Sappi Announces Price Increase

Total European shipments of graphic papers in March 2018 were down 8.1% vs. March 2017 and are down 4.6% year-to-date. Total European shipments of newsprint in March 2018 were down 12.7% vs. March 2017 and are down 8.7% year-to-date. Total European shipments of sc-magazine papers in March 2018 were down 14.1% vs. March 2017 and are down 10.1% year-to-date. Total European shipments of coated mechanical reels in March 2018 were down 3.3% vs. March 2017 and are UP 1.7% year-to-date. Total European shipments of uncoated mechanical (improved & others) in March 2018 were down 1.3% vs. March 2017 and are UP 7.1% year-to-date. Total European shipments of coated woodfree in March 2018 were down 10.8% vs. March 2017 and are down 6.7% year-to-date. Total European shipments of uncoated woodfree in March 2018 were down 4.0% vs. March 2017 and are down 4.2% year-to-date. Click Read More below for additional information.

To better align manufacturing capacity in British Columbia with the available long-term fibre supply, Canfor is restructuring its B.C. operations by permanently closing its Chetwynd sawmill and pellet plant and temporarily closing its Houston sawmill for an extended period to facilitate a major redevelopment on the site. The Company intends to build a new, modern, globally competitive manufacturing facility that employs state of the art technology to produce high value products from the sustainable timber supply in the region. Project planning, scoping, preliminary engineering and budgeting are underway. The Company will undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the availability of economic fibre and a thorough project financial analysis, supporting a final investment decision by the end of the second quarter of 2023. Both facilities will be closed following an orderly wind down of operations that is expected to conclude early in the second quarter of 2023 and will remove approximately 750 million board feet of annual production capacity.

Irving Paper, Irving Wallboard plant and J.D. Irving Ltd. offices on Bayside Drive all remained closed Thursday night, but employees could be back to work on Friday, based on preliminary air quality tests at the mill, said Keith. "Employees will return to these work sites when two separate tests have determined we meet the safe, regulated exposure levels," she said. "Employee safety is our top priority and a responsibility that we take very seriously." "The evacuation of the mill and [air quality] testing was underway prior to the employee reporting to hospital," said Keith. The company is maintaining contact with the employee and co-operating fully with WorksafeNB, she added. Click Read More below for additional information.