Weekly Spotlight
USW, Four American Paper Producers Win Illegal Trade Practices Case

Over the Wire

TAPPI

Friday, February 12, 2016 - Member
Cristini
The ITC found that dumped, unfairly priced imports of certain types of uncoated paper in sheets from China, Indonesia, Brazil, Portugal, and Australia are causing material injury. They also found that during that same time, illegally subsidized imports from China and Indonesia were also causing material injury.
 
Is Lignin the Crude Oil of the Future?
Researchers are now a step closer to cheap solar biorefineries capable of processing lignin on an industrial scale using the new photocatalysts developed at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the Warsaw University of Technology and the University of Cordoba.
 
Domtar Develops PaperPal Project to Link Senior Citizens, Students
The effort will connect generations through letter-writing. It will help youths develop fine motor skills, spur seniors to practice a useful cognitive exercise, and give both groups a way to develop enjoyable and enriching connections. Children who print letters by hand are shown to have more brain activity than those who type.
 
$1 Million Grant Funds Endowment to Enhance Programs at Georgia Tech’s RBI
The Institute of Paper Chemistry (IPC) Foundation Inc. and the GT Foundation Inc. have announced the grant to establish the Institute of Paper Chemistry Legacy Endowment Fund for support of GT's Renewable Bioproducts Institute. The fund is being established in recognition of IPC's educational and leadership legacy.
 
Free Report: Trends in Tissue Capacity, Technology, Innovation
Thanks to a robust economy in the U.S. and explosive growth in the Pacific Rim, the tissue industry shows no signs of slowing down. Fisher International and Tissue360° invite you to download and read (free of charge) A Global Look at Tissue Today and Tomorrow by Clay Enos, senior consultant, Fisher International Inc.
 
TAPPI Tissue 201 Has a Seat for You
Operations and runnability training will only be offered once this year, April 19-20 in Neenah, Wis., USA.
 
TAPPI Product Services Guide: A Valuable Purchasing Tool
Annual publication is a comprehensive purchasing tool for pulp and paper industry professionals, exposing advertisements to decision-makers during the purchasing process.
 
Tissue360° Forum: Practical, Applicable Solutions
TAPPI’s 4th annual Tissue360° Forum, May 16-18, 2016 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, will bring together leaders to focus on technical advances and solutions in tissue making, converting, and on tissue education.
 
Market Roundup
India's Paper Demand Will Have Marginal Improvement in 2017
Education, corporate sectors, and higher GDP will likely drive domestic demand, but India Ratings and Research has still maintained a 'negative-to-stable' outlook on the paper industry overall for 2017 on the expectations of a limited improvement in the global demand-supply environment and import risks.
 
P&P Output in Finland Increased by 0.2% in 2015
Paper production fell 2.6% while paperboard production was up 3.6% to account for a modest growth in the industry overall.
 
USA Tissue Tracker: Converted Products Gain Strength
According to U.S. tissue industry statistics just released by RISI, Boston, Mass., converted tissue and towel product production and shipments increased in December 2015.
 
Institute of Paper Science and Technology at Georgia Tech
Pulp & Paper
APP Suffers Fiber Supply Loss from South Sumatra Fires
The fiber supply for APP's new OKI pulp mill is in question since the Indonesian government has indicated that it will prevent replanting of areas burned in 2015. In the South Sumatra province, 37% of the company's holdings were burned including 26% of organized timber plantations.
 
Cellwood to Supply Krima Dispersing System to Tissue Mill in China
The unit will have a capacity of 135 bone dry metric tons per day, and one of the main properties that led to the order was the possibility to bleach in-line. The system will be commissioned during the autumn of this year.
 
Hebei Xuesong Starts up Second PMP Intelli-Tissue EcoEc Machine
The Hebei company's (China) TM 2, a twin-sister machine of TM 1, also is based on the philosophy of Optimum Cost Solution, including a tissue machine fully designed in Europe. The machine’s key components, such as the Intelli-Jet V® hydraulic headbox and Intelli-YD™ steel yankee, were also manufactured in Europe.
 
Indevco Rewinder Updgades Boost Performance at Tissue Mills in North Africa
A team from A.Celli Paper’s Customer Service Department, in collaboration with the mill’s specialized personnel, replaced the two cutting units and updated the drive, the PLC system, and mechanical transmission of two Interstate Paper rewinders, completing intervention in just six days of machine downtime per plant.
 
IP CFO Discusses Strategic Moves for 2016
International Paper CFO Carol Roberts discussed the company's position in the Russian and Brazilian markets, as well as the fluff pulp conversion project in Riegelwood, N.C., USA, and company efforts to complete the sale of its Chinese box business due to limited availability of materials. 2016 is described as a transition year for IP.
 
Lucart Unwinder Upgrade Boosts Production at Avigliano Tissue Mill
"We are very pleased with this upgrade that has allowed us to once again obtain a very high quality of the wound product, increasing the performance of the rewinder, and consequently of the entire plant," commented an employee of Lucart Group after working on the A.Celli airlaid tissue mill in southern Italy.
 
Madison Paper Production Schedule Could Change Weekly
The president and CEO of Madison Paper Industries said that he can’t confirm the details of a potential months-long curtailment at the paper mill, saying only that while production at the mill is down, the situation is changing on a weekly basis and layoffs have been avoided.
 
Metro Paper To Close Carthage Mill at End of Month
The Canadian tissue manufacturer, a subsidiary of Kruger Products, is reporting significantly lower sales volumes. The Carthage, N.Y., USA, mill would continue to operate only if a new customer was found for its products. There could also be an option for the mill's 25-30 employees to buy the plant.
 
PAPCEL to Upgrade Tissue Machine in the Ukraine
PAPCEL will upgrade the tissue machine press section, deliver a new yankee cylinder (3.6 meters in diameter), completely modernize the drying part hood, and modify and complete the drive.
 
PMT Italia Signs Sales Representative, Distribution Agreement with Joe Solberg Inc.
PMT Italia, Italy, and Joe Solberg Inc. (Tyrone, Ga., USA) have signed a sales representative and distribution agreement for winder products in the U.S. and Canada. Under terms of the agreement, JSI will market and sell the PMT winder products and provide technical service for PMT winders and reels as required by PMT.
 
Sappi Slates EUR 25 Million in Mill Upgrades for 2016
Sappi's Lanaken (Belgium) Mill will improve the performance of PM7 by installing a state-of-the-art film-press coater, and Sappi Kirkniemi (Finland) Mill will undergo a variety of modifications to PM3 to increase energy efficiency and further improve quality consistency.
 
Sappi Works to Pass On Baby-Boomer Knowledge at Cloquet Mill
Years ago the retirement rate at Sappi was only 3%— now it has risen to 10%. Retiring workers are taking years of experience with them. The company is creating a new computerized training system at the Minnesota site with the help of two retired workers, heading up a project that could be used at other Sappi locations in the U.S.
 
Solenis Investing $5 Million to Expand Production Capacity in Russia
The investment by the Wilmington, Del., USA, company doubles production capacity for polyacrylamide powders used in a wide variety of water-based industries including the P&P markets. It also creates two new production lines to handle increased sales of its sizing and defoamer products in the pulp and paper industry.
 
Sun Paper Considering Other U.S. States for $1.36 Billion Pulp Mill
An industry source said this past week that Sun Paper is also considering one or more locations in Mississippi as well as at least two in south Arkansas. The Chinese company confirmed it is looking at other states but wouldn't identify them. The site of choice must be able to harvest around 3 million tons of timber annually.
 
Suzano to Install New Tissue Machines at Mucuri, Imperatriz Mills in Brazil
Each tissue machine will have 60,000 metric tpy of tissue production capacity. Construction is scheduled to begin this May, with startup at Imperatriz planned for the third quarter of 2017 and startup at Mucuri expected in the fourth quarter of 2017. The total value of the machines is $58 million.
 
Valmet to Supply Fourth Tissue Line to Fine Hygienic Holding in Abu Dhabi
Valmet's delivery includes a production line, preparation systems, an Advantage DCT 200TS tissue machine, and a Focus Rewinder line. The machine is equipped with an OptiFlo II TIS headbox and a cast alloy yankee cylinder. It features Advantage tissue technology, including ViscoNip press, AirCap hood, and a SoftReel reel.
 
Containerboard/Packaging
Alliance Sheets Corrugated Plant Helps Jamil Packaging Expand
Jamil has purchased new box making equipment for its plant in Indiana to increase capacity, enabled by the company's partnership that opened Alliance Sheets in 2014 to directly supply corrugated sheets, an investment making the company more competitive. The corrugator at Alliance is the largest in the Western Hemisphere.
 
G-P Corrugated Plant to Close in Buena Park
Approximately 150 employees will either be losing jobs or finding new ones in the company as Georgia-Pacific closes its Buena Park, Calif., USA, facility by September 1. The company determined the facility was outdated. Production will shift to its more efficient plant in La Mirada, about 2 miles away.
 
KapStone and Union Reached Impasse in Good Faith NLRB Confirms
In a key legal victory for KapStone, the National Labor Relations Board agreed this past week that the company acted in good faith when it declared a bargaining impasse with the millworkers’ union on Aug. 3, 2015. That’s when the company implemented its latest rejected contract offer. The union now faces an uphill battle.
 
Kruger Awards Pöyry Engineering Assignment for Trois-Rivières Rebuild Project
Trois-Rivières' PM 10 newsprint machine is being converted into a state-of-the-art lightweight and high-strength recycled linerboard production facility. Pöyry's assignment includes services for the installation of a new starch system, chemical systems, heat recovery, and modifications to the existing stock approach system.
 
Metsä Board Starts up New Folding Boxboard Line at Husum
Valmet (Finland)-supplied coated board production line for Metsä Board has started up at the company's Husum mill in Sweden. The new machine produces high-quality folding boxboard with an annual capacity of 400,000 metric tons and a basis weight range of 185-350 gsm.
 
Legislative
AF&PA Supports Bill to Preserve Tax Time Savings Bond Program
The U.S. Treasury Department ended the over-the-counter sale of paper savings bonds in 2012 and this program is now the only way to obtain a paper savings bond. Security concerns about not having paper based versions of important financial information is a major factor in the support of this bipartisan bill.
 
U.S. Tariff Order on Canadian Papermakers Under Federal Review
The duties on some companies may have been unwarranted and could lead to job cuts at Irving and Catalyst operations in Maine. Catalyst owns a paper mill in Rumford that employs about 800 people, and Irving owns and manages 1.2 million acres of Maine woodlands and two sawmills in the state.
 
New Products
Chantler Packaging Introduces Corrugated Containers with Ethylene Absorbing Film
The company launched an ethylene absorbing film technology applied to containers suited for retail displays. "(PrimePro Core’s) incorporation into rigid produce retail corrugate and paperboard easily extends shelf life... But more importantly, it reduces food that goes to waste," said Chantler's VP of sales and marketing.
 
Pamarco, Easlerlam Partner to Provide Doctor Blades to N.A. Market
The companies are providing Esterlam’s high quality doctor blades to the North American corrugated and coating markets. As a pioneer in "plastic" blades, Esterlam provides two unique ranges of products to the global market—laminated polyester and UHMW, both delivering superior performance and a higher safety standard.
 
SKF Offers New App for Mounting Bearings
Unique to SKF, the app enables the user to achieve accurate adjustment of spherical roller and CARB toroidal roller bearings mounted on tapered seatings. The correct fit is attained by controlling the axial drive-up of the bearing from a predetermined starting position.
 
People
Lecta Restructures with New Business Units
This restructuring is part of a broader project for change across the company that includes aspects such as streamlining processes, upgrading IT systems, optimizing functions, and overall cultural transformation. The new organization includes three new heads of business units.
 
WestRock Announces Shan Cooper as Chief Supply Chain and Technology Officer
Shan’s responsibilities include WestRock’s supply chain and technology functions, as well as the company’s recycling business. Shan will report to CEO Steve Voorhees. She will join the company on February 29.
 
NPTA Announces 2016 Board of Directors
The National Paper Trade Association (NPTA), Chicago, Ill., USA, this week announced the installation of the 2016 board of directors. Five new officers and six new directors were chosen.
 
TAPPI News
Join The Entire Supply Chain at Specialty Papers Europe
Specialty Papers Europe, April 4-6, is hailed as a "must attend to stay ahead of the curve" event.
 
TAPPI Industry Career Center: Lithotype Seeks Quality Assurance and Product Development Manager
Lithotype is currently seeking a Quality Assurance and Product Development Manager for its South San Fransisco, Cali., and Bolingbrook, Ill., USA, locations.
 
TAPPI Webinar: Off-Odors in Paper and Board
The TAPPI Microbiology & Microbial Technology committee invites you to attend their free webinar, "Off-Odors in Paper and Board" on Wednesday, March 2 at 1:00 p.m. EST
 
TAPPI Press – Book of the Month: Corrugated Adhesives Preparation, 5th Edition
The revised and updated manual provides the box plant with a practical and useful tool to make better starch adhesives as well as see better bond quality. TAPPI members will save $50 on this purchase.
 
Imerys FiberLean has an "Edge" at Nano 2016
This leader knows what it takes to stand out in a crowd and get noticed! There are still sponsorship opportunities available to companies dedicated to nanotechnology and eager to show their support for this emerging market.
 
ASPI 2016 Spring Meeting Draws Industry Leaders
CEO’s and senior executives from top suppliers to the paper industry meet in Florida on February 24-26.