Strikes stop production at several Metsä Group mills

UPM inaugurates today its new pulp terminal in the port of Montevideo, Uruguay. This investment of approximately USD 280 million is a fundamental part of UPM’s USD 3.47 billion growth investment in Uruguay that includes a state-of-the-art pulp mill in Paso de los Toros, new eucalyptus tree nursery as well as local community investments in Paso de los Toros. “This is a significant milestone in our growth project in Uruguay. The new pulp terminal with direct connections from the new pulp mill and to the global markets plays a key role in the growth and competitiveness of UPM’s pulp business,” says UPM President and CEO Jussi Pesonen. “The public infrastructure investments to the deep sea port and railway improve the competitiveness of all export sectors in Uruguay.”

Appleton Coated’s employees were left hanging Monday afternoon with no news on their mill's sale to Industrial Assets Corp., a used machine dealer and liquidator based in Los Angeles. Last Monday, Outagamie County judge Gregory Gill asked lawyers to have the modified purchase agreement complete in five business days. On the fifth day, which was Monday, the court closed at 4:30 p.m. with nothing filed. Many questions linger about what's going to be in the final documents. Will the mill still get a 45-day reprieve in which an estimated 195 workers will be called back to operate some of the paper machines? Will Industrial Assets use that time to seek a new buyer who could potentially operate the mill going forward? About 550 of the 620 employees were laid off on Sept. 19 and 20. Click Read More below for more of the story.

Mactac® announces that its Spartanburg, S.C. facility, which is the most innovative pressure-sensitive materials manufacturing site in the U.S., has earned ISO 9001:2015 quality management certification. “Having the ISO 9001 certification signifies that Mactac has a systematic quality management system in place and that it is working,” says James Houser, Mactac Spartanburg Quality Assurance Manager. “This is a big deal for our customers. It assures them that Mactac has knowledgeable, trained, and experienced operators who are dedicated to producing quality products. It also provides a foundation for a quality-driven future.”