Over the Wire

Tissue converter Accrol Papers, U.K., reports a £66 million deal with private equity firm NorthEdge Capital that could include a new tissue mill.

 

DS Smith, Brussels, Belgium, has acquired the remaining 50% of Italian recycling company Italmaceri Srl (Italmaceri).

 

NewPage Corp., Miamisburg, Ohio, USA, a producer of printing and specialty papers in North America, has released its Sustainable Development Facts and Figures 2013 report.

 

Sappi, Johannesburg, South Africa, has completed the sale of its Usutu Forest Products Co. to local Swaziland business Montigny Investments Ltd.

 

SCA, Stockholm, Sweden, a global hygiene and forest products company and the majority shareholder in China’s third-largest tissue company, Vinda International Holdings, reports that it is strengthening the cooperation with Vinda.

 

Shandong Sun Paper, China, has successfully started up a new Andritz (Graz, Austria) tissue machine PrimeLine W8 tissue machine with a steel yankee dryer at its Yanzhou mill, Shandong province, China.

 

Papierfabrik Scheufelen, Lenningen, Germany, reports that the declining consumption of graphic paper is forcing it to reduce production capacity from 300,000 metric tpy to 140,000 metric tpy.

 

U.S. containerboard production in June was essentially flat compared with both May of this year and June of last year, according to the AF&PA (Washington, D.C., USA) June 2014 U.S. Containerboard Statistics Report released this week.

 

Following a rebuild by Voith, Germany, PM 2 at the Europac Group (Papeles y Cartones de Europa, S.A.) was successfully restarted at its mill in Dueñas in the Spanish Province of Palencia after just 15 days of downtime and seven days of commissioning. The machine was back in production one day sooner than planned.

 

Pratt Industries, Conyers, Ga., USA, has opened its newest recycling facility in Rock Hill, S.C. Myles Cohen, president of Pratt Recycling, said that the new plant, the company’s third recycling facility in South Carolina and the 15th recycling center the company operates in the U.S., will service the recycling needs of businesses, cities, and counties within a 100-mile radius and bring both economic and environmental benefits to the area.

 

The U.S. Patent office, Washington, D.C., USA, has issued a patent for Automated Determination of Root Cause to Metso Automation USA, Duluth, Ga.

 

The newly developed Kinetic hybrid press felt from Voith differs from conventional press felts through its combination of a woven base structure and a non-woven yarn structure.

 

E-Pellets LLC, Waycross, Ga., USA, has acquired the formerly shuttered Louisiana Pacific OSB mill in Athens, Ga.

 

Millar Western Forest Products Ltd., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, has awarded Pöyry, Finland, with the assignment for EPCM (Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management) services for an anaerobic bioenergy project at its Whitecourt pulp mill in Alberta, Canada.

 

Appvion, Inc., Appleton, Wis., USA, this week announced the appointment of Ethan Haas as VP and GM of the company's carbonless and specialty papers business.

 

EcoPlanet Bamboo Group, Barrington, Ill., USA, reports that it has hired three seasoned executives from $8.5 billion timber giant Weyerhaeuser, and has named Marvin Ray Risco as president.

 

Glatfelter has announced key leadership changes in its corporate headquarters in York, Pa., USA. Amy Wannemacher has been promoted to VP of tax, and Ramesh Shettigar has joined Glatfelter as VP and treasurer.

 

PPG Industries, Pittsburg, Pa., USA, has appointed Michael H. McGarry, currently EVP, to COO, effective August 1. McGarry will have executive oversight responsibility for all of PPG’s strategic business units and operating regions and for the information technology (IT), environment health and safety (EH&S), and purchasing functions.

 

TAPPI and IDCON partner for three courses in August offering expert training in best practices. Get better reliability and maintenance results.

 

TAPPI’s Building Sciences Committee will feature a Predictive Maintenance Training Program September 17-19 in Charleston, S.C., USA. Registration cut off date is August 22.

 

This two-day course, August 19-20, in Neenah, Wis., USA, is packed with information collected from the panel of 15 expert instructors on the most important best practices in tissue operations.

 

TAPPI is excited to launch the Live Learning Center for all your professional development needs. This online portal connects you to session recordings from PaperCon 2014 so you can catch up on what you missed and review industry education year-round.

 

Don't miss the next TAPPI Introduction to Kraft Pulping and Bleaching Course set for August 11-12 in Norcross, Ga., USA.

 

Product developers, researchers, and academics who have a scientific interest in the field of coating paper and paperboard substrates should attend this October 7-9 event in Minneapolis, Minn., USA.

 

Learn the box plant and see how quality boxes are produced. There is also an overview of the Corrugator and a review of materials handling and more. This presentation is available to TAPPI members for a $50 discount off list price.

 

TAPPI Membership is just as beneficial and important now as it was then according to this 37-year industry professional.

 

Make Your Mill More Effective AND Boost Your Career in September at PEERS.

 

This free webinar will be presented on August 19.