Paper 360
…in case you missed it in TAPPI’s weekly electronic newsletter
MANUFACTURERS
DS Smith Plc has acquired DPF Groupe, which specializes in multi-material packaging.
Georgia-Pacific’s Brewton, AL, mill has completed a $388 million energy improvement project after two years of construction.
Grupo Gondi plans to build a recycled lightweight containerboard mill in Mexico with capacity to produce more than 350,000 metric tpy of containerboard.
Kruger Inc. has begun production of XTR, a 100%-recycled linerboard offering the highest strength-to-basis-weight ratio in North America.
Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. and Tembec Inc. announced a definitive agreement under which Rayonier will acquire Tembec.
Sonoco has been named one of 82 “Best for Vets” companies by Military Times.
ST Tissue will add a hard-wound towel line at its Franklin, VA, plant.
UPM Biofuels received the world’s first RSB certification for wood-based liquid biofuels—for its UPM BioVerno renewable diesel and naphtha and its production sidestreams turpentine and pitch (resin).
Visy Board (New Zealand) will construct a second corrugated packaging plant, in the Waipa District, south of Hamilton.
WestRock:
• has completed its acquisition of Multi Packaging Solutions International.
• has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire five U.S. Corrugated operations.
Weyerhaeuser has agreed to sell its timberlands and manufacturing business in Uruguay to a consortium led by BTG Pactual’s Timberland Investment Group for US$402.5 million in cash.
White Birch Paper will indefinitely close its Bear Island newsprint mill in Ashland, VA, affecting 165 employees.
SUPPLIERS
Andritz:
• plans to acquire Paperchine Inc., owned by AstenJohnson Holdings Ltd.
• will supply a PrimeLineTAD tissue machine with complete stock preparation for First Quality Tissue in Lock Haven, PA.
• will supply five circulating fluidized bed boilers to Nine Dragons Paper Ltd. (China).
Clariant (Switzerland) and Huntsman Corp. (USA) will combine in “a merger of equals” through an all-stock transaction; the merged company will be named HuntsmanClariant.
GE Oil & Gas will provide two NovaLT12 gas turbines for cogeneration applications (CHP) to two paper mills in Tuscany, Italy, owned by Lucart Group.
Metso Corp. will donate a total of EUR 1 million to Tampere University of Technology, Aalto University, and the University of Oulu, to support Finnish scientific research and its application in practice.
Omya and Ittihad Paper Mill, Abu Dhabi, have signed a cooperation agreement for the manufacture of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC).
PAPCEL has completed its acquisition of PMT Italia.
Solenis will acquire the business and assets of Nopco Colombiana S.A., a producer and supplier of specialized chemical solutions for water intensive industries.
Valmet:
• will rebuild Alas Dorada’s PM 4 tissue machine in El Salvador; start-up is slated for late 2017.
• will supply a TwinRoll Evolution wash press for Stora Enso’s Heinola fluting mill in Finland.
• will supply a moisturizer system to Schumacher Poledno’s corrugated line in Bukowiec, Poland.
• will supply an off-machine coater rebuild for Hansol Paper Co.’s Shintanjin site in South Korea.
VTT Technical Research Centre (Finland) will expand its Bioruukki pilot center from thermochemistry to novel ways of biomass utilization, recycling of textile fibers, and green chemistry technologies.
EVENTS
• KilnCon 2017: Aug. 30-31, Savannah, GA. Contact [email protected]
• 16th Fundamental Research Symposium: Sep. 3-8, Oxford, England. www.ppfrs.org
• PPI Transport Symposium: Sep. 25-27, Savannah, GA. www.events.risiinfo.com/transport-symposium
• TISSUE 2017: Oct. 3-6, Miami, FL.
www.tissue2017.org
• Corr Expo: Oct. 15-18, Providence, RI. www.correxpo.org
• RISI North American Conference: Oct. 16-18, Boston, MA. www.events.risiinfo.com/north-american-conference
• ABTCP Pulp and Paper International Congress: Oct. 23-25, Sao Paulo, Brazil. www.abtcp2017.org.br/pt-br
• TAPPI PEERS/IBBC Conference: Nov. 5-8, Norfolk, VA. www.tappipeers.org
• PPI 2017 Awards Ceremony: Nov. 29, Brussels, Belgium. www.events.risiinfo.com/ppi-awards
Paper Prime (part of the Trevipapel Group) and Toscotec celebrated the successful start-up of the new TM 1 at the mill in Vila Velha de Rodão, Portugal. Toscotec’s turn-key project for TM 1 included a stock preparation plant for dry virgin pulp, AHEAD-2.0S tissue machine with steel Yankee dryer, machine auxiliaries including Milltech gas-fired hood, steam and condensate and dust removal system, additional plants, and complete engineering and erection activity. A three-unwind stand rewinder TT WIND-H completed the supply.
UK Mills Beat Climate Change Targets
Improvements in the energy efficiency of UK paper mills during the two-year period 2015-16 have outstripped targets set out in the Government’s Climate Change Agreements scheme by around 38 percent, reports The Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI), the leading trade association representing the UK’s paper-based industries.
All 45 paper mills in the UK participate in the Government’s Climate Change Agreements (CCA) plan. In return for delivering energy efficiency improvements over successive two-year periods, the operating companies qualify for partial relief from the Climate Change Levy tax. The CCA is administered by the Environment Agency for government and by CPI for mills.
For the most recent two-year period, 2015-16, the sector’s agreed target was to deliver a 7.05 percent improvement over 2008 performance (defined in terms of a specific set of energy efficiency measurements mostly related to the use of electricity). The actual improvement achieved was 9.74 percent.
“This result shows that on top of delivering very significant improvements in energy efficiency and carbon reduction since the Kyoto base year of 1990, UK papermaking energy efficiency is still improving, despite the savings becoming increasingly difficult to achieve,” says Andrew Large, CPI director general. “Paper mills are investing in energy and carbon saving measures and the industry is determined to play its part in the UK meeting its climate change obligations.”
Research at the Forefront
“Standing on the shoulders of giants”—a phrase made famous by Sir Isaac Newton—describes the scope of knowledge achievable by building upon the research and dedication of others. For the modern pulp and paper industry, the Fundamental Research Symposium is a place where attendees not only gain this type of critical knowledge, but may find themselves sitting beside the industry’s scientific giants.
The next Fundamental Research Symposium will take place at Pembroke College, Oxford, UK, September 3-8, 2017. The program will include contributions from top pulp and paper scientists and engineers from around the globe. Delegates will receive a fully searchable flash drive of all the past proceedings of the Fundamental Research Symposia, including the 2017 event. Visit ppfrs.org to view this year’s program, which features sessions on paper mechanics, functional properties, nanocellulose, and more.
The PPFRS (Pulp and Paper Fundamental Research Society) is an independent, charitable organization dedicated to the promotion of research and education in the pulp and paper industry. The FRC (the Fundamental Research Committee), which has the same membership, runs the Fundamental Research Symposia. The 1st Fundamental Research Symposium was held in 1957 and since then has been held every four years. The symposia are held alternately at Oxford University and Cambridge University colleges.
