Leading Stories

Ahlstrom-Munksjö has started to operate under the business name Ahlstrom as of October 3, 2022. The company has completed the ownership reorganization of its Decor business and thus proceeded with its plan, announced in May 2022, to change its name to Ahlstrom. The divested Decor business continues as an independent company under the well-recognized Munksjö name.

Talks between WestRock and its three unions have stalled. And the current agreement expires this week.

Southern Champion Tray (SCT), a leading manufacturer of paperboard packaging for the bakery and food service industry, will purchase substantially all the assets of Evergreen Packaging (Evergreen) based in La Mirada, CA effective October 3, 2022. Evergreen, founded in 2001, is a bakery, deli, food service, and wholesale packaging provider with a predominant market presence in California.

The company is investing $21 million to upgrade and restart the #24 paper machine (PM24) and plans to hire 52 full-time employees to operate and maintain it. Pixelle will also fill 50 temporary positions to support construction and engineering requirements related to the restart.

The Mayr-Melnhof Group (MM) has successfully completed the acquisition of Essentra Packaging, which was agreed in June 2022, following the approval of all relevant competition authorities.

Construction of the Rauma sawmill started in the spring of 2020, and the value of the investment is approximately EUR 260 million. This is the largest sawmill investment ever in Finland.

The purchase price is C$325 million, on a cash and debt free basis, which includes approximately C$31 million of net working capital.

Metsä Tissue's, part of Metsä Group, renewed tissue paper machine at the Mänttä mill has moved from the trial run phase to continuous production. The renewed paper machine will be used to produce fresh fibre-based tissue paper products especially for the Finnish market. The upgrade will increase the production capacity of the tissue paper machine by 15 per cent, as well as improve product quality and energy and production efficiency.

More than 1,100 employees from 14 different locations in Washington and Oregon have been on strike since Sept. 13.

Roseburg announces automation and modernization at Pembroke MDF Moulding. The two-line moulding operation is in the midst of a significant modernization project.

2 men died in 2021 accident after scaffolding fell

The carve-out transaction from Sappi's European business includes sites in Kirkniemi (Finland), Maastricht (The Netherlands), and Stockstadt (Germany), with over 1,400 full-time employees combined.

Packaging Corporation of America (PCA), headquartered in Illinois, has agreed to pay $2.5 million in civil penalties to resolve allegations that it violated the Clean Air Act's General Duty Clause and Risk Management Program Regulations at its containerboard production mill in DeRidder, Louisiana.

"We're honored to have Governor John Bel Edwards here with us today," said Anthony Pratt, Executive Chairman of Pratt Industries. "His economic leadership of Louisiana is characteristic of the reason that Pratt Industries has invested $250 million in the great state of Louisiana."

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart McWhorter and Georgia-Pacific officials announced the company will invest at least $425 million to construct a state-of-the-art Dixie® manufacturing facility in Jackson.

Tolko's High Prairie team is continuing to work hard on the clean-up effort following the serious press fire that occurred at the mill on May 20, 2022. The damage to the press and press building was significant, and much of the equipment was a total loss.

Firefighters were on scene for around five hours before the blaze was under control. There was some damage to the field and a nearby fence. However, no one was hurt.

Curtailment expected to affect 160 employees

Stora Enso's Jiashan site in China will be terminating operations due to an expiring land lease contract.

Administrators have now been appointed at the Arjowiggins Group mills at Stoneywood, as well as Chartham, Kent, with 368 of the group's 463 UK-based employees made redundant immediately.

Emergency squads took the man to a local hospital but then flew him to Columbus because of the injuries. His ID was not released.

Weyerhaeuser lists four locations in Washington and Oregon on its website as major production hubs. The strike is having an impact at all four of the locations.

Dunn Paper will close its Port Huron location Nov. 18.

PotlatchDeltic Corporation issued its inaugural Carbon and Climate Report. The report quantifies the carbon removals, storage, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with our operations in 2021.

The mill employs approximately 230 people who will be affected by the closure. The mill produces specialty label and release papers, as well as industrial and packaging solutions for eCommerce and food service. Its two paper machines have a capacity of 230,000 tons annually.