Paradigm Hyperloop is a team of students from Memorial University of Newfoundland, College of the North Atlantic, and Northeastern University of Boston that has been planning, designing, and developing a hyperloop pod, which is a conceptual fifth mode of transportation that involves levitating train-like vehicles that travel through low pressure vacuum tubes. The team has been at the project for two years!
J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI) is proud to sponsor the innovative work that the Paradigm Hyperloop team is doing.
The global SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition is put on by SpaceX for students to get involved and build hyperloop test vehicles. There are three academic competition, all independent of the other. These competitions allow engineering students across the world the means to see who can push the Hyperloop concept closer to reality by designing, building, and testing their own prototype; not to mention recognition on an international level.
Not only is the Paradigm Hyperloop team the only Canadian team to make it to the second competition, they were placed in the top 24 and advanced directly to the finals without having to conduct further technical assessment. The competition took place in Hawthorne, California at the SpaceX Headquarters between August 25th and 27th. The Paradigm Hyperloop team was incredibly successful in this round, finishing second in the world and first in North America!
“The team was incredibly successful this past week and I am so proud of everyone who is a part of it.” says Adam Keating, Project Lead for Paradigm Hyperloop.
“We are the first and only air bearing pod to successfully complete a High Speed Vacuum run in the Hyperloop Test track. We reached 101km/h with the largest and heaviest pod in the competition, weighing in at 1,800lbs and 20ft in length. Many other teams chose to pursue Maglev or wheel systems, Paradigm however chose to stick to the original path and prove the original concept was a viable premise.” adds Mark Comeau, Manufacturing Lead.
Competition three details are not finalized yet but it is expected to be similar format to competition two. As such, the Paradigm Hyperloop team is well-positioned to make a finals appearance once again given their successes in the first two competitions!
Want to learn more about the Paradigm Hyperloop Team? Visit their Facebook and LinkedIn page.
Norske Skog’s EBITDA in the third quarter of 2024 was NOK 91 million, a decrease from NOK 471 million in the second quarter of 2024. Norske Skog implemented price increases for both containerboard and newsprint during the quarter to mitigate continued cost increases. Norske Skog received excellent feedback from containerboard customers as deliveries continued to grow. Despite signs of positive market developments for Norske Skog in the publication and containerboard markets, these markets are still experiencing excess capacity, thus closures are still required. “We are receiving excellent feedback from our customers on the quality of our containerboard products, which bodes well for our plan to deliver a total of 760,000 tonnes of packaging paper from Bruck and Golbey to the market in the coming years. We are particularly pleased to have strengthened our position in the newsprint market by increasing our market share through higher sales volumes in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the same quarter last year, especially in a declining market for publication paper,” says Geir Drangsland, CEO of Norske Skog.
According to the June 2017 Printing-Writing Monthly report from the American Forest & Paper Association, total printing-writing paper shipments decreased five percent in June compared to June 2016. All four printing-writing grades posted year-over-year shipment declines in June. Total printing-writing paper inventory levels increased one percent from May 2017.
Shipments of coated free sheet (CFS) papers decreased 3% year-over-year in June following the increase last month. U.S. imports of CFS papers increased 25% year-over-year in May and exports of CFS papers increased 12% year-over-year in May.
The quarter-on-quarter improvement in Group EBITDA and overall return to profit of US$18 million was driven by strong dissolving pulp (‘DP’) prices and an excellent performance from the packaging and specialities segment. These gains were partially offset by ongoing global logistical challenges which impacted export deliveries and costs in all three regions and lower margins in Europe due to significant input cost inflation. Higher selling prices facilitated a substantial increase in EBITDA for the DP segment and sentiment generally remained buoyant on the back of steadily improving retail demand in the apparel sector. The average Chinese market price for hardwood DP increased 19% on the prior quarter to US$1,088 per ton. The EBITDA in the packaging and specialities segment reached a new record high and contributed almost half of the group EBITDA. Sales volumes increased by 23% compared to the equivalent quarter in the prior year and validate the strategic actions taken to reduce exposure to graphic paper through diversification into this segment.