Over the Wire
TAPPI
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American manufacturing companies cannot fill as many as 600,000 skilled positions—even as unemployment numbers hover at historic levels—according to a new survey from Deloitte, New York, N.Y., USA, and The Manufacturing Institute, Washington, D.C. The survey, Boiling Point? The skills gap in U.S manufacturing, polled a nationally representative sample of 1,123 executives at manufacturing companies recently and revealed that 5% of current manufacturing jobs are unfilled due to a lack of qualified candidates.
"The survey shows that 67% of manufacturers have a moderate to severe shortage of available, qualified workers," said Craig Giffi, vice chairman and consumer and industrial products industry leader, Deloitte LLP. "Moreover, 56% anticipate the shortage to increase in the next three to five years." Emily DeRocco, president, The Manufacturing Institute, noted that "these unfilled jobs are mainly in the skilled production category—positions such as machinists, operators, craft workers, distributors, and technicians. Unfortunately, these jobs require the most training and are traditionally among the hardest manufacturing jobs to find existing talent to fill," she said. Giffi points out that the inability to find workers is taking its toll on manufacturers' competitive readiness. Case in point: 64% of respondents report that workforce shortages or skills deficiencies in production roles are having a significant impact on their ability to expand operations or improve productivity. "Ironically, even as unemployment numbers remain bleak, a talent shortage threatens the future effectiveness of the American manufacturing industry," Giffi said. He points out that when respondents were asked to look ahead three to five years, they indicated that access to a highly skilled, flexible workforce is the single most important factor in their effectiveness—above factors such as new product innovation and increased market share by a margin of 20 percentage points. According to DeRocco, companies need to partner with educational institutions to make developing workforce skills a top strategic priority. "Our education system must also do a better job aligning education and training to the needs of employers and job-seekers. To support this effort, The Manufacturing Institute is deploying the Manufacturing Skills Certification System endorsed by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)—a system designed to build educational pathways to in-demand manufacturing jobs." The survey findings may seem remarkable since the country is facing an unemployment rate above 9%, but DeRocco says it can all be linked back to a trend that started before the 2008 economic slowdown. "Over the past five years, most manufacturers have redesigned and streamlined their production lines while implementing more process automation. In short, just as the industry is changing, the skills of the workers are changing as well." "Manufacturers obviously want to fill these roles by tapping the currently available workforce," says DeRocco. "However, they report that the No. 1 skills deficiency among their current employees is in the area of problem solving, making it difficult for current employees to adapt to changing needs. Adding to the problem, respondents report that the education system is not producing workers with the basic skills they need." Further, she points out that the manufacturing industry's aging workforce is only going to exacerbate the situation. The full report, Boiling Point? The skills gap in U.S. manufacturing, is available online. ##SHARELINKS##
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A bi-partisan, geographically diverse group of 26 U.S. state attorneys general has joined forest owners and industry groups in filing briefs asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling that rainwater runoff from forest roads used for timber harvest is a "point source" of water pollution under the Clean Water Act. The 9th Circuit's recent decision in NEDC v. Brown overturned a 35-year-old U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation treating forest roads as "nonpoint" sources.
In its ruling, the 9th Circuit Court declared for the first time that rainwater control systems on forest roads must have CWA permits similar to those required for factories and wastewater treatment facilities. The Supreme Court briefs seek to restore more than three decades of EPA policy and law regulating rainwater runoff from forest roads through best management practices (BMPs) developed and implemented by individual states. David P. Tenny, president and CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO), Washington, D.C., USA, said that "we are pleased but not surprised by the broad, bipartisan opposition to the 9th Circuit's unfortunate decision. With the stroke of a pen, the Court has rewritten one of the EPA's best Clean Water Act success stories. By requiring industrial discharger permits for working forests, the Court is replacing flexible and highly effective BMPs with onerous permit requirements that will create unnecessary red tape for forest owners and managers and expose them to private lawsuits filed by individuals opposed to timber harvest. The resulting costs and uncertainty will make sustainable forest management much less affordable, reduce access to forests for hunting and recreation, hasten job loss at a time of unprecedented economic hardship, and force more private forests into non-forest uses. The Court's decision is both bad law and bad policy." NAFO supports EPA's current policy of regulating rainwater runoff at the state level using broadly supported BMPs. "Forestry has never been a major contributor to water pollution, and has been successfully regulated by the states," Tenny said. "We support EPA's current system of oversight that has a proven track record of maintaining clean water, high quality jobs, and continued access to forests and wildlife across the nation. The strength and diversity of the briefs filed today lay a good foundation upon which the Administration can build a powerful argument in favor of their existing rules." NAFO was joined on its brief by the American Farm Bureau Federation and 11 forestry organizations from around the country. Other organizations filing briefs include Pacific Legal Foundation, representing 19 forestry organizations concerned with effects of the 9th Circuit ruling on private lands, and the American Forest Resource Council, representing seven organizations concerned with effects on public lands. The briefs and full listing of states represented by the attorneys general is available online. ##SHARELINKS##
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Miami and Western Michigan Universities' TAPPI student chapters visited ABB's facilities in Westerville, Ohio, USA, last Friday (October 14). On the following Saturday, they also visited P.H. Glatfelter (PHG) at Chillicothe, Ohio. The tours provided students an opportunity to be exposed to the industrial environment, with suppliers such as ABB and Eka Chemicals, along with PHG donating time to help instruct the students and demonstrate their pulping and papermaking processes.
The first photo below shows visiting students in front of ABB offices in Westerville. In the second photo, Charlie Young, a VP of ABB and the president of Western Michigan University Student Foundation, instructs students during their visit.
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U. S. containerboard production decreased 2.2% compared with August 2011; however, the month-over-month average daily production, was up 1.0%, according to the AF&PA's (Washington, D.C., USA) September 2011 U. S. Containerboard Statistics Report released this week. The containerboard operating rate for September 2011 was down slightly from September 2010 to 98.4% but up 1.0 points from the August operating rate.
Additional key findings from the report include:
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Total U.S. boxboard production decreased by 3.6% compared with September 2010, and decreased 5.9% from last month, according to the AF&PA's (Washington, D.C., USA) September 2011 U.S. Paperboard Report issued this week. The report showed that:
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Total U.S. kraft paper shipments in September were 124,600 tons, a decrease of 13.4% compared with September 2010, according to the AF&PA's (Washington, D.C., USA) September 2011 Kraft Paper Sector Report published this week. Total inventory was 80,900 tons.
Additional key findings from the report include:
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AK GIDA SAN ve TİC A.Ş, Turkey, has successfully started up its new Metso (Finland)-supplied tissue line at the company's new mill in Pamukova, located in the Sakarya province. On August 29, AK GIDA SAN produced tissue for the first time in a brand new plant with a complete Metso tissue machine.
With 500,000 m2 of production area, AK GIDA SAN. ve TİC. A. Ş. currently produces some 400 different dairy products at the Pamukova facilities. The tissue plant covers 170,000 m2. The new tissue line will produce 60,000 metric tpy of high-quality facial, handkerchief, toilet, and towel grades at a speed of 1,600 m/min to 2,000 m/min. The raw material for the new line is virgin fiber. The production line is optimized to save energy and enhance final product quality. Metso delivered a complete tissue production line, including a stock preparation system and an Advantage DCT 200 tissue machine. The tissue machine is equipped with an OptiFlo II TIS headbox, a press, a Metso yankee cylinder, an Advantage AirCap hood, an Advantage WetDust dust management system, and an Advantage SoftReel L reel. The stock preparation system includes OptiSlush VM and HP pulpers, OptiFiner refiners, and ProMS machine screens. The delivery further contained an extensive automation package with Metso DNA machine and process controls, Metso consistency measurements, Metso IQ quality controls with IQ Fiber Measurement, and a Neles valves package. Complete engineering, installation supervision, training, startup, and commissioning were also included in the delivery. The photo below is the first tissue jumbo roll produced at AK GIDA SAN ve TİC A.Ş.
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Eka Chemicals (Gothenburg, Sweden), a business unit within AkzoNobel, and Wetend Technologies Ltd., Savonlinna, Finland, have agreed to market and deliver TrumpJet® Flash Mixing Systems together with Eka's wet end chemicals to the paper industry globally. The TrumpJet brand offers a range of chemical and additive mixing systems for paper mills, including paper and board machine wet end, stock preparation, recycled fiber, and mechanical pulping process applications.
"The combination of high performance chemicals and an advanced chemical mixing system will benefit the paper and board industry, both in terms of cost savings and environmental gains," says Lennart Nilsson, director Global Marketing at Eka Chemicals. "This offer will definitely have a positive impact on wet end efficiency and contribute to a sustainable paper machine operation," adds Jouni Matula, CEO at Wetend Technologies. ##SHARELINKS##
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Fortress Paper Ltd., Vancouver, B.C., Canada, reports that it has commenced the final phase of the dissolving pulp conversion project at its Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill in Thurso, Que., and the signing of new banknote paper orders at its Landqart Mill in Landquart, Switzerland.
The Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill was purchased by Fortress in early 2010 with the plan to convert the NBHK (northern bleached hardwood kraft) mill to a dissolving pulp producer beginning in May 2011. Moreover, the construction of a cogeneration facility to provide 18.8 MW per year of green power to Hydro Quebec for a 15-yr term has also recently broken ground, and is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2012. Peter Vinall, CEO of Fortress Specialty Cellulose, noted that "the Thurso mill conversion has entered the final shutdown phase, which represents the ending of NBHK production at the mill. We have mobilized a workforce of more than 800 workers on-site to assist with final mill connections and de-bottlenecking work. When the mill is restarted in early November, it will be a low cost, high quality dissolving pulp producer with an annual production capacity of approximately 200,000 metric tons." The Lanqart Mill's signing of new banknote paper contracts for 2012 represents a significant portion of the mill's annual banknote production capacity. Chad Wasilenkoff, CEO of Fortress Paper, explained that "our Landqart Mill was among the winning bids for a number of banknote contracts. Bidding on contracts of this volume would not have been possible prior to our recent PM 1 banknote machine upgrade, which increased our overall annual production capacity from 2,500 to 10,000 metric tpy." Fortress operates three mills—the Landqart Mill in Switzerland, the Dresden Mill in Germany, and the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill in Quebec, Canada. The company's security papers include banknote, passport, and visa papers and its specialty papers include non-woven wallpaper base products, and graphic and technical papers. Its pulp business includes specialty pulp produced at the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill. ##SHARELINKS##
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International Paper Co., Memphis, Tenn., USA, this week announced that it has completed the acquisition of a 75% stake in Andhra Pradesh Paper Mills (APPM), Hyderabad, India. IP purchased 53.5% of the APPM shares from L.N. Bangur and related family members and affiliates for approximately $226 million in cash. These sellers have also entered into a covenant not to compete, for which they received a cash payment of $57 million. In addition, IP acquired an additional 21.5% of APPM shares in a public tender offer completed on October 8, for approximately $105 million in cash. Paul Brown, president, IP India, became executive chairman of the APPM Board of Directors, effective October 14.
APPM operates two mills with a combined annual capacity of 250,000 metric tons of uncoated free sheet. The existing management team and 2,500 employees of APPM will continue to operate the business, supplemented by additional IP leadership and professional and technical resources. "As we complete this phase of the process and move into majority ownership, International Paper is well-positioned to help serve a rapidly growing Indian market," said John Faraci, IP chairman and CEO. "We look forward to building on Andhra Paper's tradition of excellence while introducing the global best practices that make International Paper an industry leader. We are delighted to welcome these new employees to International Paper." ##SHARELINKS##
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JK Paper, India, has purchased two cut-size lines from E.C.H. Will and Pemco, Hamburg, Germany, and Sheboygan, Wis., USA, both part of the Körber PaperLink Group. The lines are part of a mill expansion program to boost copy paper capacity. The two lines will be installed at the company's mills in Jaykaypur, Rayagada, Orissa, and are scheduled to begin operation in autumn 2012.
Both eight-pocket lines will provide the highest efficient production and quality of A4 copy papers. Each line will include six unwind stands with automatic roll change and generator brakes, dual slitter from E.C.H. Will, and a high-speed packaging line from Pemco. Also, the Ilim Group, St. Petersburg, Russia, has invested in a folio-size sheeter from E.C.H. Will and Pemco for tits mill in Koryazhma in the Arkhangelsk region of Russia. The highly automated machine type FS has a working width of 2,200 mm and features PRO technology and non-stop, no-waste pallet changing. Installation of the folio-size line is planned for the summer of 2012. Then the first and only plant in Russia for mark-free folio-size paper with an annual production capacity of more than 100,000 metric tons will begin operations in Koryazhma. ##SHARELINKS##
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Most of the 750 employees at Kimberly-Clark's plants in Everett, Wash., USA, have received a warning that they could be laid off in the next 60 days, but the notice doesn't affect attempts to sell the business, according to a report this week by Everett-based Snohomish County Business Journal. As reported in Last week's Over the Wire, K-C is in exclusive talks with Atlas Holdings LLC, Greenwich, Conn., a company that specializes in turning around distressed businesses, regarding the potential sale of K-C's pulp mill at Everett, Wash.
K-C announced in January that it was closing down the last of its pulp operations, including the Everett mill. On September 1, the company announced it would lay off workers if a buyer is not found by the end of the year. "We're continuing the process to try to sell the plant, but the due diligence is still ongoing," K-C spokesman Bob Brand was quoted in the Journal article. "There's no guarantee there," he added. "We have to continue to plan for closing the plant." T he Everett mill was started up in 1931 as Puget Sound Pulp and Timber Co. It became Soundview Pulp Co. in 1935 and was purchased by Scott Paper in 1951. Scott merged with K-C in 1985. Since the merger, K-C has invested some $300 million in the Everett operations, installing major wastewater treatment systems, adding a new effluent outfall, and switching its pulp bleaching from elemental chlorine to chlorine dioxide. ##SHARELINKS##
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M-real Corp., part of the Metsäliitto Group, Finland, this week updated company progress regarding plans announced in May to divest its Alizay mill in France and its entire Gohrsmühle mill in Germany or, alternatively, parts of the Gohrsmühle operation separately based on a paper park concept. The company had subsequently announced that if the divestments do not materialize, it would begin consultation processes to close the operations. It also previously announced plans to discontinue the company's remaining carbonless paper converting operations at the Reflex mill in Germany.
M-real says it received several offers for the Alizay mill, and undertook negotiations to divest the mill. However, it adds that none of the potential buyers fulfilled M-real's conditions for entering into transaction., which mainly relate to the financial status of the buyer, credibility and capability to implement the presented business plan, ability to take responsibility for the employees, and the business risks as well as the financial consequences to M-real of the divestment. M-real says it thus has decided to commence an information and consultation process to close the Alizay paper mill, which currently has some 330 employees. Despite extensive restructuring measures and investments implemented at Alizay, the company says it currently loses about EUR 3 million per month. "In the challenging operating environment that the European paper industry faces," M-real adds, "it is not possible to turn the heavily loss-making mill profitable. Nor are there any signs of such a turning point in the paper market that would change the situation." The company notes that in the past years, it has tried to divest the Alizay mill and discussed and negotiated with a number of companies, including key industry players with no success. M-real appointed leading industry experts who approached in excess of 80 companies in the most recent process to divest the mill started in May 2011. Out of these, 65 declined and 18 showed preliminary interest, received the information memorandum, and visited the site. In the past few weeks, there were serious negotiations with two remaining candidates. Also, the company says, the French State's Invest in France Agency (AFII) has supported M-real in the sales process. One key point in the negotiations has been the fact that M-real will not sell the Alizay mill to a buyer who would fail to turn the mill profitable. Consequently, if the mill would be shutdown, it could cause an unjustified position for the employees. M-real explains that it has not been able to find a buyer for its Gohrsmühle mill, whether in parts or as a whole. Thus it is planning to discontinue the unprofitable specialty paper businesses as well as the production of uncoated fine paper at Gohrsmühle. M-real will continue the profitable Chromolux business and investigate possibilities to startup a new customer service and logistics center for folding boxboard in Gohrsmühle, including a sheeting facility. M-real says it also is negotiating to divest its premium papers business of the Reflex mill. The carbonless paper converting operations of the Reflex are also "under negotiations" to be discontinued. In total, the Gohrsmühle and Reflex mills have approximately 940 employees. The Chromolux business and the planned cartonboard customer service center would employ about 400 people. In addition, some 100 employees work for the Reflex premium papers business to potentially be divested. M-real points out that in recent years it has implemented major profit improvement measures at Gohrsmühle and Reflex mills, including headcount reductions, closure of the loss-making coated fine paper production in Gohrsmühle, and transfer of the Simpele mill's specialty paper volumes to Gohrsmühle. The company says, however, that despite heavy improvement measures, the Gohrsmühle and Reflex operations have, due to the challenging operating environment of the European paper industry, remained severely unprofitable. Currently the monthly operating loss is approximately EUR 5 million per month. "There are no signs that the profitability would materially improve in the future," M-real adds. M-real further notes that it has attempted to divest the Gohrsmühle and Reflex operations to many different buyer candidates during the past five years. In 2010, M-real successfully divested a part of the Reflex mill to Metsä Tissue. Other attempts to divest the operations have failed due to major losses of the operations, the European overcapacity in fine and specialty papers, and the severe cost inflation. If the closures are implemented as planned, M-real's annual sales is expected to reduce by approximately EUR 400 million, while the operating result is expected to increase by approximately EUR 70 million based on 2011 first half's actual performance. Most of the annual financial impact is expected to materialize in 2012 with full impact from 2013 onwards. None of the planned measures will be implemented without consulting the employee representatives in line with applicable legal requirements. ##SHARELINKS##
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SMART Papers Holdings reports that it has started an orderly wind-down of its papers business and its power energy production facility at Hamilton, Ohio, USA. The company noted that "the carefully planned and executed wind-down process allows for a seamless transition period for all current customers."
SMART Papers recently finalized the sale of the majority of its manufacturing and power generation operating assets at the Hamilton facilities to a joint-venture led by Farmington Hills, Michigan-based Hilco Industrial. SMART Power owns and operates a new, 36 MW power generation facility at the Hamilton mill, located 25 miles northwest of Cincinnati. Hilco and SMART have entered into an exclusive marketing and business alliance under which Hilco, working closely with SMART Papers, will jointly market the operating assets and business while SMART Papers continues to actively run its papermaking facility in Hamilton. Hilco and SMART Papers could identify new ownership that would acquire the business and continue to operate it. SMART Papers Chairman Tim Needham said veteran executive Andrew Howley has been retained as CEO to lead the wind-down of the company and day-to-day management of the business. Paul Simpson, SMART Papers EVP of Sales and Marketing, will work with customers through the orderly wind-down of operations to support customer orders. Simpson said the company's full range of products will be available during the transition period. Needham said today's action "is not a reflection on our dedicated, hard-working employees who remain committed to manufacturing the finest coated printing, label, and packaging papers in the world." "Unfortunately, the continued U.S. economic slowdown has intensified the effects of reduced commercial printing demand," Needham said. Other factors that he said led to the company's decision include the "rapid expansion of low-priced Asian coated paper manufacturing, the increased costs of raw materials and chemicals, and the uncertainty on cost requirements of pending EPA legislation." SMART Papers is the only North American producer of cast-coated paper. The papers are produced with a low-pressure, wet-casting process and used in commercial offset printing, digital printing, label, and packaging applications. The company also produces matte-coated papers. ##SHARELINKS##
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Syassky Pulp and Paper Mill, Russia, reportedly is forging ahead with the rebuild of tissue PM 2 at its mill in Syasstroy in the Leningrad region of Russia, according to a RISI (Belgium) report on the Toscotec (Italy) website. The upgrade, which includes the replacement of the old 18,000 metric tpy PM 2 with a new Toscotec-supplied 4.2 m wide crescent former machine, is aimed at increasing the company's tissue capacity by some 20,000 metric tpy, to 85,000 metric tpy. The investment is also expected to improve Syassky's product offer and reduce the mill's energy costs.
The modernized PM 2 will run at a speed of 1,400 m/min and will use virgin pulp as well as recovered paper as fiber. It is expected to come online by the end of the year. Syassky further plans to upgrade its 20,000 metric tpy PM 3 in 2012 to boost the mill's total tissue capacity to 105,000 metric tpy. Syassky is also investing on the converting side. In September, the company started up a Gambini line to produce toilet paper and kitchen rolls. In December, it will bring online a fourth converting line, pushing Syassky's total converting capacity to 50 million rolls/month. The Syassky mill houses three tissue machines. It also has one containerboard machine that is currently idle. ##SHARELINKS##
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Thiele Kaolin Co., Sandersville, Ga., USA, reports that it has worked three years without incurring a lost time accident. This accomplishment sets a new company safety record.
Thiele's President Paul Kirschling noted that "this milestone could not have been achieved without each Thiele employee's full commitment to working safely." Celebratory steak lunches were held at the company's Sandersville and Reedy Creek division to commemorate the milestone. In remarks given at these events, Kirschling said that "the ultimate goal is not to set records but to make sure every employee goes home every day without getting hurt." Kirschling further challenged all employees to finish 2011 with no new accidents and to make 2012 completely accident free. "While we are all happy to celebrate this momentous occasion, we cannot be satisfied with three years without a lost time accident. Our goal has been and will continue to be an accident free workplace." ##SHARELINKS##
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Xinxiang Xinya Group Co. (Henan Xinhai Paper Co.), China, has ordered from Andritz, Graz, Austria, key equipment, a new automation system, and services for the upgrade of a softwood CTMP (chemi-thermomechanical pulp) line that was transferred from Canada to China. Startup of the new line, reconfigured by Andritz Pulp & Paper to one of China's biggest hardwood mechanical pulping systems and based on the P-RC APMP technology, is scheduled for the end of 2012.
The pulp produced will be used primarily for board grades. However, the line also allows the possibility to produce printing and writing grades in the future. The line capacity is 700 metric tpd. ##SHARELINKS##
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Cascades Inc., Kingsey Falls, Qué., Canada, this week reported that it will continue the consolidation of its Norampac Division's corrugated products converting operations in Québec, resulting in the closure of the Norampac plant located in Le Gardeur. The Le Gardeur plant is specialized in the conversion of corrugated products, and has annual revenues of $8 million.
In preparation for this closure, the plant's operations will be redirected progressively towards the other Norampac Québec based plants that already serve the greater Montreal region. Nearly 50 employees will be affected by this closure, which will occur before the end of this year. "The decision to cease operations at the Le Gardeur plant can be explained by the necessity to continue the consolidation of our Québec operations. In fact, demand in the Canadian corrugated industry has been affected by unfavorable economic conditions for the past few years and it is imperative that we make the adjustments to take into account this new reality. This initiative will therefore allow us to optimize our production in the province, reduce our costs, and improve our profitability, while continuing to offer quality services to our customers," said Marc-André Dépin, president and CEO of Norampac. To help employees affected by the closure, Norampac has prepared a relocation program throughout its other facilities and will offer assistance regarding employment searches. Cascades has some 11,000 employees in more than 100 units located in North America and Europe. ##SHARELINKS##
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M-real, Finland, has completed the rebuild at its M-real Kemi linerboard mill in Finland on schedule. The rebuild will enable further development of coated kraftliners with superior printability.
"Attractive packaging provides significant competitive advantage in retail business. As a result, brand owners as well as printers and converters are carefully examining the linerboard they use for corrugated packaging. Quality of print results combined with sustainability are the major drivers on their route to success," said Mika Joukio, SVP and head of M-real Consumer Packaging. M-real has invested EUR 16 million in upgrading the coating section at the mill. The M-real kraftliner range includes products suitable for flexo, offset, inkjet, and screen printing. ##SHARELINKS##
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Sonoco-Alcore S.a.r.l., Brussels, Belgium, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sonoco, Hartsville, S.C., USA, has announced the opening of its new paper tube and core manufacturing facility in Grünsfeld, Germany. The new Grünsfeld plant will focus its production on M-Core wide-ply paper mill cores used in the high-end segment of the paper industry.
"Investment in this new facility is primarily about responding to the changing market needs in the European paper industry," said Adam Wood, VP of Sonoco-Alcore. "European printing houses have evolved, using wider printing presses and increased running speeds, which means traditional paper mill cores must evolve also. With the Grünsfeld facility, we have invested in bringing this technology to Germany, meeting the needs of Central European paper mills, and allowing our customers to better supply print houses with a cost-effective, quality product." Sonoco-Alcore developed wide-ply paper technology and the M-Core Series to produce a core with improved properties such as increased dynamic strength and e-modulus, meeting the requirements of new printing machines. ##SHARELINKS##
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Stora Enso, Finland, relaunched its flagship product Ensocoat in two versions (one- or two-side coating) in 2010. Ensocoat has been selected for several product launches since the relaunch last year, with applications ranging from leading perfume and beauty care brands to wine and spirits packaging. The company's latest product launch in the fourth quarter of this year is an enhanced Performa White, another packaging board grade suited for cosmetics and beauty care packaging uses.
The newest launch in the Performa carton board product family is being produced at the Stora Enso's Fors Mill in Sweden. The result of several "innovative reforms" at the mill, these boards now come with excellent smoothness, increased strength, and an enhanced visual appearance. Because of their odor and taint neutrality, the Performa boards are a key brand for chocolate and confectionery packaging, an end-use segment where they have been used for years, Stora Enso notes. With its improved smoothness and better visual appearance, the company adds that Performa White is a suitable choice even for the demands of cosmetics and beauty care packaging. It will be available to customers beginning this quarter. "We have been constantly developing our products and service to always meet the highest requirements of our customers, the luxury carton manufacturers, as well as those of their own customers, the prestigious brand-owners in perfume, cosmetics, beauty-care, wine and spirits, and chocolate," said Hervé Vue, sales director of Stora Enso Packaging in France. ##SHARELINKS##
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Berlin Packaging, Chicago, Ill., USA, this week announced it will be a primary stocking supplier for the eco.bottle™, America's first molded fiber bottle. A product of Ecologic Brands Inc., Oakland, Calif., the eco.bottle is a hybrid fiber-plastic product that uses up to 70% less plastic than traditional plastic bottles, with a molded fiber shell that is 100% recyclable and compostable. The container is suited for a wide range of consumer products from pourable goods to beverages, personal care products, and even paints and stains.
Just as innovative as the eco.bottle materials are its post-use recycling instructions. Simply split open the side of the fiber shell and the outer package separates. The fiber halves, made from old corrugated cardboard and newspapers, can be recycled up to seven more times. The No. 4 inner pouch and closure system can be recycled along with plastic grocery bags in retailer drop-off bins. The eco.bottle line is available in a 50-oz size with a detergent-style dosing cap or twist cap, a 32-oz size with a detergent-style dosing cap or twist cap, and a 64-oz size with a 38 mm spout suited for orange juice and dairy products. The bottles will be available starting January 2012. ##SHARELINKS##
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DuPont Titanium Technologies, Wilmington, Del;., USDA, has announced a price increase of $0.15/lb, or as permitted by contract, for all DuPont TiPure® titanium dioxide (TiO2) sold in North America (U.S. and Canada), effective November 1. The increase is in addition to any previously announced increases for North America.
In the U.S., DuPont Titanium Technologies operates plants at DeLisle, Miss.; New Johnsonville, Tenn.; and Edge Moor, Del. It also operates plants in Altamira, Mexico, and Kuan Yin, Taiwan. All of these plants use the chloride manufacturing process. The company also operates a mine in Starke, Fla. ##SHARELINKS##
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Coskata, Inc., Madison, Pa., USA, a developer of technology for the production of advanced biofuels and biochemicals from biomass and waste materials, reports that it has achieved two years of successful operations at its cellulosic ethanol semi-commercial facility this month. The facility in Madison has amassed more than 15,000 run hours of operation and successfully converted wood biomass and municipal solid waste into fuel-grade ethanol.
"The data and operating experience cultivated at this pre-commercial scale facility has conclusively demonstrated that the Coskata technology is ready for commercial production today," said Coskata President and CEO Bill Roe. "With an industry leading yield of more than 100 gal of ethanol coming from a dry ton of wood biomass, we look forward to working with industry partners to rapidly deploy this leading conversion technology and help the country meet the Renewable Fuels Standard." The integrated biorefinery, which utilizes plasma gasification technology provided by Westinghouse Plasma Corp., was built to demonstrate the commercial readiness of the Coskata technology. It is the largest scale facility that has utilized syngas fermentation into ethanol technology. The technology proven at the Pennsylvania facility will be used at the company's first commercial-scale facility in Alabama, of which Coskata was awarded a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Coskata's technology enables the production of biofuels and chemicals, from virtually any carbonaceous material, using anaerobic microorganisms and innovative bioreactor designs. The process combines the flexibility of gasification with the efficiency of biological conversion of syngas into fuels or chemicals. ##SHARELINKS##
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The president and CEO of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), Avrim Lazar, says that with the right government support the Canadian forest industry could produce enough clean renewable energy to replace nine nuclear reactors. This month, Lazar appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources as part of its study of the current and future state of Canada's energy system and its goals of defining a Canadian Sustainable Energy Strategy.
According to the Canadian Industrial Energy End-Use Data and Analysis Centre, biomass ranks second after large hydroelectric facilities in producing renewable energy in Canada, and also creates almost three times as much energy as wind. "We could easily triple our clean energy output using waste products from our mills," says Lazar. "Already we are self-generating about two thirds of our energy needs and about a half dozen of our mills are now net exporters of energy to provincial grids. Further developing this significant source of green energy needs to be a larger part of governments' energy development plans." The Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program (PPGTP) is already helping Canadian pulp and paper mills increase their production of renewable energy, and when the program is fully completed, will mean an extra 2.1 million MWH/year, enough to power nearly 174,000 homes. "We need to keep that momentum going," says Lazar. "Governments have an important role to play to further help mills accelerate their transformation and add on the production of biofuels, biochemicals, and other bioproducts to their existing product mix. ##SHARELINKS##
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Mark Your Calendar for PaperCon 2012 Designed by industry professionals, PaperCon 2012 will bring together CEOs, mill managers, superintendents, scientists, process engineers and suppliers for the largest pulp and paper technical program in the world, April 22-25 in New Orleans. Located in the heart of the Southern USA pulp and papermaking region, PaperCon 2012 will focus on "Growing the Future"; leveraging renewable, recyclable raw materials to ensure value for customers and long-term sustainability for shareholders. It's an event you can't afford to miss. New this year: ·
Want to present at PaperCon? The deadlines for submissions to present are fast approaching for TAPPI's Papermakers Program, and the TAPPI Coating and Graphic Arts Program. Control Systems 2012 (being held in conjunction with PaperCon, Control Systems sessions will be open to PaperCon attendees). More information about all three programs, along with submission guidelines and deadlines can be found at www.papercon.org.
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Upcoming Courses That Make Training Maintenance Teams as Easy as 1-2-3!
Learn more about these courses at the TAPPI website. ##SHARELINKS##
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This Technical Program will be held at the Miron Corporate Office, 1471 McMahon Drive, Neenah, WI. Topics include:
For additional information, please use the following links: Additional Program Information We look forward to seeing you at this event! ##SHARELINKS##
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The October 2011 Edition of the Gulf Coast Stock Exchange has been released! Click here to view all the latest information from the Gulf Coast! Included in this edition:
Please note that the training seminar on Wednesday is no cost, but registration is needed in order to plan accommodations for the meeting room. Please register early.
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Our industry is full of great leaders; those who help their organizations thrive despite the many challenges we face today. Have you seen one in action? TAPPI‘s PIMA Management Division would like to help you to recognize them. PIMA has several awards that provide public recognition for star performers who have made significant contributions to their organization or the industry. Roger Smith, of Domtar and PIMA Executive Council Chair is one of those leaders. "In 2008 I received the Brookshire Moore Superintendent of the Year award, one of the greatest honors of my career," says Roger. "I was nominated by a mill team that worked through some of the most challenging years in the development of a paper machine. Being nominated by those I led and worked with was the greatest honor but the industry recognition was fulfilling also." Awards are available for community service, technology, superintendant of the year, mill manager of the year and students. For an overview and nomination form, follow this link. Deadline is November 30. PIMA awards will be presented at PaperCon 2012 in New Orleans next April. In addition, TAPPI offers a myriad of other awards for stars in the industry, including division level awards for technical and leadership achievements, TAPPI Fellow for longstanding accomplishment and dedication and TAPPI Association level awards for the highest achievement or service to the industry. Follow this link and nominate your star performer!
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