Weekly Spotlight
The Battle Between Paper and Screen Time in the Classroom

Over the Wire

TAPPI

Thursday, September 19, 2019 - Member
Cristini
Because paper doesn’t have flashing notifications that distract us, we spend more time and engage more of our senses while reading on paper. We can feel the texture of the page beneath our hand. We can hear the crinkle of a page-turning. We can see ideas coming to life before our eyes. It is through this sensory contact that we absorb, comprehend and retain information.
 
Paper's Current Impact on Greenhouse Emissions and Climate Change
A recent consumer survey commissioned by Two Sides showed a disconnect between consumer perceptions and the facts about the industry’s impact on global GHG emissions. The survey showed that 29% of Americans believe that paper production is a major contributor to global GHG emissions. However, the U.S. pulp and paper sector is one of the lowest emitters of GHG emissions among major U.S. industrial sectors at 1.2% of total U.S. industrial GHG emissions.
 
High Speed, High Load TL-Series Spherical Roller Bearings
NSK Americas
NSK has been on the ground, in the mill, for decades delivering tough, high-speed, high-heat-resistant bearing solutions to get the results you need: Faster production. Greater uptime and service life. And consistently lower operating costs. Visit NSKAmericas.com
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Merichem Company
Market Roundup
U.S. Boxboard Output Down Slightly in August
Total boxboard monthly production decreased 1% when compared to August 2018. Total boxboard operating rate was 94.1% for August. Total Solid Bleached Boxboard & Liner production decreased 0.4% ytd; Recycled Boxboard production fell 1% ytd; and Unbleached Kraft & Gypsum decreased 0.5% ytd.
 
U.S. Containerboard Production a Mixed Bag in August
Containerboard production in August 2019 decreased 2.4% compared to August 2018 and was down 4.9% year-to-date. The average daily production compared to July 2019 was 3.2% higher.
 
Warehouse Specialist
Pulp & Paper
Stora Enso Establishes Forest Division and Reporting Segment
To increase transparency, Stora Enso will establish a Forest division and start reporting it separately at the beginning of 2020. The new Forest division will include Stora Enso’s Swedish forest assets (including the recently-acquired Bergvik Skog Väst AB) and its 41% share of Tornator with the majority of its forest assets located in Finland.
 
Ahlstrom-Munksjö Explores Strategic Opportunities for Decor Paper Business
Company is exploring potential acquisitions, mergers, and joint-ventures with decor paper suppliers in China to speed up the execution of its strategy and capture the attractive value-creation opportunity in the decor business. In addition, the company is investigating the possibility to attract outside capital investment into the Decor business.
 
Billerudkorsnäs Announces 300 Employees to Leave
As part of a strategic update, BillerudKorsnäs introduces a savings program that is expected to generate positive earnings effects of approximately MSEK 600 with a lasting effect from 2021. The positive effect in 2020 is expected to be approximately MSEK 250. As part of the program, BillerudKorsnäs has decided to reduce the number of employees by up to 300.
 
Cascades Completes Acquisition of Orchids Paper
Cascades Tissue Group President and COO Jean-David Tardif noted: “Today’s announcement highlights our commitment to increasing our ability to serve our customers and position Cascades, in the tissue paper segment, with a view to long-term growth. Thanks to our strong order book, we can quickly take advantage of maximizing the utilization rate of the acquired facilities.”
 
Irving Paper and Tissue Puts 1,000 Workers on the Job for $22 Million Investment
“The work underway with the help of some great New Brunswick contractors represent an annual investment in the future of our mill,” said Mark Mosher, Vice President of Pulp & Paper for J.D. Irving, Limited. “Saint John is home, but we depend on suppliers from across New Brunswick to keep the mill running – from the woodlands through to the workers on site today. We’re committed to sustaining the mill jobs and the local suppliers – many of whom we’ve worked with for generations.”
 
Metsä Pulp Production Cut Due to Planned Maintenance
Company planned annual maintenance shutdowns at its pulp mills for the autumn of 2019. At Rauma, the shutdown took place on week 36. At Kemi, the maintenance shutdown is scheduled for week 38, and at Husum, Sweden, for the weeks 38–40. Shutdowns will cut the production of chemical pulp by approx. 50,000 metric tons
 
Sappi N.A. Receives Minnesota Dual Training Grant for Cloquet Mill
100k grant allows Sappi North America to strengthen the local workforce by providing advanced technical training to employees while improving functions and safety at its Cloquet, Minn. mill. Offered to all levels of employees in the maintenance department, the training program aims to teach essential skills and grow employees’ technical knowledge in the electrical and mechanical focus areas. 
 
Voith to Aquire Industry Supplier BTG
“With BTG we found an ideal match to complement our portfolio and to add a high performing company, with a widely recognized expertise in the pulp and paper market. This helps us to expand our competitive position as a Full-Line Supplier for the paper industry in the areas of consumables, services, and software”, stated Toralf Haag, President & CEO of the Voith Group.
 
Weyerhaeuser to Sell Michigan Timberlands
Company this week announced an agreement to sell its 555,000 acres of Michigan timberlands to Lyme Great Lakes Holding LLC, an affiliate of The Lyme Timber Company LP, for $300 million in cash. The company expects to recognize a gain on the sale and anticipates no tax liability in conjunction with the transaction.
 
Hargrove Engineers + Constructors
Containerboard/Packaging
Metsä Board’s AäNekoski Mill in Finland Starts New Sheeting Line
In addition to the new sheet cutter, the investment included additional automation to the existing sheet cutters, as well as equipment for cutter reel handling and storage. The new sheeting line is located in the existing sheeting plant.
 
OnLine AUCTION – Surplus Assets – ATLANTIC PACKAGING PRODUCTS
CanAm Machinery Inc.
Closes Thursday, November 14. Featuring VOITH 104” Tissue Machine and 100 TPD Deink Plant plus Support Equipment. Asset Location – Toronto, Canada. Bid Now! Sale by INFINITY ASSET SOLUTIONS and
CAN-AM MACHINERY. 
Click here to learn more
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Legislative
AF&PA Statement on California Recycling Legislation
“The American Forest & Paper Association is pleased SB 54 and AB 1080 will not advance out of California’s 2019 legislative session. While we agreed with the goals of the legislation to support recycling and reduce waste, it is not ready to become law. These bills would have created an unrealistic regulatory framework for an implementing agency already facing challenges fixing troubled recycling programs..."
 
California Lawmakers Reject Bill to Ban Paper Receipts
Assembly Bill 161 by Assemblymember Phil Ting of San Francisco stalled in the state’s Senate Appropriations Committee as the legislature pared bills before the final two weeks of the session. Advocates of the California bill to ban paper receipts, dubbed Skip the Slip, suggested it would reduce paper waste in the state.
 
FPAC Launches Forestry for the Future Campaign
New campaign works to put issues facing Canada’s forestry workers and communities front and center for federal election candidates across the country.
 
New Products
Amcor Wins Four Awards for Packaging Innovation
“Winning across our flexible and rigid packaging, for beverage, protein and pet food products, is a testament to the expertise of Amcor’s global team,” said Mr. Michael Zacka, Amcor’s Chief Commercial Officer. “We are proud to deploy that expertise to benefit our customers, consumers, and the environment.”
 
DS Smith Enhances Brand Image of RENZ with Corrugated
Offices, copy shops, and printing companies around the globe use them: The punching, binding and laminating systems from RENZ. Since April of this year, the world market leader has been supplying its high-quality RING WIRE product line in packaging that is as sustainable as it is strong in identity as it now uses a corrugated solution from DS Smith instead of plastic.
 
Metsä Board Introduces a New Plastic-Free Eco-Barrier Paperboard
New MetsäBoard Prime FBB EB has a medium barrier against moisture and grease, which makes it especially suitable for food and foodservice packaging. Furthermore, since the eco-barrier board is plastic-free, it does not require a plastic separation process making it easy and cost-efficient to recycle.
 
John Crane
Sustainability
BillerudKorsnäs Defends Leading Position in Dow Jones Sustainability Index
"It is a great honor for us to continue being named the most sustainable packaging company and one of the most sustainable companies in the world. This is further proof that we are leading the challenge on conventional packaging for a sustainable future. By participating in the assessment we also get valuable insights into where we need to accelerate our efforts."
 
Crown To Set Science-Based Sustainability Targets In Early 2020
Crown Holdings has signed onto the Science-Based Targets initiative, a project that aims to spur corporate climate action in the transition to a low-carbon economy. To join the initiative, Crown will set specific goals for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in alignment with the Paris Agreement of 2015.
 
Energy
Valmet Builds New Pilot Facility Related to Bioenergy
The new pilot facility in Sundsvall will further strengthen Valmet’s research and development capabilities in biomass conversion and enables pilot trials together with customers and partners. The new pilot facility will start up in October 2020. 
 
People
Glatfelter Names New SVP of Global Supply Chain
In this newly established role, Dr. Wolfgang Laures will be responsible for leading Glatfelter’s new integrated global supply chain organization that includes operations, sales and operations planning, strategic sourcing, network and transport distribution, and supply chain analytics.
 
Kimberly-Clark Appoints New Member of Board of Directors
Mark Smucker serves as President and CEO of The J.M. Smucker Company (Smucker) and is the fifth generation of the Smucker family to lead the iconic 122-year old company. Under his leadership, the company continues to capitalize on its deep understanding of consumer preferences to stay at the forefront of the dynamic packaged foods landscape, particularly in the categories of coffee, pet food, and snacks.
 
Fox Thermal
TAPPI News
Experience all that TissueCon 2019 has to Offer in Orlando, October 1-4
Take a deep dive into product developments, energy savings, cost reduction, and more
 
Ask the Expert: Tissue Edition! Get Answers to Technical Questions
Get Answers to Technical Questions about Tissue at this live "Ask the Expert" Event! A TAPPI Connect Open Forum Event. No cost to participate!
 
Hands-On Workshops Developed for Mill Operations
In order to stay competitive in today’s market, mills must stay abreast of the latest technologies, processes and trends in the industry. They are constantly looking for information that can help them operate faster, better and more efficiently. Sending their operational teams for training can help ensure they are following best practices and knowledgeable of new technologies and advancements. TAPPI’s Pulping, Engineering, Environmental, Recycling and Sustainability (PEERS) Conference is a training resource for mills that offers a comprehensive technical program developed by industry experts.
 
Black Liquor Evaporation Now Available from TAPPI Press
TAPPI Press produces the first comprehensive book to deal solely with the topic of black liquor evaporation
 
Deadline to Submit Abstract for PaperCon 2020 is October 11
Present at PaperCon 2020. Submit your abstract before October 11, 2019.
 
Naylor Association Solutions