Friday, March 8, 2013

Boise Cascade Reports 2012, Q4 Results

Boise Cascade Reports Profit in Q4: BOISE, Idaho - Boise Cascade Company today reported financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2012.
Fourth Quarter and Year End 2012 Operating Results
Total sales in fourth quarter 2012 were $694.6 million, compared with $547.4 million in fourth quarter 2011. Total sales for the full year improved by 24% to $2,779.1 million: growth of 23% in our Building Materials Distribution (BMD) segment and 32% in our Wood Products segment.

NA & SA Q4 Wood Fiber Costs Fall

Wood fiber costs decreased in North and South America in 4Q 2012
Lower pulp prices during last summer and an increased supply of sawmill chips put downward pressure on pulpwood prices in North America and Latin America in the 4Q/12. The biggest declines occurred in Western US, British Columbia and Brazil.
Wood fiber prices trended downward in the local currencies in many of the key pulp-producing countries of the world in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to the report Wood Resource Quarterly (WRQ).
However, as a result of the weakening US dollar, wood fiber prices actually increased in US dollar terms in a number countries and the Softwood Wood Fiber Price Index (SFPI) was up slightly (+0.1%) in the 4Q/12 to $100.13/odmt. The biggest increases from the 3Q to the 4Q occurred in Eastern Canada, Finland, France and New Zealand, WRQ added.
The price declines in the local currencies were mainly the result of an increased supply of softwood fiber in regions with extensive lumber production. In the US Northwest, chip prices fell as much as 27 percent during 2012 and pulp mills in the region had some of the lowest softwood fiber costs in the world in the 4Q/12.

Bengal Paper Files Countersuit Against Pt Hawk

A Pennsylvania company being sued by the Port Hawkesbury mill says it will file a countersuit.
David O'Brien, a spokesman for Bengal Paper & Converting, Inc., of Linfield, Pa., says the lawsuit is "beyond belief" and contains "crazy allegations."
"We are going to be vigorously disputing these allegations and we are going to be countersuing them for contract violations," O'Brien said.

Nippon, Mitsubishi P&W Paper Price Hikes

Japan's Mitsubishi Paper Mills (MPM) and Nippon Paper Group (NPG) have both announced large domestic price hikes for their graphic paper ranges, effective on shipments from April 21.
In both cases the hikes have been announced at ¥15/kg, which is equivalent to about $161/tonne.
In MPM's case, the hikes cover uncoated and coated fine paper and lightweight coated paper.
NPG's announcement covers the same grades, as well as ultra lightweight coated paper.
NPG ascribed the need for the increase to conditions since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which had a considerable impact on domestic graphic paper production.
It heralded in a boom in imports and a big drop in graphic paper prices, which it is now moving to correct to a level it considers sustainable.
MPM also cited the impact of imports on its business, as well as the cost of raw materials and fuel.
Prices for graphic paper grades in Japan have fallen by up to 9% since March 2011.

MediaPost Mag Bag

Magazines are unveiling new looks, as publishers reposition titles to keep pace with the changing interests and habits of readers. Both Redbook and Taste of Home have been revamped to make them more social and mobile-friendly. The Reader’s Digest Association is revamping Taste of Home, giving it a new look and 20% more pages of editorial content. Now perfect-bound and printed on a heavier stock, Taste of Home will include more healthy recipes and health-related content, as well as clip-and-save recipe cards, and a new logo. According to the fall 2012 MRI index, Taste of Home reaches 11.1 million readers. 
The Week is raising its rate base for the second time in six months, owner Dennis Publishing announced this week. Beginning July 1, The Week will have a rate base of 550,000, up 2.8% from 535,000. 
And more...

Personalized Messages Pay Off for Retailers

Personalized Marketing Messages Pay Off for Retailers: A study finds 40% of online shoppers buy more from retailers who personalize their marketing message across all channels; Half say they are willing to share data to receive a better shopping experience.

Former Vertis Workers in Court

A dispute between former employees of Vertis Communications in Stevensville and Quad/Graphics Marketing will most likely be resolved in a courtroom and not on the picket line. 
And, it will likely take some time before all the legal issues are ironed out. 
On Thursday, lawyers representing both the workers, who are members of the Communications, Energy and Paperworks Union of Canada, and Quad/Graphics appeared in the Superior Court of Justice in St. Catharines to try and resolve some issues regarding what has been taking place on the picket line.

Senate Reconsiders Eliminating Paper Communication

US Senate to Reconsider Elimination of Paper Based Communication: 'Consumers for Paper Options', a coalition of individuals and organizations advocating for the right to paper-based communications, today applauded a new Congressional resolution to protect access to paper-based options for government services and information. This bipartisan resolution (H.Res. 97), introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) and Mike Michaud (D-Maine), seeks to reverse recent federal initiatives to completely eliminate paper-based information and services, such as Social Security checks and earnings statements, savings bonds and income tax forms.