Monday, May 13, 2013

Appleton Papers Changes Name to Appvion

Appleton Papers Changes Name to Appvion:
Appleton Papers announced today that the company changed its name to Appvion, Inc. The new name reflects the company's heritage of innovation in applying chemistry to paper and microencapsulation as a means to create value for its customers.
Commenting on the name change, Appvion's chairman, president and chief executive officer, Mark Richards, said, "Charles Boyd founded our company 106 years ago today with the belief that he could add value to paper by applying coatings to it. Since then, company employees have used their ingenuity and ability to adapt their expertise to new opportunities to prove that Mr. Boyd's idea was sound, profitable and enduring.

Truckers Resume Deliveries to Port Hawkesbury

Truckers resume delivery of wood to Port Hawkesbury Paper:
Truck drivers have agreed to resume wood delivery to Port Hawkesbury Paper in Nova Scotia.
The mill has agreed to talks with the Northeastern Pulp Truckers’ Association that are expected to resume this week.
The truckers are frustrated over the low rates they are being paid for their wood deliveries.  They estimate mill’s pay scale will reduce their revenues by 15% over the previous mill owner, NewPage Port Hawkesbury.

Sappi PM Investments in Cloquet, MN

Sappi paper machine investments at Cloquet, MN, mill overshadowed by pulp conversion project [From the web]: Although there's been much written about Sappi Fine Paper's ongoing $170 million conversion from producing paper pulp to chemical cellulose, there hasn't been as much fanfare about the company's investment on the paper side of things.

Sappi Europe Reports Specialty Price Increase

In the light of sustained increases in raw materials, Sappi Fine Paper Europe has reviewed current margins for its Speciality paper products and will raise its prices as per 01 July 2013 by 6 %. The price increase will affect coated and uncoated flexpack paper, siliconising base papers and label papers.
The implementation will be discussed on an individual basis with customers in all countries where Sappi Fine Paper Europe operates.

Biomass Growth in Midwest

FutureMetrics Inc. recently prepared a working report for the Heating the Midwest with Renewable Biomass steering committee. The report outlines a vision to achieve 15 percent renewable thermal energy in the Midwest by 2025, with 10 percent derived from sustainably produced biomass.
According to the report, approximately 3.5 percent of all U.S. thermal energy needs are currently satisfied by the use of solid biomass fuel. In the Midwest, approximately 97 percent of thermal energy consumed in the residential sector is from non-renewable sources.

Catalogs Motivate 20% of High Earners to Buy

The Luxury Institute surveyed wealthy consumers earning at least $150,000 a year about their usage of the Internet and mobile devices, and how these technologies affect their interaction with brands across platforms. 
High-earners are about as likely to have bought something at a store (78%) in the past 12 months or ordered it online via computer (77%). Despite the growing popularity of mobile and tablet shopping, research done on a traditional computer still feeds foot traffic into brick-and-mortar stores, and led to in-store purchases among 45% of the consumers surveyed. Only 25% of wealthy shoppers buy online after checking out merchandise and gaining insights at a store.
Retailers still send out catalogs because they're effective drivers of sales in other channels: 20% were motivated by a catalog to make an in-store purchase; 16% of respondents say they bought something online in the past 12 months after seeing it in a catalog. 

A Great Excuse to Print Something

Is This a Great Excuse to Print Something? (Digital Nirvana):
Saw a QR Code this week that seemed like a neat opportunity for printers to sell to their customers. I was sitting in the doctor’s office with one of our daughters, and there on the back of the exam room door was a poster with three QR Codes, each taking me to a different social media site (Google+, Yelp, Yahoo!) where I was encouraged to write a review of the practice. What a great idea, I thought.  The office benefits from positive online reviews, and I benefit from having something to do while I sit and wait for the doctor to arrive. Win, win! Could I write those reviews at home? Sure, but chances are, I won’t. But if I’m sitting there waiting, chances are, I just might. (I did.)
It’s a great, simple idea that offers an excuse to contact local businesses with print solutions. There may be only one poster per business, but how many doors do they have? It also gets your services, your ideas, in front of them and presents you as a solutions provider. What additional opportunities might that open up?

The Daily Meal Names President

The Daily Meal Hires JP Kyrillos as President:
Epicurean site The Daily Meal has hired JP Kyrillos as its new president. Kyrillos last served as publisher of Amex Publishing's Travel + Leisure until 2012. The spot had been open since August 2012 when previous president Scott Crystal stepped down, later being named chief revenue officer of mobile app developer Zumobi.

Time's InStyle Publisher Leaves

More talent is leaving Time Inc. as the company prepares for its spinoff from Time Warner. Connie Anne Phillips has exited fashion/beauty giant InStyle, where she was publisher of four years.
Another higher-up, chief research and insights officer Betsy Frank, also recently exited the company after almost seven years there. From the sales ranks, Aaron Gallagher left as digital sales director.

USPS Reports Q2 $1.9 Billion Loss

USPS: Q2 $1.9 billion loss highlights continued urgent need for comprehensive legislation: WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service ended the second quarter of its 2013 fiscal year (Jan. 1 – March 31) with a net loss of $1.9 billion. The Postal Service continues to grow revenue and reduce expenses by using the tools available to it under existing law. However, without passage of comprehensive legislation to provide the Postal Service with a workable business model for today’s marketplace, large quarterly financial losses will continue.

USPS: Consumer Packaged Goods Incentive

If they try it, they’ll buy it. That’s the message the U.S. Postal Service is sending to consumer packaged goods companies and other marketers with its Product Samples mail promotion.