The Final Word by Jim Thompson


The recent sale of IP's printing and writing paper assets in Brazil and Weyerhaeuser's to a reconstituted Domtar may be the last we see of such moves. Anecdotally, we have heard printers seem to be disenchanted with long lead times on paper purchased from the Far East. This may soon lead to redirection of domestic paper purchasing by printers or the requirement that mills far away stock paper locally at their own expense. Either way, domestic paper sources, no matter the country, may soon see better prospects in their home markets. It turns out everything has a price, even cheap imported paper.