Recent Articles

Smurfit Kappa UK & Ireland is investing in high quality print and conversion equipment in Tannochside, Scotland.

Pactiv Evergreen Inc. announced that John McGrath has elected to retire as CEO of the company and has been succeeded by Michael King.

Scapa Group PLC said Monday that AMS HoldCo 2 Ltd, a subsidiary of paper materials manufacturer Schweitzer-Mauduit International Inc, has upped its offer for the Manchester-based maker of medical devices and industrial adhesives.

Mittera, a national leader in print and digital communication strategies, has announced its acquisition of select business assets of Creel Printing currently operating in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Hong Kong-headquartered Nine Dragons Paper announced it will invest US 1.3 billion to open two manufacturing facilities in Malaysia.

Fort Dearborn Company announced that it has acquired Hammer Packaging Corporation. The combined organization takes advantage of Hammer's state-of-the-art technology to enhance Fort Dearborn's leadership position in the decorative label and packaging marketplace by further expanding the company's geographic footprint, capacity and capabilities.

UFP Industries, Inc. announced that one of its wholly owned subsidiaries, The UBEECO Group, has acquired the assets of J.C. Gilmore Pty Ltd.

Neenah, Inc. announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Global Release Liners, S.L., the parent company of Industrias de Transformacion de Andoain, S.A. ("ITASA"), from Magnum Capital and other minority shareholders for €205 million in cash. Closing is expected to occur in early April and is subject to customary conditions.

WestRock Company announced that Steven C. Voorhees has decided to step down from his position as president and chief executive officer and a director of the Company for health reasons, effective March 15, 2021. In addition, the Company's Board of Directors announced that, following a comprehensive search as part of the Company's long-term succession processes, it has elected David B. Sewell to succeed Voorhees as WestRock's president and chief executive officer at that time.

Together, these investments and financial contributions total $961.1M and will lead to the creation and retention of 376 jobs in the Sherbrooke region, as well as protect 267 jobs related to the Kruger Wayagamack plant in Trois-Rivières, Québec.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Thirty firefighters responded to the mill.

Interfor announced that it has completed the previously announced transaction to acquire WestRock Company's sawmill located in Summerville, South Carolina.

As previously announced, Spa Holdings 3 Oy has acquired through a public tender offer more than 90 per cent of all the issued and outstanding shares and votes in Ahlstrom-Munksjö.

New sensors provide an alert if 2 metres/6 feet of social distancing has been breached and it can complete contact tracing in less than 10 minutes.

Allen J. Campbell, the Chief Financial Officer of Verso Corporation ("Verso") has informed Verso of his intent to retire in 2021. Mr. Campbell and Verso have mutually settled upon June 30, 2021, as the date of his retirement. On March 5, 2021, the Compensation Committee of Verso's board of directors approved a retention arrangement to incentivize him not to retire before June 30, 2021.

Metsä Group's innovation company Metsä Spring Ltd has made an equity investment in Montinutra Ltd, a startup converting forest industry side streams into high-value bioactive products. The financing round totals approximately EUR 1 million, and Metsä Spring is participating in the round with current and new private investors.

Domtar Corporation announced that it completed the previously disclosed sale of its Personal Care business to affiliates of American Industrial Partners for $920 million. This divestiture is a significant milestone in the Company's strategic transformation to become a leading paper, pulp and packaging company.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation announced that Paula Ramos has been named Chief Strategy Officer, effective March 15, 2021, with global responsibility for the company's enterprise strategy. Ramos becomes the first Latina to serve on the company's executive team.

Western Forest Products Inc. ("Western") announced that Mr. James Arthurs and Mr. Lee Doney will not be standing for re-election as directors at Western's Annual and Special Meeting on May 6, 2021, and that Mr. Randy Krotowski and Mr. John Williamson have been appointed as independent directors to Western's Board of Directors.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation announced that Robert Long has been named to the newly created role of Chief Research and Development Officer, effective March 15, 2021, with global responsibility for the company's research, development, innovation and quality functions.

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 140 papermaking innovators and legends have been enshrined. This month, we profile the late Georg Jayme, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011.

The PM40 closed Friday, 12 March 2021, at 4294.

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

In this issue of Disconnected Comparisons, we evaluate Avery Dennison and International Paper.

The PM40 closed 12 March 2021 up 38.8% from the 6 March 2020 level.