Expera Coated Products Launches Ultra-Modern Line of AeroBak Liners for Advanced Composites

American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman and Clearwater Paper Corporation President and CEO and AF&PA Board Chair Linda Massman issued the following statement after attending the White House “Cut the Red Tape” event where Vice President Mike Pence outlined the administration’s regulatory agenda. “We support the administration in its mission to achieve regulatory reform that will allow the paper and wood products industry to innovate, invest, create jobs and compete at home and around the globe,” said Harman. “Our companies account for four percent of U.S. manufacturing GDP, employ 900,000 men and women in rural and urban communities across 45 states and meet a roughly $50 billion annual payroll. When we work together to advance regulatory policies that unleash economic growth, our industry’s future only brightens.” Click Read More below for more of the story.

FPInnovations is a private not-for-profit R&D organization that specializes in the creation of solutions that accelerate the growth of the Canadian forest sector and its affiliated industries to enhance their global competitiveness. It is ideally positioned to perform state-of-the-art research, develop advanced technologies, and deliver innovative solutions to complex problems for every area of the sector’s value chain, from forest operations to consumer and industrial products. Their expertise spans the pulp and paper industry, forest operations, wood products, and bio-sourced products sectors. With the forest industry at heart, their mission is to accelerate forest sector growth and transformation and enhance forest sector competitiveness. They hold their core values in high regard: Innovation, Agility, Collaboration, and Integrity.

*Record net sales of $284.8 million, up 25 percent from the prior year, reflecting selling price actions to recover input costs and higher volume in both segments. Excluding the effects of the April 2021 Itasa acquisition and a facility closure, net sales were 12 percent higher. *Record net sales in Technical Products of $185.6 million were 28 percent higher than the prior year period. Excluding the effects of Itasa and the facility closure, net sales were 6 percent higher. *Net sales in Fine Paper and Packaging of $99.2 million, up 21 percent from the prior year, with strong organic growth in all categories. *As expected, operating income remained pressured by unprecedented increases in input and distribution costs and labor shortages. EBIT declined from $13.6 million in the first quarter of 2021 to $12.2 million this quarter. Excluding $12.5 million of unusual items in 2021 and $6.5 million in 2022, Adjusted EBITDA this quarter was $30.3 million compared to $35.7 million in the prior year. *In January, a fire occurred at our Brownville, New York manufacturing facility. Operations were fully restored before quarter-end, but the impact of repair costs and margin from lost sales was approximately $2 million. *On March 28, Neenah announced it has entered into a definitive all-stock merger of equals agreement with Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc. (NYSE: SWM). The combination is expected to form a global leader in specialty materials with combined annual revenues of approximately $3 billion and generate highly achievable, initial cost synergies of $65 million. The Form S-4 is planned to be filed by SWM shortly, and the transaction is on track to close in the second half of 2022.