Kevin Kuznicki leaves Billerud

Ahlstrom-Munksjö reinforces its leading position in high performance solutions for durable applications, by launching Ahlstrom-Munksjö FibRoc®. The Fibroc® platform will bring together a wide range of high performance products under the same brand, making it easier for business partners to recognize and understand the offering across the value chain. “Thanks to its unique know-how and very wide technological platform, Ahlstrom-Munksjö has been able to create, throughout the years, an extensive range of high performance solutions specifically designed for durable applications,” says Daniele Borlatto, Executive Vice President, Filtration & Performance. “As the demand of high performance media for durable applications continues to grow, including in the building industry, we saw a need to create a new product platform to simplify our product offering and make it easier for the major stakeholders along the value chain to understand our offering,” he adds.

ND Paper, the US subsidiary of Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Limited, is taking critical steps to build on its growth in packaging products. At ND Paper's Biron, Wisconsin mill, the company will be converting its B26 paper machine at the end of 2022 from coated mechanical papers to lightweight, high-strength recycled packaging products. Today, the Biron Division, located in central Wisconsin, employs more than 300 full-time personnel and operates two paper production lines with a combined annual production capacity of approximately 530,000 short tons. Its B25 paper machine produces approximately 270,000 short tons annually of corrugating medium and linerboard for packaging applications, while the B26 machine produces approximately 260,000 short tons annually of lightweight coated mechanical (CM) papers for end uses like catalogs, magazines and retail inserts. Upon completion of the conversion, both the machine and the mill will have increased annual manufacturing capacity. The B26 machine will have capacity for over 500,000 short tons of packaging paper, and the mill, in total, will have capacity for over 800,000 short tons.

Avery Dennison announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Vestcom, a privately held market-leading provider of pricing and branded labeling solutions at the shelf-edge for retailers and consumer packaged goods companies, for $1.45 billion in a cash transaction, subject to certain closing and post-closing adjustments. Vestcom uses data management capabilities to synthesize and streamline store-level data and deliver item-specific, price-integrated messaging at the shopper’s point of decision. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Vestcom is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, with roughly $400 million in annual revenue. The company has 11 U.S. production facilities and approximately 1,200 employees, with sales across multiple U.S. retail channels, including grocery, drug, and dollar. Vestcom’s solutions include stackz® pre-cut, pre-sorted self-adhering shelf labels; shelfStrips® shelf-edge planogram displays; adSigns® signage kits; and shelfAdz® branded marketing displays.