Major Announcements

More than 100 workers in Port Alberni are the latest forest industry employees to face layoffs as Western Forest Products confirms it will not restart its sawmill in that Vancouver Island city.

3M, maker of Post-it notes, industrial coatings and ceramics, is cutting about 2,500 manufacturing jobs worldwide as it looks to align itself with adjusted production volumes.

Late last month, the company stated it would conduct a holiday shutdown through the month of January, but the work stoppage will now carry over through the entire month of February.

The pulp line is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2023 and is anticipated to impact approximately 300 positions across the organization by the end of the year.

The indefinite curtailment of Perry Sawmill will impact approximately 126 employees and will reduce West Fraser's US lumber production by 100 million board feet.

International Paper announced changes to its senior leadership team today including the retirement of a long-serving executive and organizational shifts to enhance agility in serving customers and driving profitable growth.

CellMark is introducing a new division: CellMark Packaging & Paper. The division is the result of a merger of its two existing divisions, CellMark Packaging and CellMark Paper.

UPM is finalizing the construction works of the new pulp mill in Uruguay and enters the final phases of the project. The start-up of the UPM Paso de los Toros pulp mill is expected by the end of the Q1 2023.

Enviva Inc. announced the signing of a new 10-year take-or-pay off-take fuel supply contract with an existing European customer, extendable for up to five years. Enviva expects to supply 800,000 metric tons of industrial-grade wood pellets per year, with deliveries expected to commence during 2027, subject to certain conditions precedent.

Boise Cascade's Building Materials Distribution (BMD) division announced the expansion of its distribution capacity in two markets.

Sylvamo, known as the world's paper company, showed off its new worldwide headquarters in East Memphis on Wednesday.

Sappi Europe's Gratkorn mill in Austria is Europe's leading producer of coated woodfree paper on two paper machines, supporting Sappi Europe's market leadership and in particular its core Commercial Print business. The mill has benefited from a regular investment programme, including in recent years the upgrade of the PM9 in 2019.

Helen Mets is appointed President and CEO of Ahlstrom, effective January 1, 2023. With the company entering the next phase of growth and transformation, Helen will succeed current President and CEO Hans Sohlström, who has contributed greatly to Ahlstrom's success since 2016. Hans will leave Ahlstrom at the end of December to pursue new opportunities outside the company.

Veritiv Corporation announced that Stephen J. "Steve" Smith, the company's Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), has informed the Veritiv Board of Directors that he intends to retire from the company in September 2023. Eric J. Guerin, a seasoned finance leader, will succeed Mr. Smith as Senior Vice President and CFO on March 1, 2023.

Appvion, a Wynnchurch Capital, L.P. portfolio company, announced today that Paul Charapata, former President and CEO of recently acquired Nekoosa Coated Products, LLC, has been named CEO of the Appvion platform. The current CEO, Laurie Andriate, will transition to the Board of Directors.

Williams has served as Domtar's President and CEO since 2009.

Huhtamaki, a key global advanced manufacturer of sustainable packaging solutions, inaugurates its extension to its existing paper-based packaging manufacturing site in Nules, Spain. This latest investment reflects the growing demand from for renewable and recyclable paper-based packaging to substitute rigid plastics. The Nules factory is a Huhtamaki Global Center of Excellence, developing innovative, sustainable packaging solutions for its customers across Europe.

Sonoco, a global leader in diversified packaging, plans to further expand Sonopost® cornerpost manufacturing in Europe. A new protective packaging production facility is set to open in Bursa, Turkey in November, one year after Sonoco established the first Sonopost® operation in Sochaczew, Poland.

Clyde Anderson, a former president of Inland Empire Paper Co. and Washington State Parks commissioner who played a key role in the creation of the 40-mile Centennial Trail that follows the Spokane River into Idaho, died at Fairwinds retirement community in Spokane on Saturday. He was 96.

"We are disappointed with the vote for industrial action, particularly at a crucial time for all of our customers," a DS Smith spokesperson said.

Ahlstrom perpetuates its 50-year commitment and support to the global Filtration industry by investing EUR 2 million in a new laminator at Louveira plant, Brazil. With a planned installation in 2023, the equipment is expected to be fully operational by Q1 2024.

Later this year, Paper Excellence had planned to shut down its papermill operations in Crofton, but maintain its pulp mill operations. But now the company says it will shut down the pulp mill as well, at least temporarily, after Public and Private Workers of Canada (PPWC) Local 2 served a 72-hour strike notice.

ST Paper purchased the mill May 13, 2021, with plans to begin producing tissue paper, Wargin said. Over the last year, up to 75 union tradespeople have worked to construct the new machine within the mill, which will produce bath tissue, napkin and towel grades of paper.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency Thursday for Menominee County to assist with the emergency response to a large-scale industrial fire that began at a paper facility and neighboring warehouse in Menominee on Thursday, Oct. 6.

Stora Enso's new production site for cross-laminated timber (CLT) in Ždírec, the Czech Republic, has been inaugurated. Following a Euro 79 million investment, the new CLT site is one of the most modern in the world, supporting Stora Enso's strategy of growth within wooden building solutions.