Wednesday, June 12, 2013

New Brunswick Provides Loan for Twin Rivers Deal

The New Brunswick government is providing financial support as part of the acquisition of majority ownership in Twin Rivers Paper Co. by Blue Wolf Capital Partners and Atlas Holdings LLC.
"The New Brunswick government and the residents of the province have a vested interest in the future prosperity of the Twin River facilities in New Brunswick," said Economic Development Minister Paul Robichaud. "Our government also clearly recognizes the importance of Twin Rivers and its role in assisting us to rebuild our economy. Our support will ensure the company remains a major economic generator in the region and the province, and maintains a long-term future in the forestry sector of New Brunswick." As part of an agreement with Blue Wolf Capital Partners and Atlas Holdings LLC, the New Brunswick government may provide a repayable loan of up to $35 million with a matching loan from the majority ownership group.

NewPage, Rumford Temporary Lay Offs

NewPage (Rumford, ME) Mill to Lay Off 120 Workers for a Week: NewPage paper company will temporarily lay off about 120 hourly maintenance workers next week, mill spokesman Anthony Lyons said Tuesday.
Lyons said the layoffs are a “cost-containment and money-saving” move. The workers would be off the job from June 17 to June 24.
Ron Hemingway, president of the Local 900 United Steelworkers, said those being laid off are all hourly employees with the union, not salaried workers.

Klabin Aproves R$5.3 Billion, 1.5 Million MT Pulp Mill, Brazil

Klabin S.A. ("Company"), in compliance with the provisions of Article 157, Paragraph Four, of Law No. 6,404, dated as of December 15th, 1976, and of CVM Rule No. 358, dated as of January 3rd, 2002, hereby informs its shareholders and the market that, on this date, the Board of Directors has approved the Executive Officers' proposal for the construction of a new plant in the city of Ortigueira, in the State of Paraná, with the capacity to produce 1.5 million tonnes of pulp per year, 1.1 million tonnes of which of hardwood pulp and 400 thousand tonnes of softwood pulp ("Project Puma").

Alizay Restarts Uncoated Woodfree Mill

The Alizay office paper mill in northern France is up and running again. Thailand's Double A, the new owner of the site, announced on Tuesday that the 300,000 tonne/yr facility produced the first jumbo reel.
The previous owner of the Alizay mill, Metsä Board, ceased production at the site in early March last year. At the end of the second quarter the firm closed the facility after its initial plan to sell the mill failed. According to the firm, the Alizay mill generated losses of around Euro 3 million ($4 million) per month at the time, and Metsä Board reportedly had been trying to sell the site for several years.
In January this year, the French administrative department of Eure acquired the Alizay mill and its assets from Metsä Board for Euro 22.2 million and immediately sold it to Double A for a consideration of Euro 18 million.

Nova Scotia Invests $16.5 Million in CFK Plan

A Hantsport-based manufacturing company is expanding its business and creating more than 30 jobs in the Annapolis Valley.
The province is supporting CKF Inc.'s plan to purchase new machinery and upgrade equipment.
"CKF is a successful business with deep roots in Hantsport and an increasing demand for its products.
Without the province's support, CKF would not be able to expand its operations and create more jobs for this community," said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Ramona Jennex, on behalf of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism Minister Graham Steele.
"This investment is another example of the jobsHere plan in action, as the province supports businesses that can compete on a global scale."
CKF Inc. is a family-owned company that manufactures Royal Chinet and other molded pulp and foam products for retail, food service, and packaging industries in the Canadian and U.S. markets. The company also has plants in Ontario and British Columbia, though the Hantsport facility is the only one with machinery that makes Royal Chinet products.

What’s Next Magazine: Passion for Print

New edition of Sappi’s What’s Next Magazine
Sappi Fine Paper Europe launches 6 th edition of What’s Next, its creative customer  magazine, reflecting the company’s ongoing passion for print. Available to order via www.whatsnextmagazine.net , it is the essential, hands on guide to enhancing printed content.
So what’s so special about What’s Next? Well, apart from being a particularly beautiful and content rich customer magazine, it’s Sappi’s way of demonstrating how effective paper is as a medium. It epitomizes Sappi’s passion for print, testing and pushing the boundaries of paper’s capability.

Food & Wine's Turns to Tumblr

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/food-wines-unconventional-tumblr-strategy-150213
There are a lot of creative ways media outlets use Tumblr: to post niche content that wouldn't otherwise get published, surface archived material, interact with their audiences and answer subscriber questions. But with as much freedom as the platform allows, companies tend to draw from their own resources and audiences.
That's what sets apart Food & Wine’s Tumblr initiative for its signature event, the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. The American Express Publishing brand has hosted the Classic for 31 years, long enough for it to have been covered to death by food journalists.

King's New Novel Goes Back to Paper

According to his critics, Stephen King is not only callous to the desires of some of his most ardent fans but also clinging to the past in deciding to release his new book "Joyland" in print only. -->
Several research studies have documented important differences between reading in print and online.
As the Center for Teaching and Learning at Stanford University summarized in 2008, reading paper texts is faster than reading texts presented online or displayed on a screen. Readers can orient themselves within the text better on paper. The National Literacy Trust in Britain recently warned of the perils of letting children — whose daily e-reading has doubled in the last two years — read exclusively on digital devices.

Ads in Digital Magazine Editions Grow

The magazine industry’s ad spending revenues for print only continue to decline, with eMarketer estimating in March 2013 that the format would contract by 0.4% this year and would not start growing again until 2016. 
But while buffeting from digital forces is cutting into print revenues, many magazines have successfully translated content to online formats and gained readership on digital editions. According to a December 2012 survey from payments consultancy WorldPay, 22% of US internet users had bought a downloadable magazine or newspaper via a subscription service.

News Corp. Investors Approve Breakup Plan

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-11/news-corp-holders-to-approve-plan-to-split-off-publishing-unit.html
Shareholders voted to approve the breakup plan at a special meeting this morning in New York, where the company is based, Murdoch said today. The publishing group will inherit the News Corp. name, while the entertainment unit will be called 21st Century Fox after the June 28 split. Murdoch holds the plurality of votes through his family’s trust, with 39 percent of Class B voting shares, helping ensure passage of the proposal.

Simon & Schuster Introduces Portal

Simon & Schuster’s new Customer Portal for booksellers went live on Tuesday morning, June 11.
The portal at customerportal.simonandschuster.com consolidates crucial resources — including marketing/coop information, order tracking, invoices, digital catalogs, and promotional information — in one place.

Media Business to Honor Top Innovators

Media Business will recognize outstanding b2b media executives tomorrow at its 10th annual Top Innovators in Business Publishing awards luncheon.
The media CEOs to be honored are Edward Gillette, president-CEO of Scranton Gillette Communications; David Kieselstein, CEO of Penton Media; and Mike Perlis, CEO of Forbes Media.

Why Printer Lead Times Do Matter

There’s more to obtaining print bids than price. When deciding on a printer, most retailers focus on print manufacturing, paper and distribution (i.e., co-mail, freight and postage) costs. However, there's more to obtaining print bids than price. Printer lead times (i.e., the schedule) are also an important consideration. For example, the dates mail tapes and creative files are due to a printer shouldn't be assumed or taken for granted because they vary greatly. While this may not be a direct cost, long lead times from your printer can affect your sales and bottom line.

Judges Back Legal Cap on Mail Discounts

U.S. Judges Back Legal Cap on USPS Presort Mail Discounts:
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit today dismissed an attempt by USPS to overturn orders from the Postal Regulatory Commission to correct over-large discounts offered for presorted mail.
The regulator had said the discount being offered by USPS was greater than the cost-savings that the presorting activity provided it – thereby breaking US postal law.
However, in two attempts to overturn a Commission order originally issued in 2010, USPS argued that it needed to offer large discounts for bulk mailers to keep them using the mail.