Andrei Krés Appointed CFO of Billerud

Ahlstrom, in its ongoing dedication to addressing the global need for clean air and water, has successfully completed a EUR 2 million investment for a new laminator at its Louveira plant in Brazil. This investment not only reinforces Ahlstrom's 50-year commitment to the global filtration industry but also marks a significant expansion of its product offerings in the South American market for industrial air, industrial liquid, and fuel filtration, including products currently produced in European and North American markets. “The new laminator increases our manufacturing capabilities and brings needed flexibility to supply our local customers with the best-in-class filtration solutions,” says Andre Pereira, Head of Sales, Filtration, Latin America. “Efficient supply chain management prevents interruptions to the supply stream, and shorter transport distances reduce carbon emissions and lower environmental impact,” he continues.

Carol Hoffman Schoedinger has joined Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc. as Senior Sales Manager. Ms. Schoedinger will have responsibility for selling Monadnock’s full suite of sustainable printing, packaging and technical/specialty papers in the U.S. Midwest. Prior to joining Monadnock, Ms. Schoedinger held a range of sales and business development roles with WestRock, Evergreen Packaging and Appleton Coated. She has a breadth of experience in the paper industry and a strong understanding of the needs of the print design community. Her strengths include developing long standing partnerships and exceeding customer expectations through creative graphic solutions.

In light of the global market situation for graphic papers, and to sustain its competitiveness and leading position in the market, UPM Paper ENA plans to: • optimize operations at its UPM Nordland Papier and UPM NorService units in Dörpen, Germany, Europe's biggest fine paper site. Streamlining internal processes and investing in automation will enable a sustainable improvement of the fixed cost structure. • permanently close paper machine 5 at UPM Blandin in Minnesota, United States, reducing the annual capacity by approximately 128,000 tons of coated magazine paper in response to overcapacities in the North American paper market. The closure is expected to be completed by end of Q1 2018 the latest. Paper production related to paper machine 6 is planned to continue at the Blandin site. In total 223 positions are estimated to be affected by these plans in Dörpen at UPM Nordland Papier and UPM NorService. At UPM Blandin, it is estimated that 150 positions will be affected by the plans. Click Read More below for additional information.