Recent Articles

AFT recently had another successful refiner start-up with the BillerudKorsnäs group. Its new pulp mill reject refiner started-up in December at the 460,000 t/d Skärblacka mill in Sweden, designed to defiberize knots, shives and fiber bundles coming from pulp screening.

ANDRITZ has successfully started up state-of-the-art and environmentally leading pulp production and chemical recovery technologies for Klabin's Puma II line in Ortigueira, Paraná, Brazil.

The tissue machine (TM6) has a design speed of 2,000 m/min, a working width of 5.65 m and a capacity of 60,000 t/a, and it is equipped with energy-saving components (steel Yankee with head insulation, heat recovery system, Yankee Ecosteam system for re-evaporation). Forming fabrics and press felts by ANDRITZ Fabrics and Rolls were installed for optimum end-product quality.

Mercer International and Valmet have signed a long-term agreement to accelerate Mercer's global digital transformation program.

Valmet will supply a board machine rebuild to Stora Enso's Skoghall mill in Sweden. The main goal of the project is to increase the production capacity of the board machine 8 (BM 8).

Solenis, the Wilmington-headquartered global producer of specialty chemicals used in water-intensive industries, acquired a German product supply manufacturer for an industry it's targeting for growth.

International technology group Andritz has received an order from Holmen Iggesund Paperboard Ltd. to supply a state-of-the art primary effluent and sludge treatment line for its mill in Workington, UK.

Valmet will supply a board machine rebuild to Stora Enso's Skoghall mill in Sweden. The main goal of the project is to increase the production capacity of the board machine 8 (BM 8). The two-step project is planned to be completed at the second half of 2023.

The new line in visionary industrial design now produces high-quality white folding boxboard with a basis weight of 170 to 350 gsm and a wire width of 8,900 mm.

Conmark Systems Inc. announced a global strategic partnership with Radix, an engineering, automation, software, and ET/ OT/ IT consulting company. Both companies share a vision for advancing worldwide manufacturing solutions with innovative integrated technology and services, focused on the pulp & paper and other process industries.

Supply chain issues

Reported insider trading since the last issue of PaperMoney.

Potential uses for the six-story south section of the mill building are being explored. KKIL is conducting a feasibility study to see if converting the space into apartments -- including indoor parking, an outdoor rooftop area and other amenities -- is possible.

Bast Fibre Technologies Inc. (BFT), a manufacturer of premium natural fibres for the global nonwoven and textile industries, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Lumberton Cellulose LLC (LC), a natural fibre processing facility located in Lumberton, North Carolina from Georgia-Pacific Cellulose LLC.

Georgia-Pacific has announced the acquisition of property in Centralia, saying in a news release it intends to expand its corrugated packaging operations in the Pacific Northwest.

Verso Corp. holder Hoak & Co. is against the company's $27/share sale to to BillerudKorsnas and would like the company to remain independent.

Governor Ralph Northam announced that Kamine Development Corporation and Nicollet Industries, LLC, green infrastructure and sustainable development leaders, will invest $267 million to establish a joint venture paperboard recycling and production facility, Celadon Development Corporation, at the Chesapeake Deepwater Terminal site in the City of Chesapeake. Virginia successfully competed with South Carolina for the project, which will create 210 new jobs.

A person has died following a medical incident at the Oji Fibre Solutions Kinleith Mill.

Officials have recovered a body that was reported in a retention pond at Georgia-Pacific's facility in Brunswick.

Green Bay Packaging Inc. has announced it will begin construction of a new 600,000 square foot corrugator plant in Fort Worth, Texas. Construction on the site is set to begin in the first quarter of 2022 and startup operation is scheduled for the second quarter of 2023.

Shortly before the holidays, the group of warehousers at the packaging giant voted unanimously to ratify a new three-year contract. The agreement brings wage increases of $1/hr in the first year, maintains health and welfare benefits, and strengthens retirement security with the new Retirees Plus XL plan.

Graphic Packaging Holding Company announced that Maggie Bidlingmaier will join Graphic Packaging as EVP and President of the Americas business unit.

Pactiv Evergreen Inc. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Evergreen Packaging International LLC (Evergreen Packaging), to sell its carton packaging and filling machinery businesses in China, Korea and Taiwan to SIG Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft GmbH, a subsidiary of SIG Combibloc Group Ltd, for an enterprise value of approximately $335 million.

Boise Cascade Company announced the expansion of its Building Materials Distribution (BMD) operations in Minnesota and Northern Kentucky.

The Finnish Paperworkers' Union has issued a new strike announcement to UPM, declaring that their strike at UPM's Finnish mills will be extended by two weeks until 5 February 2022, unless new agreements are reached before that. The Paperworkers' Union's strike at UPM Pulp, UPM Biofuels, UPM Communication Papers, UPM Specialty Papers and UPM Raflatac units in Finland started 1 January 2022.