Over the Wire

in case you missed it in TAPPI’s weekly electronic newsletter

MANUFACTURERS

American Paper Bag LLC will establish corporate headquarters and a manufacturing plant in Sugar Notch Borough, PA.

Catalyst Paper Corp. reports that recapitalization and privatization of the company have been implemented and are now effective. The successful completion of the recapitalization improves the company’s financial strength and reduces its financing risk.

Cortec Corporation has developed EcoSonic ESD Paper, a static dissipative corrosion inhibiting paper that serves as a complete packaging paper for electrical/electronic items.

Crown Paper Group Inc. has announced executive promotions, capital investments, and performance improvements at Montebello Container Corp., which it acquired in 2015.

Domtar Corp. plans significant infrastructure and equipment upgrades at two Pennsylvania facilities (Johnsonburg and DuBois)—a move that will retain 438 current jobs over the next three years.

Iggesund Paperboard’s parent company, the Holmen Group, has been ranked 21 on the Global 100, an index of the most sustainable corporations in the world. Holmen is the only company from the forest products industry on the list.

KapStone Paper and Packaging Corp. has completed the acquisition of the assets of Associated Packaging Inc. and Fast Pak LLC (together, API).

Lucart Laval has successfully started up its rebuilt PM10 at the sur Vologne mill. The rebuild will boost the machine speed from the current 1,300 m/min. to 1,600 m/min.

Mondi’s boards have approved the modernization and expansion of the Steti mill in the Czech Republic for a total investment of EUR 470 million, subject to approval and necessary permitting.

Oji Fibre Solutions plans to develop a new paper-based packaging facility in Yatala, Australia.

Procter & Gamble has announced additional investments in recycling and beneficial reuse that will eliminate all manufacturing waste from its global network of more than 100 production sites by 2020.

Sappi Europe and Felix Schoeller Group have entered into a collaboration agreement to jointly develop sustainable barrier paper solutions for flexible packaging applications.

SCA is investing in a through-air drying (TAD) machine at its tissue plant in Skelmersdale, UK, and will close an older tissue machine in Stubbins. SCA has also signed an agreement to divest its tissue plant in Chesterfield to Sidcot Group Ltd.

Stora Enso, which had announced it was considering building a chemical pulp mill at its Beihai Mill, has initiated a process with the Government of Guangxi, China, to remove the authorization for the mill from its investment permit.

SUPPLIERS

ABB has released a new full-sheet dirt count system for pulp mills, the HPINet WIS, which provides full web width inspection, imaging, and identification in real-time.

A.Celli Paper will supply a new tissue machine line, including stock prep system, electrical and drive system, DCS & QCS, plus accessory equipment, to GuangDong ShaoNeng Group Co. for its Nanxiong Zhuji mill.

AkzoNobel is launching Imagine Chemistry, a program to partner with startup firms, students, research groups, and career scientists from across the world to solve real-life chemistry-related challenges.

Andritz:

Has successfully completed the rebuild of a sludge screw press at Stora Enso’s Anjala paper mill.

Has received an order from Sun Paper Holding Lao Co. to supply main production technologies and equipment for a new pulp mill in Xepon, Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

Coldwater Group has acquired RPM Technologies Inc., a leading supplier of drainage equipment and drainage process solutions.

DuBois Chemicals has been granted a patent for its Neutra Solve line of solvent blend cleaners specifically designed to match the properties of contaminants found in recycled paper fiber.

GL&V Sweden AB will supply the BillerudKorsnäs Gruvön mill with a complete refiner and deflaker system, plus a combined save-all/broke thickener with Duflo Pump technology, for the Gruvön mill’s new board machine. 

Sulzer is building a new, state-of-the-art pump services facility in Pasadena, TX, to expand its increasing network in North America.

Toscotec S.p.A. has delivered two tissue machines to Vinda Paper (Zhejiang) to be installed at the Longyou mill. The machines are scheduled for start-up in mid-2017.

Valmet:

Supplied four tissue lines that have been successfully started up at Lee & Man Paper Manufacturing’s Chongqing mill in China within three months.

Has introduced a new, more compact version of its Valmet IQ Web Monitoring System, which is an integral element of the Valmet IQ Process and Quality Vision System.

Will supply three board machine rebuilds in North America (customers remain confidential.)

Will deliver a defibrator system to Luso Finsa, Portugal, for its fiberboard production plant.

Voith:

Received an order from BillerudKorsnäs for a fully equipped XcelLine board machine with a design speed of 1,200 m/min.

Has received Mondi’s Machine Clothing Supplier Award for 2017.

PEOPLE

Steven B. Buckman, president/CEO of Buckman, will retire effective April 28, 2017. He led the company’s nine global operating companies for more than 16 years. Junai Maharaj, managing director of Buckman Europe, Middle East, and Africa, will take over as CEO. Also, Kathy Buckman Gibson, Buckman International’s president and COO, will become chairman of the board of directors April 28, 2017. Otto Heissenberger Jr. will retire as chairman but continue to serve as a board member.

Soile Kilpi will take the lead of Pöyry’s North American Management Consulting business and Michael Craig will step down from the position.

Bengt Leopold, retired professor of engineering and director of the Empire State Paper Research Institute (ESPRI) at Syracuse University, has passed away. Leopold was born in Valbo, Sweden, in 1922 and received his B.S. degree at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm in 1947. After earning his master’s degree he completed his Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1952 and emigrated to the US with his family later that year.

For the next 10 years, Bengt conducted and directed research for several pulp and paper companies in the US and Canada. In 1961, he became director of the Empire State Paper Research Institute and professor of paper and bioprocess engineering at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY. He continued in those roles until his retirement in 1987. Under Dr. Leopold’s leadership and direction, ESPRI tripled in size. He became an American citizen in 1967.

Leopold was very active in TAPPI. He joined TAPPI in 1956 and served on a number of committees, including chairman of the research and development division. Ten years later he assumed the editorship of TAPPI Journal. Leopold was elected a TAPPI Fellow in 1971. He is survived by his wife, Elisabeth, and three children.

EVENTS

TAPPI PaperCon 2017: April 23-26, Minneapolis, MN. papercon.org

International Pulp Week: May 7-10, Vancouver, BC. internationalpulpweek.com

RISI Asian Conference: May 22-24, Shenzhen, China. events.risiinfo.com/asian-conference

TAPPI International Nanotechnology Conference: June 5-8, Montreal, PQ. conference.tappinano.org

Pulp and Paper Safety Association (PPSA) Annual Conference: June 18-21, Charleston, SC. ppsa.org/2017-conference

Zellcheming: July 4-6, Frankfurt, Germany. zellcheming.de/en/zellcheming-expo.html

TISSUE 2017: Oct. 3-6, Miami, FL. www.tissue2017.org

RISI North American Conference: Oct. 16-18, Boston, MA. events.risiinfo.com/north-american-conference  

Voith Celebrates Sesquicentennial

Voith is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2017 and will be marking it with events at each of its 160 locations worldwide spanning more than 60 countries. In North America, more than 3,000 employees will participate in employee celebrations and family events taking place at 18 different locations.

On January 27, 1867, Friedrich Voith took over the locksmith’s workshop owned by his father, Johann Matthäus, which was located in Heidenheim on the river Brenz. Since then, Voith has grown into a global technology leader with approximately 19,000 employees and four group divisions: Hydro, Turbo, Paper, and Digital Solutions.

In the anniversary year, we are proud to honor the people who have made and continue to make significant contributions to Voith’s success: our employees,” says Bob Gallo, North American regional sponsor for the 150th celebration and president and CEO of Voith Hydro US.

The events for employees and their families will focus on looking forward to the next 150 years while honoring the history of Voith, which includes a strong focus on corporate leadership and stewardship. “Voith has been and is a good neighbor at all its locations around the world,” says Dr. Hubert Lienhard, president and CEO of Voith. “During the anniversary year, it is important to us to give something back to the communities and locations that Voith has called home, in some cases for many decades.”

Each location will host its own celebration and also identify a local charitable cause that emphasizes Voith’s support for education, culture, social affairs, and sporting activities. Local Voith employees will volunteer their time and resources in support of the “150 Good Causes” concept.

Voith employees celebrate the 150th anniversary. Employees will be encouraged to volunteer in their communities to mark the company’s sesquicentennial.WestRock Buys MPSI in US$1.39B Deal

WestRock will buy UK firm Multi Packaging Solutions International for about US$1.39 billion in equity. This deal comes at a time when packaging companies globally are seeking to consolidate against what is described as weakening demand.

WestRock’s corrugated packaging is used in the industrial and consumer end markets, and the Multi Packaging deal will boost WestRock’s exposure to the fast-growing health care market as well as the spirits, confectionary, and cosmetics markets. The deal will also boost the European presence of WestRock, the second largest US packaging company behind International Paper.

WestRock, created in 2015 by the US$16 billion merger of MeadWestvaco and Rock-Tenn, has entered and exited several investments over the past year to streamline its portfolio and focus on its core paper and packaging businesses. WestRock said that including about US$873 million of Multi Packaging’s net debt it will assume, its offer had an enterprise value of US$2.28 billion. The deal is expected to close in Q3 2017.

In an unrelated deal, WestRock has entered into a definitive purchase agreement with Silgan Holdings Inc. under which Silgan will purchase WestRock’s Home, Health, and Beauty business for US$1.025 billion in cash, plus the assumption of approximately US$25 million in foreign pension liability. WestRock expects to receive net after-tax proceeds from the divestiture of approximately US$1 billion.