection of food pathogens. Learn about this research and during session 5.1, ‘Conductive Polymer Coated Nonwoven Fibers for Biosensors'. View the complete program and see how you can make the most of your time in Raleigh. ##SHARELINKS##
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The fall 2010 meeting of the TAPPI Yankee Dryer Safety and Reliability Committee will be held in Appleton, Wisconsin on November 4. This group is actively developing standard practices and visual standards for problems which cause drying system delay and compromise safety across the tissue industry. They also review and discuss and track all know incidents of yankee dryer failure from around the work. Committee members include tissue manufacturers, yankee dryer manufacturers, suppliers and consultants who support yankee operations. The meeting is open to all TAPPI members; visitors may attend one meeting. More information is available from TAPPI's Website. ##SHARELINKS##
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During the week of September 20-24, the Nonwovens & Advanced Materials Laboratory at TIEHH, Texas Tech University, USA hosted a number of industry leaders from India, Pakistan, Australia and USA to discuss research collaborations and showcase the nonwovens and advanced materials laboratory capabilities. Dr. Seshadri Ramkumar, Associate Professor and Manager of the nonwovens laboratory, hosted the international visitors. Pictured above at left: Mr. V. Srinivas, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, India, and Mr. Suresh Kotak, Chairman of the Indian Society for Cotton Improvement, visiting the nonwovens laboratory.
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Research; Mr. Dhiren Sheth, President of the Cotton Association of India and Mr. Nayan Mirani, Vice President of the Cotton Association of India; Mr. Subhash Grover, Chairman and Managing Director of Cotton Corporation of India; Mr. Suresh Kotak, Chairman of the Indian Society for Cotton Improvement and Chairman of Kotak & Company, Ltd, India; Mr. Sunil Bajaj, Executive Director, Mr. Luv Bajaj, Business Executive and Mr. M. K. Sharma, President of Bajaj Steel Industries, Ltd, India (Ginning machinery maker); Mr. Bharat Desai, Reliance Industries, Ltd., India; Dr. Paul Sawhney, Lead Scientist, ARS-USDA, New Orleans, USA; Mr. Muhammad Atif Dada, Dada Sons Pvt. Ltd., and the Chairman of Karachi Cotton Association, Pakistan; Alfred Deakin Professor Xungai Wang, Director, Center for Material and Fiber Innovation, Deakin University, Australia; and Dr. Rangam Rajkhowa of Deakin University, Australia. These dignitaries visited the nonwovens laboratory and interacted with students on research and product development.On October 15, 2010 the Syracuse Pulp and Paper Foundation (SPPF) celebrated its 50th anniversary. The foundation has awarded $3.6 million in scholarship funds to more than 750 undergraduates and another $1 million to graduate students from its inception. This support attracts a good supply of graduates who are technically trained and ready to work in the industry.
Membership in the SPPF includes corporate sponsors, equipment donors, alumni donors, and other interested individuals. For more information on the SPPF please contact Linda Fagan at sppf@esf.edu.
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The 2010 TAPPI Nominating Committee announces the 2011 TAPPI Board Slate. Nominees and their respective positions are:
Other Nominations Retiring Officers and Directors: 2010 Nominating Committee ##SHARELINKS##
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