The wallets of many U.S. homeowners using propane or heating oil as a fuel source have likely taken a big hit this winter, due to unusually cold temperatures, compliments of the polar vortex, and frequent storms

 

Södra, Växjö, Sweden, reports that at a meeting this past Monday, February 24, its board of directors decided to invest SEK 4 billion (around $610 million) to implement a major expansion of the company’s pulp mill in Värö, Sweden

 

Arthur Ragauskas, an authority in bioenergy, has been named the fourteenth UT-Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Governor's Chair (University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn., USA)

 

Ted Crane, founder of the Auburn Pulp and Paper Foundation (APPF), University of Auburn, Auburn, Ala., USA, passed away on Sunday evening, February 23

 

According to Acimga, the Italian manufacturers association of machinery for the graphic, converting, and paper industry, "it’s too early to talk about recovery

 

Several factors in recent years have helped the Russian paper industry gain a competitive advantage

 

The August Koehler SE paper mill in Oberkirch, Germany, contracted Voith, Germany, to replace the hood roof and the hood side walls of its PM 4

 

SCA, Stockholm, Sweden, has invested SEK 380 million (approximately $58.5 million) and Sweden-based Sundsvall Energi has invested SEK 100 million (about $15.4 million) in the BioCoop energy project

 

Unifor Local 448, Toronto, Ont., Canada, reports that Paper Excellence Canada Holding Corp. (PE) plans to acquire and re-open the Tembec high yield pulp mill in the northern British Columbia town of Chetwynd

 

Xerium Technologies Inc., Youngstown, N.C., USA, held a groundbreaking ceremony this past week for its new state-of-the-art press felt manufacturing facility in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, China

 

Georgia-Pacific, Atlanta, Ga., USA, reports that it will permanently close its corrugated packaging plant in Doraville, Ga., affecting some 90 employees

 

KapStone Paper and Packaging Corp., Northbrook, Ill., USA, this week announced the completion of a $29 million investment at its North Charleston, S.C., paper mill

 

RockTenn, Norcross, Ga., USA, and AICC, Alexandria, VA., have announced an agreement whereby the company has increased its annual set-aside for the independent market to 1 million tons per year from 700,000 tons per year

 

Sonoco Recycling LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sonoco, Hartsville, S.C., USA, and one of the largest packaging recyclers in North America, reports that Sonoco Display and Packaging's Rural Hall, N.C., facility has successfully diverted more than 99% of its waste from landfills

 

Ahlstrom Corp., Finland, has introduced NatureMold, a new biodegradable pulp molding material for food packaging

 

DeZURIK, Sartell, Minn., USA, has announced its new KGC-MD maximum duty cast knife gate valve specifically designed to provide shearing and sealing capabilities needed in demanding services such as cyclone separators, recycle high density cleaners, recycle detrashers, or sand cleaners

 

Eaglewood Technologies, Minneapolis, Minn., USA, has introduced the Sanilox™ Anilox Roll Cleaning System, an environmentally safe system engineered by the makers of Sani-Blast™ systems

 

NewPage Corp., Miamisburg, Ohio, USA, a supplier of specialty papers, has introduced FlexPack Essential™, the newest member of its family of flexible packaging papers designed for lamination and extrusion applications in food and medical packaging

 

Stora Enso, Finland, reports that after the launch of MediaCard in 2012, it has improved the bulk and stiffness according to customer and market needs

 

Caraustar Industries, Atlanta, Ga., USA, is increasing the prices of all mill uncoated recycled paperboard by $30 per ton and by 5% on all converted paper products, including tube, core, and protective packaging product lines

 

Newark Recycled Paperboard Solutions, Cranford, N.J., USA, this week announced a $30 per ton price increase on all uncoated grades of recycled paperboard, effective with shipments on or after March 10

 

Newark Recycled Paperboard Solutions, Cranford, N.J., USA, has announced a 5% to 8% price increase for all converted products

 

Sonoco, Hartsville, S.C., USA, will raise the price for all paperboard tubes and cores by 5% - 8%, effective with shipments in the U.S. and Canada, beginning March 24

 

Valmet, Finland, and Zilkha Biomass Energy LLC, Houston, Texas, USA, have signed a five-year collaboration agreement in the field of steam exploded black pellets

 

Gould Paper Corp., New York, N.Y., USA, this week announced the appointment of David H. Berkowitz as EVP and COO

 

PaperCon announces three-part workshop as part of Tissue360° Forum in April

 

Time Inc. SVP to Keynote; Event relocated to New Orleans; Program Announced.

 

Locate pulp and paper mills all over the world using this map containing all the information you need to plan your next trip.

 

TAPPI "gears-up" for this May 13-15 course, back by popular demand.

 

You’ll save $186 alone by purchasing a subscription to Standards, TIPS, and Useful Methods Online along with a TAPPI membership. This offer applies each year you renew your membership.

 

This two and half day conference on June 22-25 will feature topics on individual commitment and the importance of developing a caring culture, new control methods celebrating safety innovations, and the consequence of life changing injuries and the importance of a focus on a critical few risk areas.

 

Pacific TAPPI and University of Washington Pulp and Paper Foundation will have a joint meeting at the university campus on March 13.

 

Don't miss your chance to attend the first of three introductory courses, March 10-14, being offered in partnership between TAPPI and NCSU.

 

No other event offers more learning, more networking and more technical programming than PaperCon, April 27-30, in Nashville, Tenn., USA.

 

This March 10-12 course is designed for operators, engineers, supervisors, and pulp mill managers engaged in pulp mill recovery operations.

 

A call for papers has been issued for IPBC, with a deadline of March 31.