Marubeni in Talks to Build One of World's Largest Pulp Mills

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/05/marubenicorp-nikkei-idUSL4E8K58KN20120905

Japanese trading house Marubeni Corp is in talks with Angara Paper to build one of the world's largest paper pulp plants in Russia, the Nikkei reported.

The plant is valued at about 280 billion yen ($3.58 billion), the business daily reported.

If the negotiations are successful, Marubeni will design, build and procure equipment for the plant in the central Russian region of Krasnoyarsk, the paper said.

The plant's annual capacity is estimated to be 1.2 million tons and will be fully functional in late 2017, the Nikkei said.

UPM Warns EU of Consequences

UPM will move 300,000 tonnes of paper production from Finland to central Europe if the European Union (EU) passes the proposed changes to the directive on marine fuel sulfur content in their current form, the firm's CEO Jussi Pesonen told the Finnish newspaper Maaseudun Tulevaisuus.

In May, EU authorities agreed to amend the sulfur directive, which limits the sulfur content of marine fuels. Under the amended rules, the limit will fall from 1.0% to 0.1% in the North Sea, the English Channel and the Baltic as of 2015. A sulfur limit of 0.5% will be mandatory in other EU waters by 2020.

IP in Talks to Buy West Coast Paper, India

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-09-06/news/33650134_1_west-coast-paper-international-paper-indian-paper

Having whetted its appetite, the US-based International Paper, which last year acquired Andhra Paper Mills for about $425 million (about 1,900 crore then), is now in talks to buy the SK Bangur-controlled West Coast Paper for a deal likely to be valued between 800 crore and 1,200 crore.

An initial round of negotiations between the Memphis-based International Paper and West Coast Paper was held recently where valuations and future expansion plans for the plant located in Dandelli, Karnataka, were discussed.

Ilim Group Investing $580 Million

http://www.paperage.com/2012news/09_07_2012ilim_group_investment.html

Ilim Group is investing this year more than $580 million to complete modernizing and expanding their mills. This was announced by Ilim Group CEO Paul Herbert at the media briefing held at the APEC CEO Summit in Vladivostok.

Canada Invests $1.2 Million in Bioproducts Sector

Canada funds $1.2 million to develop wheat and flax opportunities in Manitoba including Prairie Pulp & Paper straw paper: Farmers and the Canadian bioproducts sector are getting a boost from the Harper Government. Member of Parliament Joyce Bateman (Winnipeg South Centre), on behalf Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, announced support of over $1.2 million for two innovative initiatives that will create new opportunities for Manitoba wheat and flax growers.

Finnish Forest Industry H1 2012

Forest industry in January-June 2012: Difficult market conditions led to weaker forest industry ...: 
Forest industry production volumes decreased or remained unchanged in a challenging operating environment during the first half of 2012. The industry's cost-competitiveness must be safeguarded in difficult economic times.
Finland produced 5.2 million tonnes of paper and paperboard in January-June 2012. Production volumes were down 10% from the previous year. Consumption of graphic paper grades remained low in the main market area of Europe because of the eurozone crisis, and this had an impact on Finnish production volumes. Paper export volumes decreased 12% in January-May, while paperboard exports were down 8.5%. Paper and paperboard prices remained stable in comparison to the corresponding period of 2011.

Power of Print Ads in China

http://www.pubexec.com/article/first-magazine-ad-effectiveness-data-show-power-print-china/?params=print#

First-ever data from GfK StarchMetrix and Sinomonitor measuring consumer recall of magazine advertisements in China reveal that ads in the cameras/photography, telephone equipment and face makeup categories generate the highest consumer readership scores.
The new syndicated print ad measurement data were gathered from online panels of approximately 10,000 consumers in June and July of 2012 by GfK StarchMetrix, a global leader in gauging print advertising effectiveness, in partnership with Sinomonitor, a leading consumer and media research company in China. The study, conducted in seven cities, encompassed 1,249 print ads across 42 magazine titles.

"The Economist" Formula for Success

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/garrett-goodman/the-economist-events_b_1796892.html?view=print&comm_ref=false

In a time of acute financial struggle for most media houses, weekly newspaper The Economist announced record profits and record circulation for last year. In the group's 2012 annual report, editorial events was cited by numerous managing directors as an important part of the publication's strategy.

This is a closer look at The Economist Group's event strategy: how it fosters audience engagement, generates millions in revenue, and attracts new readers.

Mobile Ad Revenue 2012 Forecast: $2.6 Billion

EMarketer projects mobile ad revenue will hit $2.6 billion this year: U.S. mobile advertising revenue will reach $2.6 billion this year, up 74% over last year, according to eMarketer. By 2014, U.S. mobile ad revenue will top $6.6 billion, the research firm forecast.

Transcontinental Reports Q3 Results

Transcontinental Increases Revenues by 8%: Transcontinental's Inc. revenues grew 8% in the third quarter, from $479.4 million to $517.0 million. This growth was driven primarily by the acquisition of  Quad/Graphics Canada, Inc. and Redux Media, among others, the volume generated from new printing contracts and the launches of new community newspapers in Quebec.