Recent Articles

Roseburg is exploring the feasibility of locating a second MDF panel plant or bioenergy production facility within its current Western operating footprint. The proposed facility would use up to 300,000 bone-dry tons of wood residuals each year.

The initiative will focus on companies operating within at least one of four bioeconomy applications: improving the measurement and management of carbon sequestration, accelerating and maximizing agroforestry yield, developing new technologies and applications for pulp biomass, and creating more efficient pulp packaging from renewable sources.

Cascades continues to roll out its expansion plan in the isothermal packaging market by enhancing its line of meal boxes with technology that's 20% more efficient than its current home delivery solution, and by commissioning a new production facility in York, Pennsylvania

George Weyerhaeuser Sr., the fourth-generation timber family scion who ran one of America's largest forestry firms and was briefly one of America's most famous kidnapping victims, died Saturday, June 11, his family confirmed Monday. He was 95.

Smurfit Kappa has resumed some operations at a packaging plant in central England after a large fire ripped through the facility overnight, according to the local fire service.

The Ministry of Labour, Skills and Training Development is investigating the circumstances between two workers suffering serious injuries on June 3 at Kenora's Weyerhaeuser Mill.

Boise Cascade Company announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Coastal Plywood Company, including its two manufacturing locations, from Coastal Forest Resources Company for $512 million, subject to certain closing adjustments. The Company currently plans to fund the transaction and closing-related expenses from its existing cash balances.

Mercer International Incorporated said an independent contractor's employee working at the Peace River Pulp Mill was killed Saturday, June 11.

American Packaging Corporation (APC) has announced that it's opening a new 275,000-square-foot Center of Excellence manufacturing facility in Cedar City, Utah. The new operation will add over 135 high-paying jobs to Iron County.

Södra is now increasing the production capacity of OnceMore tenfold to produce as much as 6,000 tones per year of wood-based, recycled textile pulp at Södra Cell Mörrum in Sweden. The world's first large-scale process for recycling textile waste from blended fabrics enters Phase 2 of its development in June.

Huhtamaki announced plans to expand its molded fiber product manufacturing unit in the city of Hammond, Indiana, as part of its investment in Fiber Solutions. The investment, which is expected to start ramping up towards the end of 2023, will enable Huhtamaki to better serve existing and new customers in North America with a broad range of sustainable, fully recyclable and compostable, fiber-based packaging solutions, manufactured from 100% recycled North American raw material.

Smurfit Kappa has invested USD23.5 million to upgrade its Nuevo Laredo sheet plant in Mexico to become a fully integrated corrugated plant. The investment includes a state-of-the-art corrugator and extension of the building. The new machine, which began operating last week, will have the two-pronged benefits of reducing CO2 emissions by up to 40% and doubling production capacity.

Paper Excellence is in the process of switching from primarily making newsprint and writing paper to food packaging at its Catalyst mill in Port Alberni, and is getting some help from the federal government to make the switch.

A man was killed after being pinned between a trailer and a loading dock in Harmar Township on June 7.

Saint-Gobain, through its building products subsidiary CertainTeed Canada Inc., announced plans to invest $91 Million CAD, including $40 Million CAD in grant money from the government of Quebec, via its EcoPerformance program, to upgrade equipment at its Montreal wallboard manufacturing facility and reduce its carbon emissions by up to 44,000 metric tonnes/year, creating the first zero-carbon drywall plant in North America. The reduction in emissions associated with the equipment upgrades at the plant is the equivalent of removing 9,500 cars from the road.

The whistle has blown at the Panama City Paper Mill for the last time.

Stora Enso has started a feasibility study at its paper production site in Langerbrugge, Belgium, for the conversion of one of the two paper lines into a high-volume recycled containerboard line.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

PotlatchDeltic Corporation is investing $131 million to expand and modernize its Waldo sawmill located in Columbia County, Arkansas. The project will increase the mill's annual capacity from 190 million board feet of dimensional lumber to approximately 275 million board feet. The investment will also reduce the mill's operating costs significantly.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö now takes the next step in its strategy execution. Through a clearly defined purpose, sharper strategic focus and ambitious sustainability targets, the company is accelerating its pace of execution with the vision to become the Preferred Sustainable Specialty Materials Company. Following the ownership reorganization of its Decor business, estimated to be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2022, Ahlstrom-Munksjö plans to change its business name to Ahlstrom.

Sonoco announced that Rob Dillard, who most recently served as the Company's Chief Strategy Officer, has been named Chief Financial Officer, effective July 1, 2022.

Ladies and gentlemen, the first class of inductees to the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame in Appleton, Wisconsin was inducted more than two decades ago in 1995, and today, more than 150 papermaking innovators and legends have been enshrined. This month, we profile the late Charles Boyd, founder and chairman of The Appleton Coated Paper Company, who was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame back in 2001.

The PM40 closed Friday, 17 June 2022, at 3876.

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 17 June 2022 down 5.3% from the 18 June 2021 level.

In this issue of Disconnected Comparisons, we evaluate Boise Cascade and PCA.