#BetterTogether
Mondi Gronau Starts Production of One Million Medical Face Masks per Day in Germany

Over the Wire

TAPPI

Thursday, March 18, 2021 - members edition
Cristini
Mondi has started up new production lines for melt-blown nonwoven fabric and medical face masks at its site in Gronau, Germany to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
 
Weekly Spotlight
Next Monday: Innovating Renewable Materials for the Future Presented by TAPPI & PI
Last call to register today for TAPPI & PI’s first ever co-hosted webinar, “Innovating Renewable Materials for the Future” to be held Monday, March 22nd 10AM - 11AM (EST)
 
FUSION INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS LLC Acquires Steepturn Consulting LLC
FUSION INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS LLC, announced the acquisition of STEEPTURN CONSULTING LLC, a company consulting on all matters from specification and factory acceptance to field service, and post-incident actions for cast iron and steel yankee dryers.
 
Spike in Frozen Food Sales Creates Strong Demand for Paper Products
Fisher International reports that the global COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way we have gone about everyday life over the last 10 months… and counting. Some of these changes will carry long-lasting structural implications that will impact not just "home" life, but also global markets.
 
Smurfit Kappa Announces €40 Million Investment in North Wales
Smurfit Kappa has approved transformational investment plans for its Mold plant in North Wales, that will further expand capacity at the facility, make it the largest box factory in the UK and allow the company to meet the growing demand for sustainable packaging.
 
Extended Uptime in Contaminated Environments: Molded-Oil™ Bearings.
NSK Americas®
Under conditions of liquid or dust contamination, even sealed conventional bearings will fail prematurely. Molded-Oil Bearings with DDU seals from NSK deliver continual, clean, no-leak lubrication for dramatically increased service life and maintenance intervals.
Learn More
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Merichem Company
Market Roundup
Feldmuehle to Increase Prices for Wet Strength Label Papers
Feldmuehle, a German manufacturer of label and flexible packaging papers, will increase prices for its wet strength label paper grades by 8%.
 
KP Tissue Releases Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2020 Financial Results
KP Tissue Inc. (KPT) (TSX: KPT) reports the Q4 2020 and full year 2020 financial and operational results of KPT and Kruger Products L.P. (KPLP). Kruger Products is Canada's leading manufacturer of quality tissue products for the Consumer market (Cashmere, Purex, SpongeTowels, Scotties, and White Swan) and the Away-From-Home (AFH) market, and continues to expand in the U.S.
 
UPG Unified Purchasing Group
Pulp & Paper
ABB Delivers Machine Modernization Plan for One of the World’s Most Advanced Pulp and Board Mills
Global technology company ABB is leading a major installation of new drives, control systems and quality control solutions (QCS) for Iggesund Paperboard in Sweden, driving increased safety, higher availability and more stable operations for the board mill.
 
Segezha Group to Increase Production of Unbleached Grease-Resistant Paper
Segezha Group, one of the largest wood and paper holdings in Russia and Europe, will invest RUB 11 billion (US$149 million) in the modernization of its domestic plant in the Sokol area of the Vologda region, according to recent statements, made by the company.
 
ANDRITZ Successfully Starts Up Two Tissue Production Lines Delivered to Suzhou Taison Paper Mill in China
The two CrescentFormer tissue machines (TM13, TM15) of the type PrimeLineST W8 have a design speed of 1,900 m/min, a paper width of 5.6 m, and a total design capacity of up to 120,000 tons of tissue per year. The machines process pre-dried bleached bamboo pulp, NBKP and LBKP market pulp to produce high-quality facial tissue, toilet paper, paper towels, handkerchiefs, and napkins.
 
Kuraray America, Inc.
Containerboard/Packaging
Green Bay Packaging Selects Head Engineering’s BLiSS Soap Separation Technology
Green Bay Packaging has selected Head Engineering’s BLiSS centrifugal soap separation system to be installed at their linerboard kraft mill located in Morrilton, Arkansas. BLiSS (Black Liquor Soap Separation) is a patented process technology by Head Engineering AB that maximizes the separation of soap from spent black liquor.
 
Smurfit Kappa to Invest EUR 40 Million in Its Corrugated Packaging Plant in North Wales
Smurfit Kappa has approved transformational investment plans for its corrugated packaging plant located in the Mold Business Park in North Wales, UK.
 
Maintenance: The hidden profit generator in Pulp & Paper
Bently Nevada LLC®
Your mill's maintenance cost profile has a huge impact efficiency and profitability. Traditionally, maintenance has been viewed strictly as a cost. But there are ways to turn it into a more proactive and positive contributor to business success.

This whitepaper looks at how a better maintenance strategy can actually improve your plant's bottom line and regulatory compliance.
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New Products
Metsä Group’s New Textile Fibre is Kuura
Kuura, the new textile fibre brand of Metsä Group’s innovation company Metsä Spring, is being presented to the general public during Japan Fashion Week. Made from the pulp of the Finnish Äänekoski bioproduct mill, Kuura fibre is launched at the top fashion event this week in cooperation with Japanese trading house ITOCHU Corporation and the clothing brand THE RERACS.
 
PulPac, PA Consulting and Seismic Solutions Join Forces to Replace Single-Use Plastics
PulPac, PA Consulting (PA) and Seismic Solutions recently announced a new global partnership to replace single-use plastics with a sustainable, affordable alternative. PulPac, the inventors behind the novel Dry Molded Fiber technology will work with PA, the consultancy that’s bringing ingenuity to life, to develop a wide range of technical and commercial applications and scale up the manufacturing process.
 
Michelman Inc.
Sustainability
Smurfit Kappa First FTSE 100 Company to Gain Five Stars in Recognition of its Support of United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals
Smurfit Kappa is proud to announce that its support of and contribution to the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been recognized by Support the Goals. The company is the first FTSE 100 company to receive a five star rating.
 
AFRY Main Partner in Metsä Fibre’s New Bioproduct Mill in Finland
Metsä Fibre Oy, part of the Metsä Group, has made the investment decision to build a new bioproduct mill in Kemi, Finland. For AFRY it means that the previously signed conditional contract will come into force.
 
Resolute Forest Products Sets Target to Reduce GHG Emissions by 30%
Resolute Forest Products Inc. [yesterday] announced its commitment to reduce absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (scope 1 and 2) by 30% against 2015 levels by 2025. This new target builds on the company's 83% reduction in absolute GHG emissions from year-2000 levels, two-thirds of which reflect reductions in emission intensity.
 
People
Twin Rivers Paper Names Mark Lukacs as New Chief Operating Officer
Twin Rivers Paper Company said that Mark Lukacs has joined the company as its new Chief Operating Officer. He brings with him over 33 years of senior operations experience in the paper and packaging industry.
 
Sustana Announces New Leadership Role, Director and Sustainability Ambassador
Sustana, a manufacturer of premium, sustainable recycled fiber and paper products, announces the appointment of Emily Olson to Director and Sustainability Ambassador.
 
Omya Inc
TAPPI News
TAPPICon Virtual and TAPPICon LIVE!: More Opportunities to Get Noticed by Your Customers
Take your exposure to the next level by sponsoring TAPPICon Virtual
 
TAPPI Academy Company Solutions for your Team
Consider TAPPI’s onsite and online resources for workforce development
 
Does equipment failure get you down?
Learn effective strategies to keep critical parts on hand to improve reliability from TAPPI's partnership with IDCON
 
Are You Ready To Do Things A Different Way?
Do you sometimes feel like a hamster on a wheel trying to put out one fire after another but never getting ahead? Gain insight on how to get off that hamster wheel at TAPPICon 2021 VIRTUAL
 
Naylor Association Solutions