euwid-paper.com: Nachrichten http://www.euwid-paper.com/ Nachrichten von euwid-paper.com en euwid-paper.com: Nachrichten http://www.euwid-paper.com/typo3conf/ext/tt_news/ext_icon.gif http://www.euwid-paper.com/ 18 16 Nachrichten von euwid-paper.com TYPO3 - get.content.right http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Fri, 18 May 2012 14:50:00 +0200 Burgo takes market related downtime at Avezzano mill http://www.euwid-paper.com/news/singlenews/Artikel/burgo-takes-market-related-downtime-at-avezzano-mill.html Burgo cuts coated woodfree paper output at the Avezzano mill on weak market conditions. Both paper... Burgo cuts coated woodfree paper output at the Avezzano mill on weak market conditions. Both paper machines are idle for one week. Italian paper manufacturer Burgo has temporarily stopped coated woodfree paper (CWF) production at the Italian Avezzano mill in response to weak market situation and slow order intake. According to the Italian trade union Slc-Cgil, both paper machines at the Avezzano mill have been idle since 14 May, but are expected to restart on 21 May. All 446 employees are temporarily laid off under the Italian wage guarantee scheme cassa integrazione, reports the trade union. Avezzano mill operates two paper machines with a combined production capacity of 270,000 tpy of. PM 1 has an installed annual capacity of 120,000 t and produces coated woodfree and one-side coated paper. PM 2 offers a capacity of 150,000 tpy of CWF paper.
EUWID Pulp and Paper keeps busy professionals up-to-date on the latest news from European pulp and paper markets. ⇒ Test EUWID Pulp and Paper free of charge and without any obligation by clicking here.]]> Fri, 18 May 2012 14:50:00 +0200 Mitsubishi Paper Bielefeld upgrades QCS with Honeywell http://www.euwid-paper.com/news/singlenews/Artikel/-21ea8b9e4d.html Mitsubishi HiTec Paper Europe replaces quality control system at the German Bielefeld mill to... Mitsubishi HiTec Paper Europe replaces quality control system at the German Bielefeld mill to provide greater visibility into the papermaking processes. Specialty paper manufacturer Mitsubishi HiTec Paper Europe has signed Honeywell to supply a new quality control system (QCS) to the Bielefeld paper mill in Germany. According to Honeywell, the new system will give the company a better control of product quality and will help reduce production losses when implementing changes to the grade of paper being produced at the facility. Mitsubishi HiTec Bielefeld paper mill houses two paper machines and three coating units. The production capacity amounts to approximately 150,000 tpy of carbonless, thermal, inkjet and digital imaging papers.
EUWID Pulp and Paper keeps busy professionals up-to-date on the latest news from European pulp and paper markets. ⇒ Test EUWID Pulp and Paper free of charge and without any obligation by clicking here.]]> Thu, 17 May 2012 13:39:00 +0200 Appleton Papers to merge with Hicks Acquisition http://www.euwid-paper.com/news/singlenews/Artikel/appleton-papers-to-merge-with-hicks-acquisition.html Appleton Papers will change its corporate name to Appvion, following merger with Hicks Acquisition.... Appleton will change its corporate name to Appvion, following merger with Hicks Acquisition. The combined company will be listed on the Nasdaq. US specialty paper manufacturer Appleton Papers Inc announced that it will combine business with Hicks Acquisition Company II in a $675m deal. Completion of the transaction is expected for July 2012. Upon completion of the deal, Appleton will change its corporate name to Appvion and will be listed on the Nasdaq exchange. Hicks Acquisition Company II a special purpose acquisition company with about $149.3m of cash in trust. The company is said to invest the cash held in trust, less expenses and amounts paid for certain repurchases and redemption of its stockholders, to acquire an equity interest in Appleton. Under the terms of the proposed business combination, Appleton will be organised as Limited Liability Company, the company says. Paperweight Development Company, the owner of Appleton, will hold approximately 37% of shares of the pro forma outstanding equity of the combined company. Current Hicks Acquisition Company II stockholders will own 63%. According to Appleton’s president and CEO Mark Richards, the company is continuing its transformation “from a paper producer to a company focussed on coating formulations and applications, and specialty chemicals.” Richards expects the merger to provide Appleton with capital to strengthen its balance sheet, support its businesses and pursue growth opportunities in its markets. In the first quarter of 2012, Appleton had announced its decision to discontinue paper making operations at its mill in West Carrollton, Ohio at the start of June, removing 170,000 tpy in uncoated base paper capacity from the market. Previously, Appleton inked a 15-year supply agreement with Domtar worth $3bn to provide the company with the paper it needs to produce thermal, carbonless and other specialty paper products.
EUWID Pulp and Paper keeps busy professionals up-to-date on the latest news from European pulp and paper markets. ⇒ Test EUWID Pulp and Paper free of charge and without any obligation by clicking here.]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 17:06:00 +0200 Hardwood pulp manufacturers pushing price hikes in May http://www.euwid-paper.com/news/singlenews/Artikel/hardwood-pulp-manufacturers-pushing-price-hikes-in-may.html In May, the European markets for hardwood and softwood pulp are shaped by price talks. Industry... In May, the European markets for hardwood and softwood pulp are shaped by price talks. Industry experts believe that producers of both grades could find it difficult to get European converters to accept their asking prices in full. After having left their prices unchanged for a month for the first time this year, leading producers of hardwood pulp have announced their intention to push through an increase of $40/metr.t. Word from the industry has it that stocks in Europe are too low for pulp converters to put up any great resistance to price hikes. Paper manufacturers are nonetheless taking the stronger US dollar as their argument to get the mark-ups down from $40 to $20/metr.t. The further reduction of the price difference between BEK and NBSK could also play a part in the negotiations and induce sellers to soften their tone. European NBSK manufacturers are pressing ahead with their pricing plans from April, however, market players are being very guarded about the chances of their success. Various market observers see NBSK pulp prices under pressure in Europe. Low spot prices are apparently being charged even by big suppliers due to the lack of export volumes to China and the structural surplus capacity in the paper sector. Different EUWID sources are working from the assumption that this could be the last round of pricing talks in this pulp cycle, after which summer could be rung in with stable prices and minor reductions.
⇒ Find this article in its entirety and any associated background information in EUWID Pulp and Paper no. 20
 Our weekly newsletter's print and e-paper versions keep busy professionals up-to-date on the latest news from European pulp and paper markets. ⇒ Test EUWID Pulp and Paper free of charge and without any obligation by clicking here.]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 11:06:00 +0200 Resolute Forest Products raises stake in Fibrek to 70.9% http://www.euwid-paper.com/news/singlenews/Artikel/resolute-forest-products-raises-stake-in-fibrek-to-709.html Resolute buys additional shares in Fibrek. Offer period for all the remaining Fibrek shares to... Resolute buys additional shares in Fibrek. Offer period for all the remaining Fibrek shares to expire definitely on May 17. Resolute Forest Products (Resolute), formerly AbitibiBowater has raised its stake in Fibrek by another 7.6% and is currently holding 70.9% of the outstanding shares in the Montreal-based market pulp producer. As aggregate consideration for the 9,894,933 additional shares of Fibrek taken up on 15 May, Resolute will distribute approximately 280,000 newly-issued shares of its common stock, the company announced. Additional CAD5,4m in cash will be paid through Resloute's wholly-ownde subsidiary, RFP Acquisition Inc. Fibrek produces northern bleached kraft pulp (NBSK) and recycled bleached kraft pulp (RBK). The company has 500 employees and runs three mills in Canada and the US. The combined annual production capacity amounts to 760,000 air-dried metr.t. On 9 May, Fibrek has announced major changes to the company's Board of Directors (BOD) and the management team. The entire BOD of Fibrek stepped down, following Resolute taking 63.3% of shares in the company. In addition, five high members of Fibrek’s management team resigned from their positions with immediate effect.
EUWID Pulp and Paper keeps busy professionals up-to-date on the latest news from European pulp and paper markets. ⇒ Test EUWID Pulp and Paper free of charge and without any obligation by clicking here.]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 20:40:00 +0200 European decor paper producers take more downtime due to slowing demand http://www.euwid-paper.com/news/singlenews/Artikel/european-decor-paper-producers-take-more-downtime-due-to-slowing-demand.html In order to defend their prices against pressure manufacturers of decor paper curtailed production... In order to defend their prices against pressure manufacturers of decor paper curtailed production in April and May. European decor paper manufacturers have seen their order intake weaken again in the past few weeks after a rather subdued first quarter of 2012. A number of companies noted that demand from decor printers and impregnators, in particular, had softened again since the end of March. Insiders do not expect any fundamental improvement from either sector until the second half of 2012 at the earliest. Amid this backdrop, decor paper producers stepped up their production curtailments in April and May. Most businesses had already stopped their plants for several days over Easter, with a few facilities also going offline for up to ten days. Similar shutdowns took place around the 1 May holidays. Sources within the decor paper industry believe that additional stoppages will be held in the second half of May and in June given that order intake is still too weak. These more substantial stoppages form part of efforts to keep decor paper prices stable as far as this is possible. These actions seem to be succeeding for the most part, at least in Central Europe.
⇒ This article is an excerpt from EUWID's report on the decor paper market published in EUWID Pulp and Paper no. 20. Our weekly newsletter's print and e-paper versions keep busy professionals up-to-date on the latest news from European pulp and paper markets. ⇒ Test EUWID Pulp and Paper free of charge and without any obligation by clicking here.]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 13:09:00 +0200 Kraftliner prices in Germany unchanged at the beginning of May http://www.euwid-paper.com/news/singlenews/Artikel/kraftliner-prices-in-germany-unchanged-at-the-beginning-of-may.html Prices for brown kraftliner in Gemany remained stable in the first days of May, talks on white-top... Prices for brown kraftliner in Gemany remained stable in the first days of May, talks on white-top kraftliner prices are still ongoing In the first days of May, prices for unbleached kraftliner in Germany were still at the previous month’s level. Many market participants had anticipated that the developments at the Norwegian kraftliner manufacturer Peterson would give impetus to price negotiations, especially as buyers are looking for new suppliers. The majority of market participants now believe that the effects of the Peterson's insolvency will not be seen in prices until June, when a further price increase is expected. After price hikes were also announced for white-top kraftliner as well, talks were still underway in May, EUWID was told. A few companies reported an some price increases from the first of May, but by the middle of the month, this was not seen across board. As availability of the grade is still good in May, several converters expect that they will conclude their negotiations with unchanged prices. There are mixed views regarding the development of the semi-chemical fluting market, according to EUWID respondents. One supplier reportedly announced hikes last month, the other suppliers were not being forthcoming with their plans.
⇒ This article is an excerpt from EUWID's report on the German paper market. Our weekly newsletter's print and e-paper versions keep busy professionals up-to-date on the latest news from European pulp and paper markets. ⇒ Test EUWID Pulp and Paper free of charge and without any obligation by clicking here.]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 12:21:00 +0200 Domtar acquires EAM Corporation http://www.euwid-paper.com/news/singlenews/Artikel/domtar-acquires-eam-corporation.html Domtar invests $61m to strengthen its position in the personal care products market. Domtar invests $61m to strengthen its position in the personal care products market. Domtar has acquired EAM Corporation, a privately-held manufacturer of airlaid absorbent composite solutions, from Kinderhook Industries. Domtar expects the acquisition to differentiate the company’s product portfolio in the adult incontinence segment and to grow its existing businesses. The purchase price amounts to $61m, according to Domtar. Domtar, one of the leading producers of uncoated freesheet paper in North America, entered the market for personal care products in 2011 by taking over the US manufacturer and supplier of incontinence products Attends Healthcare for $315m. In March 2012, Domtar has spent another €180m to acquire Attends’ business in Europe, Attends Healthcare Limited.
EUWID Pulp and Paper keeps busy professionals up-to-date on the latest news from European pulp and paper markets. ⇒ Test EUWID Pulp and Paper free of charge and without any obligation by clicking here.]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 13:39:00 +0200 Metsä Board completes capacity expansion at Äänekoski http://www.euwid-paper.com/news/singlenews/Artikel/metsae-board-completes-capacity-expansion-at-aeanekoski.html The company’s 2011-2012 investment programme boosts cumulative virgin fibre cartonboard capacity by... The company’s 2011-2012 investment programme boosts cumulative virgin fibre board capacity by a total of 150,000 t to 935,000 tpy. Sheeting capacity expansion at Äänekoski will follow in autumn. Metsä Board has finalised the rebuild of the board machine at its Finnish Äänekoski mill, raising the mill’s total capacity by 30,000 t to 240,000 tpy of coated BCTMP board. According to the company, normal production was restarted in early May. The machine rebuild project at the Äänekoski mill is part of a bigger investment announced by Metsä Board, formerly M-real, back in 2010-2011. Under this programme, Metsä Board has also rebuild board machine at Simpele and Kyro in 2011, increasing folding boxboard production capacities at the two mills by a total of 120,000 tpy. Metsä Board is currently working on the expansion of sheeting capacities at the Äänekoski mill. The project would be finalised in autumn, the company said.
EUWID Pulp and Paper keeps busy professionals up-to-date on the latest news from European pulp and paper markets.
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]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 11:33:00 +0200 Finland: difficult market conditions led to weaker paper production in Q1, timber sales lively http://www.euwid-paper.com/news/singlenews/Artikel/finland-difficult-market-conditions-led-to-weaker-paper-production-in-q1-timber-sales-lively.html The forest industry's production environment was difficult in the first quarter and demand for... The Finnish forest industry's production environment was difficult in the first quarter and demand for several product categories was sluggish in the main market areas. “Rapid action is needed to improve the cost-competitiveness of the forest industry in Finland; Finnish production units need to retain their vitality in an intensely competitive international market. Finland is an export-dependent nation, whose trade and current account balances have turned negative. New investments are needed to alter the situation, but they cannot be realised unless domestic production factors such as raw material, energy, logistics and labour costs become competitive with our key rival countries,” says Timo Jaatinen, Director General of the Finnish Forest Industries Federation (FFIF). Finland produced 2.6 million tonnes of paper and paperboard in January-March 2012, down 12% from the previous year. Consumption of graphic paper grades remained on a low level in Europe, the main market area, and this had an impact on Finnish production volumes. On the other hand, production of fine paper picked up pace towards the end of the quarter. The prices fetched by paper and paperboard products remained stable when compared to the corresponding period of 2011, FFIF reports.  Finland produced 1.7 million tonnes of pulp in January-March 2012, about the same amount as in the corresponding period of 2011. First-quarter pulp exports grew to 720,000 tonnes, up 28% from 2011.
⇒ Find this article in its entirety and any associated background information in EUWID Pulp and Paper no. 20
Our weekly newsletter's print and e-paper versions keep busy professionals up-to-date on the latest news from European pulp and paper markets.
⇒ Test EUWID Pulp and Paper free of charge and without any obligation by clicking here.
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