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The PM40 closed Friday, 29 May 2020, at 2604.

Get the latest PM40 updates by listening to the weekly Nips show and the PM40 Daily Show on Pulp & Paper Radio International.

The PM40 closed 29 May 2020 down 20% from the 31 May 2019 level.

In this issue of Disconnected Comparisons, we evaluate Clearwater Paper and Verso.

Reported insider trading since the last issue of PaperMoney.

Short tempers mean accidents and errors can rise. We have been in a lockdown mode for 75 days here in the United States, somewhat longer in some other places. These are not normal conditions for human beings. The urge to break free is high.

ABB and Metsä Fibre (metsafibre.com), part of Metsä Group, have signed a preliminary, binding agreement according to which ABB Finland will deliver electrification and drive technology solutions for Metsä Fibre's planned bioproduct mill in Kemi, northern Finland.

Södra Cell Mörrum decided to place an order with Cellwood for an additional grubbens horizontal pulper 2W25-64/51S to the press section of TM2.

Kemira has signed a long-term agreement with UPM-Kymmene Corporation extending and expanding its current bleaching chemicals supply contract in Uruguay, pending required environmental permitting.

Recently (Paper Machinery Producer) has signed a contract for the delivery of 2 new Intelli-Jet V® Hydraulic Headboxes for Smurfit Kappa's paper machine (PM5) located in the Uberaba mill in Brazil.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö supplies face mask material from its plant in Tampere to Teho Filter for the assembly of the masks.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ahlstrom-Munksjö has expanded its offering and capacities of protective medical products, including face mask materials, to meet the strong demand globally.

Food banks around the world are experiencing dramatic increases in demand for food assistance driven by the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Metsä Board is adding three new grades into its Express Board offering. The new eco-barrier paperboard MetsäBoard Prime FBB EB, uncoated folding boxboard MetsäBoard Natural FBB and MetsäBoard Pro FBB OBAfree are now available with enhanced availability and quick lead times via the Express Board service.

Mondi, global leader in packaging and paper, is set to build new production lines in its plant in Gronau, Germany, to produce melt blown nonwoven fabric and surgical face masks. This is part of Mondi's efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and respond to increased demand by health authorities, businesses and consumers for face masks.

Pixelle Specialty Solutions announced the introduction of GlazeStar ® NK, a Natural Kraft facing paper designed for Foil/Scrim/Kraft or FSK building and construction insulation - one of the most widely used insulations in the industry today.

Before executives at paper-goods giant Kimberly-Clark rushed to shut their offices on Friday the 13th of March, they convened for one last emergency meeting.

Verso Corporation announced that its Quinnesec, Michigan, paper mill has broadened its manufacturing expertise to produce OptiLabel™ face stock papers.

Verso Corporation introduced Velocity®, a No. 3 coated value web paper ideal for a variety of commercial web offset printing applications, including magazines, catalogs, high-end retail inserts, direct mail and lightweight mailings.

Cascades is pleased to announce the launch of a new product line designed for e‑commerce, that encompasses a comprehensive range of customized, creative and sustainable packaging solutions for companies selling their products online.

With the novel coronavirus whipping across the U.S., ND Paper tapped its global roots to source critical personal protection equipment to the U.S. - both for our 1,400-strong workforce and for donation to frontline first responders.

In four years, the number of pine seedlings from Södra that are sold has risen from just over 3 million to just over 6 million.

Global sustainable food packaging leader Huhtamaki and international charity WasteAid have announced a €900,000 (£800,000) partnership to drive community-level circular economy innovation in Vietnam, India and South Africa for a two-year period.

Tasmanian-owned and operated company SFM has been appointed by New Forests to manage the timber plantation assets purchased from Norske Skog after a competitive tender process.

Van Den Heuvel was convicted in U.S. District Court in Green Bay of fraudulently soliciting loans and investments to pursue his business, Green Box, which he represented as an operation that would convert solid waste into consumer products and energy.

A federal lawsuit is putting pressure on Verso, the owner of a former paper mill in western Maryland, alleging that toxic waste coming from the site of the old paper mill is polluting the Potomac River.

UPM is proceeding at full speed with its investment project in Uruguay and has taken several steps forward.

HZRX also focus on utilization of block chain technologies to provide solutions of privacy, encryption, and security in the health care industry.

Canfor Pulp Products Inc. is announcing the curtailment of Prince George Pulp and Paper and Intercontinental Pulp for approximately four weeks starting July 6, 2020.

Five employees in Smurfit Kappa's 46,000-strong workforce have died from Covid-19.

Cascades Inc. announces the closure of the Brown Containerboard Packaging facility located in Burlington, Ontario, as part of the Corporation's continuing optimization initiatives for its Containerboard Packaging business.

International Paper recently announced that one of its safety managers, Mike Joy, at their Eastover, South Carolina mill had recently virtually taught fifth-grade students from Sunnymede Elementary School in Fort Smith, Arkansas how paper products are made and the importance of practicing sustainable forestry. While papermakers have traditionally, in the past, visited schools to educate young students, Mike Joy proved that this can easily be done virtually.

Many brands and retailers could reduce the climate impact of their packaging up to 50 percent and avoid thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide being emitted to air.

DS Smith is launching its brand-new Circular Design Principles, as it reveals new research that shows there is a desperate need for consistent design to help cut through the confusion in the recycling of packaging.

Lecta has successfully completed the adaptation process of OHSAS 18001 certification to the new ISO 45001 standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems in all its manufacturing sites as planned.

Nova Scotia's environment minister says that regardless of any concerns Northern Pulp has with an order he recently issued, he expects the company to abide by the terms as outlined in the document.

Roseburg Forest Products has published its eighth certified Environmental Product Declaration, providing standardized and objective information about the lifecycle environmental impacts of the company's wood products, and now including Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF).

Smurfit Kappa is taking another step forward in its sustainability journey by signing a commitment to align its CO2 target with the Science Based Target (SBT) initiative.

Sofidel, one of the global leading manufacturers of tissue paper for hygienic and domestic use, has announced its 2019 Integrated Report.

UPM Raflatac launches UPM Raflatac Forest Film PE™ to complement its range of sustainable film labeling solutions. The new PE film label takes UPM Raflatac forward in its quest for a smarter future beyond fossils, decreasing the use of fossil-based virgin raw materials in home and personal care labeling applications.

UPM has newly adopted the target of doubling the amount of broadleaved trees growing in company-owned forests in Finland

Georgia-Pacific's Cedar Springs operations will temporarily idle one of its three paper machines for two separate week-long periods in late May and late June due to lack of demand, according to Public Affairs Manager Peggy Jaye.

The new starting date for the PM2 paper machine at the Hamburger Container Board location in Spremberg, Germany, was set for the first week of September 2020. The decision was made following impacts from corona crisis as well as a recent fire on the building site.

Vancouver, B.C.-based Interfor Corporation will lay off 130 of its 150 Gilchrist mill workers, starting late next month, the company confirmed.

LP Building Solutions (LP) announced that its Board of Directors has elected W. Bradley Southern as chairman, effective immediately.

Plumbing parts distributor Ferguson Plc said on Tuesday Mike Powell has stepped down as its finance chief after three years in the role to take up the position of chief financial officer in packing firm Mondi Plc .

Twin Rivers Paper Company would like to advise the community of a fire at its Plaster Rock sawmill on May 22.

Södra has now ended the furlough scheme introduced at the sawmill in Hamina, Finland, in April due to reduced demand from the UK, in particular, related to the ongoing pandemic. All of Södra's sawmills have therefore resumed their normal production rates.

Stora Enso has appointed Katariina Kravi as EVP, Head of Human Resources and a member of the Group Leadership Team. She will start on 1 September 2020 and be based in Helsinki, Finland.

It is being reported that there are two positive coronavirus cases at WestRock in Covington.

Verso Corp. is laying off 59 workers at its Miami Twp. headquarters, the papermaker reported to Ohio government.

During May West Fraser have substantially resumed lumber and plywood production with only a few facilities operating at less than full schedules, the company announced.