Recent Articles

Essity has acquired the company Hydrofera. The company offers technology and products within advanced wound care. The purchase price amounts to USD 116m (approximately SEK 1.1bn) with a potential additional earnout amount of USD 15m (approximately SEK 137m) on a cash and debt free basis. The acquisition supports Essity's strategic priority to grow through acquisitions in Medical Solutions.

UFP Industries announced that its subsidiary, Deckorators, Inc., has acquired Ultra Aluminum Manufacturing Inc. (Ultra), a leading manufacturer of aluminum fencing, gates and railing, for $25 million. The transaction includes $2 million to be paid if certain future performance goals are met.

PotlatchDeltic Corporation announced a merger with Loutre Land and Timber Company ("Loutre"). PotlatchDeltic issued 1.96 million shares of common stock and assumed debt of $6.6 million in exchange for Loutre's 51,340 acres of high-quality, well-stocked timberlands in southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana.

Arauco has closed the acquisition of majority ownership in Odd Industries, the ethically-driven industrial artificial intelligence (IAI) pioneer. Together they will accelerate the use of artificial intelligence with the mission to slow and reverse climate change.

UFP Industries announced that its affiliate, UFP Packaging, LLC, has acquired Advantage Label & Packaging, Inc. (Advantage Label), a provider of labels and related equipment used in industrial packaging, for approximately $16 million. The transaction also includes $2.9 million for related real estate as well as incentive payments of up to $4.5 million over five years if certain performance goals are met.

Quad/Graphics, Inc. announced it has completed the sale of its former Oklahoma City, OK, and Fernley, NV, manufacturing facilities to affiliates of Industrial Realty Group, LLC, one of the country's largest owners of commercial and industrial properties, for combined net proceeds of $58.6 million.

Timi Hyppänen is appointed Senior Vice President, Supply Chain of Metsä Fibre, and a member of the company's Management Team as of 1 January 2022. In his new role, Hyppänen will report to Metsä Fibre's CEO Ismo Nousiainen.

For many, the last couple of years have seemed like a never-ending march in some not so pleasant conditions. However, I do think it will make us all stronger, like most tough situations do. Remarkably, here at Paperitalo Publications, these have been excellent years for us. We don't know what next year holds, but for me at least, it would stifle the fun of it if we did. For a moment, however, let's see what 2021 did to us as an industry.

The PM40 closed Friday, 31 December 2021, at 4565.

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 31 December 2021 up 27.6% from the 1 January 2021 level.

In this issue of Disconnected Comparisons, we evaluate Louisiana Pacific and Rayonier.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed to fine New Indy Containerboard $1.1 million over the odor dilemma in South Carolina that sparked thousands of complaints against the paper mill.

Columbia Pulp I, LLC and GMCO Corporation announced plans to partner in the processing and sale of an innovative chloride-free soil stabilization and dust control product under GMCO's IntegriBlend brand. The IntegriBlend-CF product developed by GMCO is built upon Columbia Pulp's novel biopolymer chemistry platform, introducing a high-performance non-chloride alternative to dust suppression and soil stabilization applications.

Nova Scotia's Environment Department has outlined the information it wants from Northern Pulp before the environment minister will decide whether to approve the shuttered mill's plan to restart.

The federal government is launching a challenge under the new NAFTA agreement against U.S. softwood lumber duties, International trade Minister Mary Ng has announced.

Sustainability lies at the center of Huhtamaki's 2030 Strategy and the Company is making a leap forward towards delivering on its ambitions by closing two 10-year virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs) with BayWa r.e., a global renewable energy developer. The 200 GWh agreements cover approximately 80% of Huhtamaki's current electricity usage in Europe, where the key global provider of sustainable packaging solutions has 18 manufacturing sites in 10 countries.

The latest market research on eCommerce shopping and packaging trends in Germany and Poland, commissioned by Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, shows that consumers of all ages continue to buy online and are in favour of eCommerce packaging that is 'green'.

SCA will increase the price on NBSK pulp (Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft) in Europe by 40 USD per tonne from January 2022. The new price will be 1,300 USD.

Weyerhaeuser Company announced that the Science Based Targets initiative has approved the company's greenhouse gas reduction target as consistent with levels required to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and to keep warming to 1.5°C globally. This designation is the highest available through the SBTi process and formally recognizes Weyerhaeuser's role in helping address the impacts of climate change.

Graphic Packaging International ('Graphic Packaging') is celebrating its accomplishments after scooping up five awards at the WorldStar Global Packaging Awards 2022.

Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc., the oldest continuously operating paper mill in the United States, has released its 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility Report.

DS Smith announced its strong progress in five major corporate ESG ratings in 2021, strengthening its credentials as a sustainable packaging champion and demonstrating its commitment to lead the packaging industry in the transition to a circular economy model.

The Company was also recognized on Forbes' inaugural list of the World's Top Female-Friendly Companies. The list was based on sentiment compiled from a women-only survey with 85,000 participants, focusing on several aspects of the female employees' experience.

Valmet will supply an extensive paper machine grade conversion rebuild with an automation package to Model Paper Eilenburg in Germany. In the project, the paper machine, which currently produces newsprint grades, will be rebuilt to produce lightweight, recycled containerboard grades. The start-up is scheduled for the beginning of 2024.The value of the order will not be disclosed. The total value of an order of this type and delivery scope is typically around Euro 90-100 million.

Valmet will supply eleven Valmet Microwave Consistency Measurements (Valmet MCA) to SCA's Ortviken mill in Sweden.