Recent Articles

The situation of Heinzel Group subsidiary Raubling Papier GmbH in Germany continues to be characterized by a persistently difficult market environment and challenging economic conditions.

At the time of closing, the cash provided included the previously disclosed transaction amount of $538 million, an additional $38 million as a ticking fee to reimburse the seller for Greif's profits, standard adjustments for debt and cash, and the effect of foreign exchange rates.

Veritiv Corporation, a leading specialty distributor of value-added packaging, facility solutions and print products and solutions, announced that it has acquired substantially all the assets of Ameripac, LLC, and Ameripac Pennsylvania, LLC ("AmeriPac") a leading provider of turnkey contract packaging and fulfillment services with annual revenues of approximately $60 million.

Expected to Achieve Significant Synergies of At Least $514 Million

Two Rivers Lumber Co. LLC plans to invest $115 million to build a state-of-the-art sawmill in Coosa County as the company's second operation in Alabama. Demopolis-based Two Rivers Lumber has committed to creating 130 jobs at the new Alabama sawmill, which will specialize in the production of Southern Yellow Pine dimensional lumber, the Alabama Governor's Office reports.

Ahlstrom is simplifying its divisions from five to three: Filtration and Life Sciences, Food and Consumer Packaging, and Protective Materials.

At present, the maintenance of the company's plywood and Kerto LVL mills has been outsourced to the industrial maintenance company Quant.

UPM Raflatac's RafCycle™ recycling service recently won the 2024 Innovator Award for Innovation in a Recovery Technology or Practice at the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) Impact event.

Between controversies over pricing and major mergers, containerboard is entering some very interesting times. The Smurfit Kappa and WestRock pairing (some say merger, some say takeover) and the International Paper purchase of DS Smith are going to have serious repercussions on the US and European markets.

The PM40 closed Friday, 3 May 2024, at 5517.

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 3 May 2024 up 13.5% from the 5 May 2023 level.

In this issue of Disconnected Comparisons, we evaluate Nine Dragons and PCA.

Kimberly-Clark raised 2024 sales and profit forecasts after it topped quarterly expectations, banking on higher pricing and steady demand for its premium personal care and household products, sending its shares about 8% higher in early trading.

In 2023, North America's net sawmill capacity decreased by 2%, triggered by diminishing lumber demand and past overproduction issues, according to a report by Russ Taylor Global. This trend has led to the permanent closure of nine sawmills and reductions in shifts, particularly in British Columbia (BC) and the US South, where economic pressures have also forced mills to shut down to balance timber supplies.

This increase is necessary to maintain the viability of Sappi's business, the actual amount will depend on the product group: Flexible packaging - 15%, Release liner (CCK & Glassine) - 15%, Label papers - 10%.

Sonoco announced it is implementing a 6% price increase for tubes and cores products sold in Mexico starting with May 2024 deliveries.

Company says it is seeing early financial benefits from recent closures of some of its lumber mills.

Given the market conditions and macro-environment, the first quarter result is in line with expectations. The result reflects the weak trend in construction activity and decreased supply in the raw material market.

The Board of Directors of Sonoco increased its quarterly common stock dividend to $0.52 per share from the previous quarterly distribution of $0.51 per share. This new dividend will be paid on June 10, 2024, to shareholders of record as of May 10, 2024.

International technology group ANDRITZ successfully completed the upgrade of the combustion system on a through-air drying (TAD) tissue machine at the paper mill of Essity in Prudhoe.

In a pilot project, Felix Schoeller's logistics partner NOSTA Group is now supplying the plant with fully electric power.

The delivery is scheduled for Lecta's annual shutdown in April 2025.

The target of the investment is to reduce warp waste, improve corrugated board quality and production efficiency.

Enmac's largest customers include Valmet, Andritz, Kemira, Metsä Group and Fortum.

The scheduled delivery period will be during the Q2 2024.