Might Be Weeks Before Restart of Sartell

http://wjon.com/sartell-paper-plant-manager-too-early-to-tell-when-verso-might-re-open/

The plant manager of the crippled Verso paper mill in Sartell says it will be a week or more before they know when the plant might re-open.

Matt Archambeau told reporters at a news briefing this morning it's too early to say what's needed in order to re-open the plant.

Men’s Health Adds App

Men’s Health Preps iPhone Magazine App: On the heels of Adobe’s Content Viewer debut, Rodale’s Men’s Health brings its content to the iPhone. Though the publication already has a portfolio of one-off apps available for the platform, the latest iPhone app will include the magazine’s monthly offering in its entirety.

Good Magazine Reports Cuts

Good Cuts Most of its Edit Team: Good—self-described as the magazine "for people who give a damn"—has laid off at least five editorial staffers, including executive editor Ann Friedman, the day after holding a launch party for its newest issue.

Verizon Continues Cutting of Printed Books

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/verizon-continues-program-end-automatic-125400048.html

Verizon is well on its way toward ending the automatic delivery of printed residential white pages directories in California. Through the end of May, the company has ceased automatic delivery of 33 of the 44 residential editions in the discontinuation program. When completed in October, the discontinuation program is expected to keep out of the California waste stream approximately 1,900 tons of paper per year.

Penton Launches WealthManagement

Penton Launches New Wealth Management Website:  B-to-b media company Penton has launched a new website targeting the wealth management market called, appropriately enough, WealthManagement.com.
Those two brands are also supported by print titles—Registered Rep. and Trusts & Estates. Registered Rep. will changed its name to REP. and both titles, effective with the June issues, will become "units" of WealthManagement.com.

IP Selling 3 Containerboard Mills

Int'l Paper Selling 3 Mills for $470 Million:

International Paper today announced that it has reached two agreements to sell three U.S containerboard mills in order to satisfy the company's obligations in its February 2012 settlement agreement, entered into in connection with the company's acquisition of Temple-Inland, with the U.S. Department of Justice.

UPM Completes Sale of Packaging Paper Operations

http://www.upm.com/en/media/all-news/Pages/The-sale-of-UPM%E2%80%99s-packaging-paper-operations-of-the-Pietarsaari-and-Tervasaari-m-001-Fri-01-Jun-2012-12-15.aspx

Billerud Finland Oy's acquisition of UPM's packaging paper operations at Pietarsaari and Tervasaari is now completed. Billerud Finland Oy is a wholly owned subsidiary of Billerud AB. The purchase price is around EUR 130 million.

Separately, UPM Raflatac reported that the company signed an agreement to acquire the business operations of Gascogne Laminates Switzerland SA. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The closing of the acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals.

Verso Back in Control of Sartell PMs

http://www.sctimes.com/article/20120531/NEWS01/305300027/Crews-begin-removing-paper-from-Verso-mill

Control of portions of the Sartell Verso paper mill were handed back to the company Wednesday after fire officials deemed them safe.

The paper production area is again under Verso’s control after an explosion and fire broke out in the warehouse Monday, badly damaging the building, killing one worker and injuring four.

Catalyst Posts For Sale Notice

Catalyst Paper Corporation advises that under order of the Supreme Court of British Columbia authorizing procedures for a sale and investor solicitation process, the following notice was published today in The Globe & Mail and The Wall Street Journal.

AF&PA CEO Named President of ICFPA

http://www.afandpa.org/

The International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA) announced Donna Harman as its new President. Harman, president and CEO of the American Forest & Paper Association, will serve in this capacity for the next two years. 

Separately, the AF&PA announced its approval of a bill introduced in Congress, the Forest Products Fairness Act of 2012 - which would modify the definition of "biobased" materials to specifically include forest products in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Biobased Markets Program.

Manufacturing Sector Posts Continued Growth

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-01/u-dot-s-dot-may-ism-manufacturing-report-on-business-text

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in May for the 34th consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for the 36th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business. This represents an increase of 1.9 percentage points from April and also the highest level recorded by the index since April 2011.

List Rental Prices Fall

http://www.dmnews.com/report-list-rental-prices-continue-to-drop/article/243719/

Worldata's List Price Index, released June 1, reveals that during Spring 2012, list rental prices have continued to drop, said Ray Tesi, SVP at Worldata.

According to the report, aggregated business database files, which typically get their information through web scraping and crowd sourcing, dropped substantially in b-to-c email list prices. Prices for databases and master files, which are sourced more traditionally from response and subscription lists, have also continued to fall.

Container Store Introduces Digital Catalog

http://risnews.edgl.com/retail-best-practices/Container-Store-Targets-Customer-Groups-with-Themed-Digital-Catalogs80432?rssid=Article80432

The Container Store is introducing themed, interactive digital catalogs to highlight different subsets of its eclectic mix of storage and organization products. A new Web-based catalog will be published every six weeks, allowing the retailer to more effectively target specific audiences or shopping seasons. 

GQ Launches E-Commerce Sales

GQ Launches E-Commerce Sales with Nordstrom: GQ—Condé Nast's 980,000-circulation men's magazine—takes another step into e-commerce with a new partnership with retailer, and long-time advertiser, Nordstrom.

NAPL Expands Its Small Printer Services

NAPL Expands Its Small Printer Services: The industry’s quick and small commercial printers include “some of the industry’s most innovative and fast-growing companies,” says Andrew Paparozzi, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist at The National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL). Now NAPL is expanding its services for this key industry segment with two new newsletters and a conference created exclusively for quick and small commercial printers.

NewPage Port Hawkesbury Granted Extension

NewPage Port Hawkesbury granted extension:
In court this morning, Justice John Murphy approved another extension to NewPage Port Hawkesbury‘s period of creditor protection.
But the judge expressed concern about possible delays getting the purchase deal with Pacific West Commercial Corp. done by September.
This extension is for 2 more months.
NewPage Port Hawkesbury will return to court on August 1.

AF&PA Reports April Paper & Board Production

http://www.afandpa.org/

US paper and board production in April declined 2.5% vs April 2011 production and was down year-to-date by 1.2%, based on American Forest & Paper Association figures.

The April decline resulted from a 3.2% drop in paper production and 2% fall in paperboard production.

Year-to-date, uncoated mechanical paper production was down 16.2% and coated papers down 5%.

US mills year-to-date ran at an average of 91.2%, in line with the 2011 average.

Catalyst Asks Goverment for Support

http://www.vancouversun.com/story_print.html?id=6276077&sponsor=

 Kevin J. Clarke, president and CEO of Catalyst Paper is asking Victoria and Ottawa for it's support. " Catalyst delivers 7,000 jobs in B.C., and has a $2 billion impact a year." The company is asking the B.C. government to support North Cowichan's efforts to achieve a competitive industrial tax rate, to make available $30 million over five years to support new hiring and high-tech training programs at Catalyst mills. It's asking Victoria for support in ensuring certainty in BC Hydro rates and to eliminate the $8 million per year risk to Catalyst operations and Ottawa to return to Catalyst the $5.5 million each month in HST credits that are normally returned to the company but that are now frozen under CCAA.

Verso Still Assessing Sartell Damage

 http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/apArticle/id/D9V2NO8O2/

The future of a paper mill that's one of the main employers and taxpayers in the central Minnesota town of Sartell was unclear Tuesday as firefighters spent a second day trying to extinguish a fire that killed one worker and injured four.

The fire broke out Monday with an explosion in a warehouse at the Verso Paper Corp. mill. The warehouse held nearly 4,000 rolls of paper, each weighing hundreds of pounds. Firefighters Tuesday still were trying to get to the burning rolls at the back of the building.

The building is unstable and structural beams are resting on top of paper rolls, Fire Chief Ken Heim said. "We have a massive challenge ahead of us," Heim said during a news conference.

However, Heim also said he didn't think the rest of the plant was damaged.

The plant is so important to the area that Gov. Mark Dayton visited the site Tuesday.

New York Magazine & Dwell Partner

http://www.foliomag.com/2012/new-york-and-dwell-partner-upcoming-print-publication-event

In a collaboration that will play out in person and in print, New York and Dwell partner to bring design to a greater audience. The partnership aims to expand both Dwell’s and New York’s footprints in the New York City design scene, as well as to aid the American Institute of Architects [AIA] in reaching the consumer market.