Stora Enso has completed the co-determination negotiations concerning the closure of one standard newsprint paper machine (PM3) and the deinking plant at Stora Enso’s Hylte Mill in Sweden. The maximum personnel impact is 140 people. As a result of the co-determination negotiations, PM3 will be shut down by the end of 2020 and the DIP latest in Q2 2021. Negotiations on organizational restructuring, including the risk analysis, have started. Stora Enso will continue to produce standard newsprint at Hylte, Langerbrugge and Sachsen mills. The closure of Hylte Mill PM3 will not impact Stora Enso’s newsprint product offering, and we will be able to serve our customers as today.

Featuring a converter friendly balance of high initial tack and low edge bleed, Mactac® announces the launch of a new durable labeling product line, LINTEC® Low-Ooze, High Adhesion Durable Labelstocks. The new LINTEC Low-Ooze, High Adhesion Durable Labelstocks feature a selection of durable film facestocks paired with LINTEC’s industry-proven PAT1 and automotive-approved P0066 aggressive acrylic adhesives. The labelstocks are intended for use in labeling durable goods, electronics, appliances, warning and instruction labeling, and automotive and medical labeling applications. With product features that are highly appealing to industry converters, Mactac’s LINTEC Low-Ooze, High Adhesion Durable Labelstocks offer cleaner on-press and thermal transfer print performance, as well as reduced risk of label pick-off. They are suitable for prolonged outdoor use and ensure very good resistance to chemicals, heat (durability up to 302-degrees Fahrenheit), and UV (ultraviolet) light. Additionally, the labelstocks are UL 969 recognized by Underwriters Laboratories for superior performance, label suitability, and compliance for displaying required safety information on UL Certified products, despite long-term exposure to a variety of environmental elements.

Lecta announces that it has reached an agreement for the acquisition of Avery Dennison Offset Sheets business in the Europe - Middle East - North Africa (EMENA) region. The transaction is subject to competition approval from the German Federal Cartel Office. Lecta taking over the manufacture and sale of Avery Dennison’s portfolio of FASSON™ and JAC™ branded self-adhesive papers and films in EMENA. Lecta will manufacture these under a special limited licensing agreement with Avery Dennison, keeping the FASSON™ and JAC™ brands available through the existing network of distributors.

Stora Enso is introducing its new eco-friendly take-away bowls for food service packaging, PureFiber™ by Stora Enso. The products are free from plastic and PFAS and are designed to help customers replace plastic on-the-go food packaging. The bowls are being brought to market together with the wholesale company Tingstad. The PureFiber™ product range will expand to other food and consumer goods applications. Stora Enso’s formed fiber products are designed for circularity, meaning that they are renewable, recyclable and biodegradable. The PureFiber™ product line enables a carbon footprint that is approximately 75% lower compared to alternative product materials such as plastic or bagasse. The unique formed fiber technology allows the products to be produced without plastic and PFAS, bringing a sustainable alternative with strong user-qualities to the market.

Norske Skog has announced to employees and stakeholders in New Zealand that due to the likely irreversible and rapid negative impact that COVID-19 has had on the newsprint industry in the region, the group has engaged in a broad process to identify alternative production options to reposition the Tasman newsprint mill at Kawerau industrial site in New Zealand. Norske Skog will perform a strategic review process for the Tasman newsprint mill, which is located at the Kawerau industrial site close to the east coast of the North Island. The mill has a total annual production capacity of 150,000 tonnes. Several options for the long term future of this industrial site are being considered.

On 30 July 2020 in connection to the announcement of Metsä Group’s January-June 2020 results it was estimated that the comparable operating result will weaken in the third quarter of 2020 from the EUR 96 million in the second quarter. Mainly due to better than expected profitability in paperboard and pulp businesses Metsä Group’s comparable operating result was in the third quarter of 2020 better than in the second quarter. Based on preliminary unaudited information the comparable operating result was approximately EUR 115 million in the third quarter of 2020. Metsä Group will publish the January-September 2020 interim report on 29 October 2020.

Cascades Inc. announces that it will progressively and permanently close tissue production and converting operations at its Ransom and Pittston plants, located in Pennsylvania, between December 7 and January 31st of 2021. The two paper machines at the Ransom plant have a total annual production capacity of 50,000 short tonnes of tissue paper. Currently, the conversion of this volume into 6 million cases of product occurs primarily at the Pittston plant. These volumes will be moved to other Cascades plants and filled with additional capacity. The two sites employ a total of 229 workers. "The aging equipment of these facilities, the low profitability, the high logistic costs and our recently announced investments in other production and converting units in the U.S. have prompted us to move production to our other sites to optimize operational efficiency." said Jean-David Tardif, President and Chief Operating Officer of Cascades Tissue Group.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö advances into the North American customized digital printing market, and launches Ahlstrom-Munksjö WallStar® Digital, its new portfolio of fiber-based solutions for digital printing applications. Demand for customized digital printing is growing, led by changing consumer demand, where personalization is extremely important. Digitally printed wallcoverings can be used to change a room quickly, whilst at the same time add impact through use of personalized designs. Environmental aspects are also of high importance, as consumers in North America become more aware of sustainability and the type of materials they wish to use. Consequently, digital printers are looking for PVC free media which allows printing in small, unique, personalized quantities. WallStar® Digital is a directly printable, PVC free, nonwoven portfolio from Ahlstrom-Munksjö, delivering benefits for both printers and end users.

UPM celebrated the official start of the construction of the state-of-the-art biochemicals facility in Leuna, Germany. The biorefinery investment of EUR 550 million is a major milestone in UPM’s strategic transformation. In Leuna, UPM will produce a range of 100% wood-based biochemicals that enable a switch from fossil-based products to sustainable alternatives in a number of end-uses such as plastics, textiles, cosmetics and industrial applications. Technology and process have been developed by UPM over the past ten years, mainly building on the company’s own innovation capabilities and selectively working with international partners. The biorefinery is expected to start up by the end of 2022.The investment has been awarded The Bio Act of the Year 2020 by the World BioEconomy Forum earlier in September this year.

WestRock Company announced that it plans to reduce its solid bleached sulphate (SBS) mill system production capacity by 200,000 tons by shutting down one paper machine at its Evadale, Texas, mill. This shutdown of the paper machine at the Evadale mill is expected to occur by the end of 2020 and reduce headcount at the mill by 60 employees. The remaining two machines at the Evadale mill will continue to support important end markets, including liquid packaging, foodservice, food and premium coated pre-print liner for corrugated boxes, among other grades. The company’s total SBS production capacity after this action will be approximately 1.9 million tons.

Neenah Introduces conVerd Board® Wipe Clean™ and DigiScape® FootPrint™ Safe and Sustainable Wide Format Solutions for Conducting Business During COVID-19 Neenah expands its wide format portfolio to address significant market demand for safe signage solutions by offering new, innovative solutions with conVerd Board® Wipe Clean™ and DigiScape® FootPrint™. conVerd Board has long been the choice of brands searching for a recyclable alternative for structural signage. Now, Neenah introduces state-of-the-art conVerd Board Wipe Clean, the only 100% paper-based, fully recyclable product on the market with a wipeable, printable surface. It cleans with soap and water, protects with disinfectants, or with a dilution of bleach and water, as suggested by CDC guidelines. Through it all, the printable surface of conVerd Board Wipe Clean remains unharmed and visually uncompromised.

As a result of the weakening world economic outlook as well as the COVID-19 related restrictive measures and their consequences, the uncertainty in UPM’s market environment continues. To ensure future competitiveness, UPM keeps taking action to decrease fixed and variable costs in its businesses and functions. UPM’s label materials business UPM Raflatac plans to simplify its organisation and increase efficiency in operations and distribution. If implemented, the plans would reduce approximately 100 positions in UPM Raflatac’s global organisation, mainly in Europe. In addition, UPM aims to increase efficiency of its global functions by reorganising and streamlining the functions’ operations in five countries. If implemented, the plans would decrease the number of positions in the functions by up to 70, mostly in Finland and in Germany.

Crown van Gelder will start selling paper made with sugar beet in January 2021. This makes the Dutch paper manufacturer the first in the world to produce 'sugar beet paper' at an industrial level. The new product line called 'Crown Native' uses less wood fibres to achieve a reduced impact on the environment of 16% compared to traditional paper. Crown Native was developed with the Dutch agricultural cooperative Royal Cosun as a strategic partner. The agricultural process residue from Cosun's production process, beet pulp, forms a valuable resource for the paper. With Crown Native, Crown Van Gelder has succeeded in creating paper made out of 20% beet pulp, thus achieving environmental gains in several areas. Due to the local sourcing, far less transport is required. As a result, Crown Native realises a significant reduction in CO2 emissions and particulate matter formation. Moreover, by using beet pulp, the production process requires less water. 'And because we're using a residual source, no additional agricultural land is needed,' Dronkers adds. A big advantage of using sugar beet pulp is that it is FDA compliant. 'The pulp is classified as a former food product,' Dronkers explains. As a result, Crown Native is approved and suitable for food packaging, unlike recycled paper for example. Dronkers: ‘This makes our sugar beet paper the ideal choice for product packaging, but also for shopping bags and promotional print. Crown Native is the perfect fit for brands with a sustainability ambition.’

Sofidel announced the formal opening of its second greenfield plant in the United States, signaling a significant expansion by the company in response to consumer demand. The 1.8 million-square-foot production plant is fully operational in Inola, Okla., leveraging one of the United States’ most recently built paper manufacturing facilities, equipped with state-of-the art technology. The $360 million technologically and environmentally advanced plant is Sofidel’s second greenfield investment in the U.S.. An integrated facility, with its paper mill that transforms pulp into paper and the converting plant that makes the finished product, it can turn out 120,000 tons of tissue annually.

Like most property owners across the Province we are in receipt of our 2021 assessments for Irving Pulp & Paper (Saint John), Irving Paper (Saint John), Irving Tissue (Saint John) and Lake Utopia Paper (near St. George). As expected, there were changes at some of our pulp and paper mills reflecting Service New Brunswick’s independent review of the market values. Overall, our assessments went up 15% on average. We cooperated fully with the work of Service New Brunswick (SNB). While we have not yet had time to review our new assessments in detail, we note that the market for pulp and paper mills continues to be a buyers’ market. Paper use in particular is declining as a result of increased digital technology; this is reflected in the number of mills that have idled or closed across North America. Since 2013 demand for our paper products across North America has decreased by 50% and a significant number of mills have been closed.

The permit covers the new biorefinery operations as well as the necessary modifications required at the pulp mill to create the desired synergies between operations. A comprehensive application was submitted. Over a period of many years, the project team has conducted investigations and consulted with the authorities and the general public. The court decision that was received yesterday covers 184 pages alone. Work to examine the court decision is now fully underway. “From what we have seen so far, it seems as though the court has taken our point of view for the most part and accepted the conditions that we have proposed,” explains Roger Östlin, Project Manager. “On October 21, we will find out if the ruling will gain legal force or if it will be appealed.”

SCA and the textile recycling company Renewcell have signed an agreement for Renewcell to establish textile recycling at SCA’s industrial site Ortviken in Sundsvall. The operation is expected to create one hundred new jobs. “We are glad that Renewcell chooses Ortviken as the site for this investment”, says Ulf Larsson, SCA’s President. “We know that Ortviken is a very attractive industrial site with excellent infrastructure, including first class logistic solutions.” SCA will discontinue the production of publication paper at Ortviken and will thereafter make room for Renewcell’s operations, where one of SCA’s paper machines is currently located. SCA has also started the investment to produce chemically pretreated thermomechanical pulp, CTMP, on the site.

Mactac® Distributor Products announces a new, thicker liner for its wide-format printable IMAGin® StreetTRAX® non-skid outdoor floor graphic media. StreetTRAX (STX1528v2) is designed to produce outdoor sidewalk and parking lot ‘floor’ graphics on unsealed pedestrian traffic surfaces such as concrete, cement, and asphalt. The change in product construction replaces the product’s previous 60# polycoated liner with a new 90# polycoated liner. “The addition of the thicker, more stable liner improves this already great product and offers Mactac customers an even better printing and installation experience when using StreetTRAX,” says Amanda Smith, Product Manager, Mactac Distributor Products.

Activities surrounding Manufacturing Day will look different this year, but many businesses, employees and communities across North America still plan to highlight the exciting opportunities of a career in manufacturing. This year, we’re excited to focus on careers for women in manufacturing. Over the past several years, a number of organizations have focused on attracting women to careers in all types of manufacturing in fields such as diverse as aerospace production and oil and gas. One such organization is Women in Manufacturing, which provides support to women who are building careers in manufacturing across thousands of companies and at every level of experience. Christy Lathrop, vice president for human resources at Domtar, is a member of Women in Manufacturing and appreciates the opportunity to network and grow with female colleagues.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation announced the closing of its previously announced acquisition of Softex Indonesia, a leader in the fast-growing Indonesian personal care market. "This acquisition accelerates our growth with strong market share in key personal care categories across Southeast Asia's largest economy," said Mike Hsu, Chairman and CEO, Kimberly-Clark. "As we move ahead, we will leverage our combined strengths in innovation and brand building while maintaining the local market expertise and advantages that Softex Indonesia has built with its strong portfolio of brands."

SCA will increase the price of Brown Kraftliner by €50 per tonne. The new price is valid for deliveries from November 1, 2020. “We see a robust market environment with increased demand and we have strong orderbooks” says Mikael Frölander, Vice President Sales & Marketing Containerboard.

Neenah expands its wide format portfolio to address significant market demand for safe signage solutions by offering new, innovative solutions with conVerd Board® Wipe Clean™ and DigiScape® FootPrint™. “As the CDC continues to update safety guidelines for businesses, our customers need the flexibility to update their signage with cleaner and environmentally smarter products. With these new options, we meet the need for PVC-free products that print and perform better than plastic with similar properties. With conVerd Board Wipe Clean and DigiScape FootPrint, companies can effortlessly do the right thing for their customers, their brand, and the planet,” says Milene Ribas, Global Business Development Manager for Neenah. conVerd Board has long been the choice of brands searching for a recyclable alternative for structural signage. Now, Neenah introduces state-of-the-art conVerd Board Wipe Clean, the only 100% paper-based, fully recyclable product on the market with a wipeable, printable surface.

Verso Corporation announced that Adam St. John has resigned as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board of Directors, effective as of September 30, 2020. The Verso Board of Directors has named Randy J. Nebel, a current member of the Board, as interim President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Nebel will also continue to serve as a member of Verso's Board. Verso's Board will commence a search for a permanent President and Chief Executive Officer, and plans to engage a national executive search firm to help identify and evaluate qualified candidates. Mr. Nebel joined Verso's Board in 2019 and has extensive paper and packaging industry knowledge and experience. He previously served as Executive Vice President of Integrated Packing at KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation, where he oversaw manufacturing and direct customer commercial operations. He was formerly President of Longview Fibre Paper and Packing, Inc. and is a past member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Manufacturers and the American & Forest Paper Association.

Sappi has joined forces with VIGC (Flemish Innovation Center for the Graphic Communication) and EY in their endeavor to launch one of the first Graphic Arts Industry Hackathons. A Hackathon is a method of creative problem solving designed to boost disruptive innovation. The target of this event is to create synergies, foster innovation and trigger ideas that will future-proof the print industry by tackling and contributing solutions to its most pressing challenges. These categories being covered are: Commercial Print, Packaging & Labels, Publishing and Industrial Printing. The hackathon will take place on 12th and 13th of October, 2020, in a virtual format, thus enabling global participation. Startups, scale-ups, students, creatives and all industry enthusiasts are encouraged to join. Registrations can be done here: https://vigc.thefactory.works

Mactac® is partnering with DNP Imagingcomm America Corporation to enhance its existing portfolio of Underwriters Laboratories (UL) approved durable films with thermal transfer ribbons. The partnership includes the addition of DNP’s new V300 thermal transfer ribbon to Mactac’s MH26726 UL file for printing materials in the United States (PGJI2) and Canada (PGJI8). The film-ribbon combination has been approved for label suitability and compliance with ANSI/UL 969 and CSA C22.2 No. 0.15 testing standards. “Mactac is honored to the have the opportunity to continue our partnership with DNP and offer customers safe, compliant, best-in-class labeling solutions,” said Kim Hensley, senior marketing manager, Mactac Performance Adhesives. “By selecting the approved Mactac/DNP combinations, printers and converters can ensure compliance for displaying required safety information on UL-certified products. Additionally, no further label testing is needed.”

Ahlstrom-Munksjö invests in a more sustainable coating machine in Billingsfors, Sweden, to enable formaldehyde free balancing and finish foils for furniture, as well as building and construction industries. The new machine is expected to be fully commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2021. In addition to enabling formaldehyde free coating, the new coating machine will also reduce CO2 emissions by an estimate of 20%, further strengthening Ahlstrom-Munksjö’s position as a supplier of sustainable fiber-based solutions. The approximately EUR 7 million investment is expected to increase the plant’s manufacturing capacity and allow expansion to new geographical markets. It also increases utilization of the pulp mill at the plant.

Domtar recognizes Diaper Need Awareness Week every year during the third week in September. This week draws attention to the issue of diaper poverty in the United States. Launched in 2012 by the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN), Diaper Need Awareness Week encourages real talk and simple actions to ensure that all parents and caregivers have access to clean diapers and other necessities so their babies can thrive. To mark this important initiative, the mayor of Delaware, Ohio, proclaimed the week of Sept. 21 as Diaper Need Awareness Week in the city. This proclamation is particularly special to us because our Personal Care facility that manufactures our baby diaper products is in Delaware, Ohio.

Total European shipments of graphic papers in July 2020 were down 26.4% vs. July 2019 and are down 20.0% year-to-date. Total European shipments of newsprint in July 2020 were down 23.7% vs. July 2019 and are down 17.0% year-to-date. Total European shipments of sc-magazine in July 2020 were down 23.4% vs. July 2019 and are down 19.9% year-to-date. Total European shipments of coated mechanical reels in July 2020 were down 38.5% vs. July 2019 and are down 27.8% year-to-date. Total European shipments of uncoated mechanical (improved & others) in July 2020 were down 16.6% vs. July 2019 and are down 9.3% year-to-date. Total European shipments of coated woodfree in July 2020 were down 36.6% vs. July 2019 and are down 26.0% year-to-date. Total European shipments of uncoated woodfree in July 2020 were down 17.1% vs. July 2019 and are down 15.5% year-to-date.

We are proud to announce that our production facility has passed its annual food safety inspection and audit performed by the American Institute of Baking (AIB) International. We received a Superior rating (955 out of 1000 points). This certificate of achievement signifies that Lamitech produces clean, safe paperboard products qualified for sanitary use in the food industry. As part of the review process, Lamitech was asked to demonstrate performance in the areas of operational methods and personnel practices, sanitation program and procedures, integrated pest control, overall maintenance and thoroughness of documentation to validate on-going activities. Lamitech’s food safe packaging includes Cake Boards, SBS, Polyguard and Sammyboard fish boards.

We are pleased to announce that 30-year paper and packaging veteran Tony Mollica joined Twin Rivers as our new Chief Executive Officer. He brings to the company a unique blend of sales, operations, and leadership experience that will accelerate our strategic transformation to becoming the market-leading manufacturer of specialty packaging, technical, label, and publishing papers. Tony replaces Tim Lowe, who will return to his role on the Board of Directors after acting as Interim CEO.

Total printing-writing paper shipments decreased 24 percent in August compared to August 2019. U.S. purchases of total printing-writing papers decreased 24 percent in August compared to the same month last year. Total printing-writing paper inventory levels remained essentially flat (+0.3 percent) when compared to July 2020. U.S. purchases of uncoated free sheet (UFS) papers in August decreased 22 percent compared to last August while the inventory level increased one percent compared to July 2020. UFS imports and exports both decreased compared to July 2019, down 20 percent and 51 percent respectively. Coated free sheet (CFS) paper shipments decreased 19 percent compared to August 2019 while the inventory level decreased one percent compared to July 2020. CFS imports and exports both decreased compared to July 2019, down 38 percent and 23 percent respectively. U.S. purchases of coated mechanical (CM) papers in August decreased 37 percent compared to last August while the inventory level remained essentially flat (+0.4 percent) compared to July 2020. CM imports decreased 40 percent while exports increased 30 percent in July 2020. Uncoated mechanical (UM) paper shipments decreased 51 percent compared to August 2019 while the inventory level increased two percent compared to July 2020. UM imports and exports both decreased compared to July 2019, down 34 percent and 28 percent respectively.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö advances further into the energy storage market and launches Ahlstrom-Munksjö Forticell® LAB, its new portfolio of fiber-based solutions for Lead Acid Battery applications. Today, lead acid batteries are the most cost effective energy storage devices. Storing electricity from renewable energy resources, providing back up for data centers, supporting supply chain management , enabling vehicle start-stop systems and supporting electrical car charging stations. Fiber-based materials are widely used in energy storage devices and due to Ahlstrom-Munksjö’s extensive expertise in cellulose, microglass and specialty nonwoven materials, the company is developing a complete range of solutions for its customers.

Sappi North America, Inc., a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper, packaging products and dissolving pulp, today announced that its Spectro® paperboard line has been certified as compatible with all HP Indigo Digital Offset Color™ presses. As part of the certification process, the company added new Digital substrates to its C1S and C2S lines to further expand its offerings for custom, short-run packaging and commercial printing applications. The new Spectro Digital for HP Indigo C1S and C2S products obtained the highest three-star rating based on runnability, adhesion and blanket compatibility from the Rochester Institute of Technology's Printing Applications Lab as a part of the HP Indigo Media Certification Program. Each product exhibited a high percentage of ink adhesion and exhibited excellent runnability with a high level of blanket cleanliness during normal testing intervals. The adhesion levels for all calipers and sides of the board, both coated and uncoated, exhibited side-to-side consistency and tested at photo recommended levels.

Interfor Corporation announced that it has reached an agreement to sell its specialty sawmill located in Gilchrist, Oregon to Neiman Enterprises Inc. The Gilchrist sawmill, which specializes in ponderosa and lodgepole pine boards, has been curtailed since mid-June of this year due to COVID-19 related economic factors. Prior to its curtailment, the mill produced approximately 80 million board feet of lumber per year and employed approximately 150 employees. The completion of the transaction is subject to customary conditions and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2020. Interfor will continue to own and operate its three US Northwest stud mills located in Molalla, Oregon, Longview, Washington and Port Angeles, Washington.

Stora Enso is making an investment in dispersion barrier technology at its Forshaga site in Sweden, as a step in its innovation agenda. The investment of approximately EUR 10 million enables the development and production of paperboard with barrier properties that are easier to handle in a recycling process, have a lower carbon footprint and can be compostable in industrial facilities. The new equipment is expected to come into use during the second quarter of 2021. Stora Enso Forshaga manufactures and develops barrier solutions that are required in certain packaging, for instance to protect against liquid, moisture, oxygen or fat. Liquid packaging, beverage cups and certain food packaging are some of the products that have a barrier which serves to protect the packaged product, while also ensuring that the packaging maintains its user-qualities. The investment in new dispersion technology aims to achieve the desired barrier properties in a more sustainable way. Stora Enso Forshaga has an annual capacity of approximately 120 000 tonnes of barrier coating across two machines/coating lines, with around 100 employees. Since the beginning of this year, the Forshaga site has also become a competence center within Stora Enso’s Packaging Materials division, tasked with producing and developing new bio-based barrier technologies and products.

Stora Enso will start codetermination negotiations with employees at its Hylte Mill in Sweden regarding a plan to reorganise the mill, including permanent closure of paper machine PM3 and the deinking plant (DIP). After the planned restructuring, the mill would run on 100% thermomechanical pulp (TMP), improving the competitiveness of the mill. The planned closure of PM3 and the reorganisation of the mill would impact a maximum of 140 persons. PM3 is planned to be closed by the end of 2020 and the DIP latest in Q2 2021. Stora Enso will continue to produce standard newsprint at Hylte, Langerbrugge and Sachsen mills. The closure of Hylte Mill PM3 would not impact Stora Enso’s newsprint product offering, and we would be able to serve our customers as today.

Due to market conditions that remain unfavorable, after a 6-month temporary shutdown, Kruger Specialty Papers is forced to permanently shut down its newsprint, specialty papers and pulp production at its Brompton Mill. However, the water treatment plant will continue to operate and the biomass cogeneration plant will restart. The Company will use all the measures at its disposal to minimize the impact of this shutdown on the 189 affected employees, including the creation of a reclassification committee. Furthermore, approximately 25 employees will return to work to restart the biomass cogeneration plant. As a result of the shutdown, Kruger’s overall annual production will be reduced by 100,000 mt of newsprint and 70,000 mt of specialty paper.

Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc., the oldest continuously operating paper mill in the United States, announced today that it has broadened its west coast distribution. It has established a new stocking location in Kent, Washington to more fully serve its growing customer base on the U.S. West Coast. Being in King County, the heart of the Seattle–Tacoma metropolitan area, means faster fulfillment and reduced customer shipping costs for Monadnock’s in-demand and sustainably-advantaged fine paper and packaging portfolio. Shipping times will range from one to two days with the added benefit of convenient customer pick-up.

SCA has signed an agreement to acquire forest land in Latvia. The acquisition comprises an area of 19,150 hectares, of which 13,100 is forest land. The purchase price is EUR 44.5m, approximately SEK 450m. The standing timber volume amounts to 1.8 million m3fo. Some areas of the acquired land that are not forest land, will be divested. SCA has so far acquired 30,000 hectares of forest land in Estonia and Latvia.

International technology Group ANDRITZ has received an order from Guangdong Hengan Paper Co., Ltd. (Hengan) to supply four tissue machines to its new mill in Yunfu, Guangdong, China, for the production of high-quality facial, toilet, handkerchief and napkin tissue grades made of virgin market pulp. Each of the new tissue machines is of the type PrimeLineCOMPACT M 1600 with a design speed of 1,700 m/min and a working width of 3.65 m. All of them are equipped with a proven PrimeFlow step diffusor headbox for superior formation quality. The 18 ft. PrimeDry Steel Yankee together with the high-load suction pressure roll and canopy hood ensure high drying capacity at reduced energy consumption compared to conventional drying systems. The scope of supply also includes an under-machine pulper.

SCA decided to discontinue the production of publication paper and to invest SEK 1,45bn in the production of chemically pre-treated thermo-mechanical pulp (CTMP) at the Ortviken industrial site in Sundsvall. The decision has been preceded by consultations with employee representatives. The proposed restructuring plan for Ortviken paper mill was announced on August 26. Following the conclusion of negotiations with employee representatives regarding the closure of publication paper production, consultations will now commence regarding the consequences of this closure for the employees. Approximately 800 employees are affected, most of whom are located at the Ortviken paper mill.

UPM supports Finnish universities and makes a contribution of 40,000 face masks as part of the company’s Biofore Share and Care programme. The masks will be handed to the students in the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry at the University of Helsinki, the School of Chemical Engineering at Aalto University, the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Åbo Akademi University and Chemical Engineering students at Lappeenranta University of Technology. “We support our stakeholders in making their everyday life during the Covid-19 pandemic as safe as possible. Students are important to us and interaction is a significant part of studies. The masks have been in short supply as the need for face masks in different fields has increased. Therefore, we have delivered 500,000 surgical face masks to our key stakeholders all around the world. The safety of face-to-face courses is important to students who are beginning their studies or taking laboratory courses, for example. That’s where the masks come in handy,” Pirkko Harrela, Executive Vice President, Stakeholder Relations at UPM says.

In this mercurial moment, with clients pausing projects, the world holding its breath, and creative tanks running on fumes, how are designers pivoting to meet the changing world head-on? Neenah explores that question in Rethink Everything, an inventive editorial promotion that tells the stories of six creative pioneers who dream big, think futuristically, focus on sustainability, and inspire creatives to shift the design's perception business. With this new CLASSIC® Papers promotion, Neenah aims to uplift the design community and celebrate designing for tomorrow, while rethinking everything along the way.“ With “Rethink Everything,” we shine a light on innovators, artists, designers, and printers who are reshaping the future. The world is moving quickly, but the time is now for creatives to push design boundaries. At Neenah, our desire is to provide you with both the inspiration and the backdrop to bring your creative vision to life on beautiful, sustainable paper,” says Ellen Bliske, Director of Marketing, Commercial Print, for Neenah.

Stora Enso has decided to invest approximately EUR 79 million in a new production line for cross laminated timber (CLT) at its Ždírec sawmill in the Czech Republic. The investment will further enhance Stora Enso’s position as a global provider of high-quality engineered wooden elements and as a market leader in CLT. Production is scheduled to begin during the third quarter of 2022. The estimated annual production capacity will be approximately 120 000 m³ after ramp-up. The investment is expected to generate annual sales of approximately EUR 70 million when run at full capacity and to meet the Wood Products division’s profitability target of 20% operational return on operating capital (ROOC).