Norpac Announces Price Increase for Natural Choice Cut-size Papers

News of the sale of the Ohio-based company Verso could have major implications on Wisconsin's paper and timber industries. But the Swedish company that's buying it hasn't clarified its plans for the shuttered Wisconsin Rapids mill. The Rapids mill employed 900 workers and served as the upper Midwest's largest buyer of Wisconsin forest products until the company took the mill idle in July 2020. The closure has had lasting effects on the city, and on industries that relied on the mill — especially logging. The packaging company BillerudKorsnäs AB announced Sunday it would acquire Verso Corp. In statements and in a press conference, executives for the company announced a $1 billion, nearly decade-long plan to convert and upgrade the mill in Escanaba, Michigan, into a producer of sustainably made paperboard. They also discussed plans to maintain operations at Verso's mill in Quinnesec, Michigan. Conspicuously absent from either company's statements, though, was significant discussion of Wisconsin Rapids.

SCA has acquired its first wind farm with the purchase of 36 wind turbines in Markbygden in Piteå municipality, northern Sweden. The park is acquired from the German company Enercon. The acquisition is in line with the company’s previously stated goal of becoming one of the Sweden’s leading providers of fossil-free electricity generated by wind power. Twenty per cent of Sweden's installed wind power capacity is currently located on land owned by SCA. The park is located in Markbygden in Piteå municipality, which has been designated by the Swedish Energy Agency as a national interest for wind farms and consists of a total of 36 turbines with a total installed capacity of about 85 MW. The annual electricity production from the site is estimated at close to 200 GWh. Of the 36 wind turbines, 15 are located on SCA land. The remaining 21 wind turbines are operated under agreements with about 10 landowners that are valid until 2062.

Solenis is expanding production at its Ankleshwar facility in India to manufacture its next-generation Pergafast™ 425 color developer for the thermal paper market. Part of Solenis’ imaging product line, the patented Pergafast™ 425 provides additional performance capabilities as compared to the company’s well-known Pergafast™ 201 color developer. Color developers are used in the formulation of the coating layer in thermal papers. They play a key role in developing the image on the paper when exposed to heat in the thermal printing process. Thermal paper is used in various applications, such as supermarket receipts and packaging labels. “With this new expansion, we intend to support our customers in their journey towards more sustainable products,” said Christophe Zebst, director, Product Management.