Oji Cutting 10% of Staff, Reviewing PMs

http://www.ojiholdings.co.jp/english/index.html

Japan's Oji Holdings is planning to reduce its workforce by 10% come March 2016, and may follow this with the closure of some paper and board machines.

The move is part of a scheme to restructure the business further and focus on the Indian and Southeast Asian markets.

The staff cuts will mean some 2,000 job losses from the current workforce of around 20,000. 

Oji said it has already closed, or announced plans to shut, 14 printing and writing paper machines, a board unit and two specialty paper machines since 2008, although it did not specify how much capacity this removed from the market.

As part of its strategy to expand in India, Oji recently agreed to form a joint venture with the local firm JK Paper and another Japanese outfit Marubeni.

The jv will build a corrugated packaging plant in Neemrana, Rajasthan state, for startup in January 2014.

Supreme Court: AbitibiBowater Not Responsible

Supreme Court decision: AbitibiBowater not responsible for environmental cleanup costs in Newfoundland and Labrador:
The Supreme Court of Canada has sided with AbitibiBowater (now Resolute Forest Products) over the environmental cleanup of its operations in Newfoundland and Labrador, including the former Grand Falls-Windsor mill.
AbitibiBowater/Resolute Forest Products will not be responsible for any environmental clean-up in the the province.

CMPC to Spend $2.1 Billion on 1.3 Million mtpy Pulp Line

http://www.paperage.com/2012news/12_06_2012empresas_cmpc_guaiba_expansion.html

The board of Chilean pulp producer Empresas CMPC announced today that it has approved investing $2.1 billion on a new 1.3 million tonnes/yr bleached eucalyptus kraft (BEK) pulp line at its Brazilian Guaíba facility, in Rio Grande do Sul state, southeast Brazil. The Guaíba facility currently produces 450,000 tonnes/yr of BEK.

The company expects the new line - Guaíba II -to begin pulp production in the first quarter of 2015, and be 100% self-sufficient in terms of pulpwood supply.

Howe Sound Pulp and Paper Union Votes on Strike

Union has a 99.4% strike vote at Howe Sound Pulp and Paper:
CEP Local 1119 at the Howe Sound Pulp and Paper mill in Port Mellon, British Columbia has a solid strike mandate.
82% of the over 400 workers in the Local voted on November 29.
99.4% of the votes cast endorsed strike action.

USPS & UPS Green Partners

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/12/06/5036070/blue-and-brown-make-green-public.html

In a video address to a global audience, U.S. Postal Service Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Donahoe, and UPS Chairman and CEO Scott Davis announced a unique partnership designed to offer better service to customers, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and optimize operational efficiencies. -->
"We've named our partnership 'Blue and Brown Make Green,'" said Donahoe. "By working together, the Postal Service and UPS are able to reduce costs, serve our customers better and achieve sustainability goals, such as reducing our carbon footprints.

Whole Living Magazine Shuttered

http://www.adweek.com/news/press/readers-staffers-mourn-whole-livings-demise-145784

Martha Stewart is shutting down Whole Living magazine, spurring hundreds of readers, staffers and fans to take to Twitter to mourn the magazine’s demise, praising everything from its team of editors to great recipes and “visually elegant” content.

MSLO had been in talks to sell the magazine to former Hachette Filipacchi CEO Jack Kliger and TV Guide owner OpenGate Capital for $2.5 million, but they apparently fell through. MSLO told staffers yesterday afternoon that Whole Living was kaput.

New Bay Media Buys Intent Media

http://www.foliomag.com/2012/newbay-plans-european-expansion-intent-media-acquisition

NewBay Media, publisher of brands in the video, audio and music markets, has acquired London-based Intent Media. The deal adds 19 titles, more than 20 events and related assets to NewBay's product lineup.
It also sets up a bidirectional product expansion opportunity: NewBay titles can expand internationally and Intent Media brands can be developed in the U.S.

World Assoc. of Newspaper: 2.5 Billion Readers

http://www.wan-ifra.org/press-releases/2012/11/29/just-published-world-press-trends-2012

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) today published the 2012 edition of World Press Trends, its annual report on the state of the global newspaper industry.
Some key points:
2.5 billion people read a newspaper in print regularly.
Newspaper circulation grew by 1.1 per cent globally last year, to 512 million copies, and 4.2 per cent between 2007 and 2011. The growing newspaper business in Asia has more than offset circulation losses elsewhere in the world.

Quad/Graphics:Court Approval for Vertis Acquisition

Quad/Graphics Receives Court Approval to Acquire Vertis:
Quad/Graphics, Inc. and Vertis Holdings, Inc. jointly announced today that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court has approved the companies' proposed sale agreement, clearing the way for the sale to close.

SGIA Industry Steady Growth for Q3

SGIA Industry Pulse Shows Steady Growth This Quarter: Third Quarter Industry Pulse Benchmarking Report Outlines Steady GrowthFairfax, Virginia –SGIA's Third Quarter Industry Pulse Benchmarking Report reflects firmer ground to operate from for the graphic and sign community after a soft second quarter. According to the statistics, confidence in graphics and sign is positive, but concern about the US economy keeps most companies cautious.