Lecta expands its line of Adestor film products and services

With reference to the fire and subsequent explosion which occurred on a supplier truck delivering liquid oxygen to the Sappi Saiccor Mill in Umkomaas, KwaZulu-Natal, the following update can be provided. The mopping up and assessment operation has been completed. The damage is limited to the vaporisers (used to turn liquid oxygen into gas usable by the plant) and some peripheral equipment. Replacement equipment is on site and being installed. Work should be completed by Sunday 21 July with phased start-up then reliant on receiving the prerequisite Department of Labour approval. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our suppliers and customers for their understanding during this short interruption. The impact of the event is not material within the quarter.

The suspense is not completely over for Appleton Coated and its 620 employees. The struggling paper mill's sale to Industrial Assets Corp., a used machinery dealer based in Los Angeles, progressed in a six-hour marathon hearing Monday before Outagamie County Circuit Court Judge Gregory Gill. "I'm not going to take any action," Gill said late Monday. "We have definitive things in place but we're not at the finish line." Lawyers have a maximum of five days to hash out the details of a hybrid agreement that states Industrial Assets will pay $20 million for Appleton Coated and at the same time market the mill as an ongoing operation for 45 days. Mark Freedlander, an attorney for Industrial Assets, said "we have reached an agreement and we are responsible for marketing the entity as a going concern." Click Read More below for additional detail.

Resolute Forest Products Inc. announced that its board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to $100 million or 10 million of the company's common shares, whichever occurs first. Repurchase transactions will be funded using the company's sources of liquidity. "Today's announcement follows recent completion of the share repurchase program announced in March 2020, under which we repurchased 11.5 million shares for $78.3 million, representing 15% of the outstanding shares," said Remi G. Lalonde, president and chief executive officer. "This new program will allow us to continue to act opportunistically to return capital to shareholders when conditions are right. We remain committed to a balanced approach to capital allocation, using our free cash flow to generate value for shareholders, build a stronger company and drive sustainable economic activity in the communities where we operate."