Change in UPM’s Group Executive Team

Peter Greven GmbH & Co. KG, a leading manufacturer of oleochemical additives, signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Solenis Switzerland GmbH, a leading manufacturer of specialty chemicals. Effective immediately, Solenis will be the authorized distributor for Peter Greven's calcium stearate dispersions for paper coating applications in the European Union,the United Kingdom and Russia. "Calcium stearates are used in paper coating formulations, mainly in printing grades,as lubricants to facilitate the process of coating the paper," said Jose Santolaya, director, Product Management EMEA. "As the channel to market for these dispersions in the paper industry, Solenis will provide these products under our Nopcote™ coating lubricants brand. We have one of the largest lubricant product portfolios on the market today including standard and specialty lubricants."

Metsä Group has entered into an extensive cooperation with international technology group ANDRITZ to conduct a pre-study for the first possible commercial mill producing the Kuura textile fiber. This new type of textile fiber, developed by Metsä Group’s innovation company Metsä Spring, is made from Finnish wood. The primary objectives of this collaboration are to develop a pulp pre-treatment method, smart ways to integrate textile fiber production into the various departments of a bioproduct mill, and automation for Kuura production. The pre-study is the first planning stage for a potential commercial mill project to process softwood pulp into a new type of man-made cellulosic fiber (MMCF). The Kuura concept produces a sustainable, high value-added product without the use of fossil fuels.

Paper Excellence is pleased to announce that its Prince Albert facility has been granted a softwood fibre allocation of 1,033,564 cubic meters per year by the provincial government. “This fibre is critical to the restart of the Prince Albert pulp mill which is currently planned for the fall of 2023,” said Carlo Dal Monte, Vice President of Energy and Business Development. “This decision reflects the Saskatchewan government’s forward thinking and robust job creation ambitions. They have been terrific to work with—taking a real interest in our project and the Prince Albert community.” Paper Excellence’s Prince Albert team continues to bring better definition to the project in terms of facility equipment. “We remain dedicated to completing the facility’s pre-engineering and filing necessary provincial environmental approvals to achieve our targeted late 2023 restart date,” said Dal Monte. “As with many large projects, we are refining our understanding of the facility’s economics and the needed funding arrangements.”