Felix Schoeller Group Announces Price Surcharge as of 1 April 2022

Pixelle Specialty Solutions LLC announced it has completed two strategic investments that will further strengthen its portfolio and enhance service to new and existing customers. On March 31st , Pixelle acquired the specialty paper business Rollsource from Veritiv Corporation. On April 5th , Pixelle acquired the carbonless rolls and security papers business from Appvion Operations Inc. The acquisition of Rollsource includes the book of business primarily serving the forms printer market, and includes a converting facility in Pittsburg, KS. Pixelle will retain key Rollsource employees in order to ensure continuity in operations, sales and customer service. The acquisition of Appvion’s carbonless rolls and security papers business will enable Pixelle to serve new customers with Pixelle’s portfolio of ExcelOne® and Trans/Rite® carbonless papers and broad line of Defensa® security products. No production assets are included in the transaction. Pixelle will manufacture carbonless roll products for former Appvion customers at its Chillicothe, Ohio specialty paper mill, building on decades of experience producing carbonless products.

Paper Excellence Canada announced the curtailment of operations at its pulp mill in Mackenzie, British Columbia targeting the final week of June 2020. Paper Excellence has substantially invested to improve mill operations since acquiring the Mackenzie facility in 2010. Despite best efforts by the company and its committed team of employees in Mackenzie, the COVID-19 global pandemic is having negative impacts on pulp markets creating conditions that no longer support the on-going operation of the mill. Furthermore, the deep fibre shortage in BC and the Mackenzie region have affected the mill’s competitiveness. This shortage was exacerbated by recent curtailment of sawmills in the Mackenzie region dramatically reducing economic fibre availability.

Paper Excellence is pleased to have received $4.5 million from the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program. This funding will help support an important transformation project taking place at our Catalyst Port Alberni mill. The $4.5 million will be invested at Catalyst Port Alberni to expand the mill’s production capacity for food packaging papers. Traditionally, this mill produced printing and writing grades; however, demand for these products has been in steady decline. Transitioning to food grade papers means meeting growing market demand, providing sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic serving containers, and advancing BC’s circular economy. The new grades will be produced using unique pulping capabilities developed at the Catalyst Port Alberni mill that net a higher yield in fiber use. As a result, the mill will be able to increase the amount of food packaging materials it produces but will use less residual wood fibre to do so.