NORPAC Announces Price Increase on Newsprint Products for US

Verso Corporation announced plans to upgrade the shuttered pulp line and No. 3 paper machine at its Androscoggin Mill in Jay, Maine, enabling this equipment to restart for the manufacture of packaging products. The paper machine and associated pulping capacity were temporarily idled in January 2017 and shut down in July 2017 as a result of declining demand for the graphic paper products formerly produced on the machine. With an anticipated completion date in the third quarter of this year, this project will help Verso continue to diversify its product mix into growing market segments and is expected to create approximately 120 full-time jobs at the mill and additional jobs throughout the Maine forest products supply chain. The estimated total capital cost of the project is $17 million, $4 million of which will come from a Maine Technology Asset Fund 2.0 challenge grant administered by the Maine Technology Institute. Funds from the grant will be become available as certain milestones in the project are reached. Click Read More below for additional information.

Perce Thrower, UK sales, Crown Van Gelder - We ended 2022 on a positive note with a record-breaking volume of our Crown Letsgo inkjet-treated substrates, but due to a sudden cashflow problem, we went into administration in early 2023. The failure of the company was due to high costs of energy and pulp in the second half of 2022, and a drop in demand in the last months of 2022. During the tense weeks that followed we received a lot of positive messages from customers, merchants, OEMs inkjet press manufacturers and other paper mills, which increased our belief that Crown Van Gelder could and should survive. On 1 March we were able to announce that with the help of a new investor we could continue the paper mill as Crown Van Gelder International. The lead partner in the relaunch is EPAC Technologies, with whom we codeveloped our leading inkjet paper over five years ago, and we have continued to collaborate since. This will change the industry in a great way for our customers.

Paper Excellence has committed $200,000 to support the rebuilding efforts for the individuals, families, and communities in Shelburne and Barrington, Nova Scotia, impacted by the wildfires in June 2023. With eligible matching from Canada and Nova Scotia governments, our total impact is $250,000. The wildfire that impacted Shelburne County was the biggest in Nova Scotia’s history. We’re pleased to work with the Canadian Red Cross Atlantic Canada, the Community Foundation of Nova Scotia, the Municipality of Barrington, and the Municipality of Shelburne to support the Nova Scotians who need it. Paper Excellence Canada is committed to supporting the provinces and communities we operate in, especially during challenging times like those experienced in Nova Scotia.