US trade representative starts NAFTA inquiry into subsidies for Port Hawkesbury Paper:
A trade representative in the United States has started a NAFTA inquiry to determine if improper subsidies were given to Port Hawkesbury Paper.
The Nova Scotia government provided the new owners with a $124.5 million aid package and spent an additional $36.8 million to keep the mill hot idled until a sale agreement could be reached.
Ron Kirk, United States Trade Representative, plans to request information from the Canadian and Nova Scotian governments to verify details of the assistance given to the mill.
Kirk was prompted by Maine’s Congressman Mike Michaud who is concerned about job losses in Maine.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Pulp & Paper Firms to Invest $2 Bil in PM Projects
Researched by Industrial Info Resources
(Sugar Land, Texas) -- Pulp and paper manufacturers have outlined plans to
invest just more than $2 billion in 125 paper
machine projects at paper mills across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Mill
owners are planning to perform major upgrades, rebuilds and new installations,
mainly for reliability and runnability, as well as quality improvements. The
investment values of the projects range from $500,000 to $430 million. There
are a dozen projects that are under construction with a combined value of $1.04
billion. The remaining projects have construction kick-off dates from October
of this year to June 2014.
Environmental Group Upset with Port Hawk Deal
Paper mill agreement concerns N.S. environment group:
A Nova Scotia's environmental group says it's outraged the province has weakened forest protection requirements for the new owners of the Port Hawkesbury Paper mill in Cape Breton.
The Ecology Action Centre says the final agreement signed Friday between the province and Stern Partners Inc. — an affiliate of Pacific West Commercial Corp. — includes a clause that would allow the newly reopened mill to drop its certification by the Forest Stewardship Council.
A Nova Scotia's environmental group says it's outraged the province has weakened forest protection requirements for the new owners of the Port Hawkesbury Paper mill in Cape Breton.
The Ecology Action Centre says the final agreement signed Friday between the province and Stern Partners Inc. — an affiliate of Pacific West Commercial Corp. — includes a clause that would allow the newly reopened mill to drop its certification by the Forest Stewardship Council.
Sappi: No Plans to Increase Gratkorn Capacity
Sappi
does not intend to double the capacity of its Gratkorn mill, located outside of
Graz in southern Austria, contrary to such claims in an Austrian media report.
The
Austrian newspaper Die Presse published an article on September 23
stating that Sappi wants to invest "no less than $400 million" in the
Gratkorn mill, quoting Sappi CEO Ralph Boëttger.
The
Gratkorn mill has a capacity of some 950,000 tonnes/yr of triple-coated
woodfree (CWF) paper on two PMs and 255,000 tonnes/yr of totally chlorine-free
chemical pulp. It also has an annual sheet finishing capacity of 800,000
tonnes/yr.
Mega-Merger Solution to Europe's Capacity Challenge?
Battered by the global debt crisis and the shift to online media, the region's industry is currently estimated to have 10-15 percent of overcapacity in paper grades such as newsprint, and magazine and office paper.
The world's two biggest producers of those graphic paper grades, whose headquarters are separated by a few hundred meters on Helsinki's seafront market square, have closed down several paper mills since 2006, but more consolidation in the European paper industry is seen as inevitable.
Analysts say the ideal solution may be a merger of UPM and Stora Enso that would create the world's number one paper company by any measure, which would give the combined entity substantial control over capacity and therefore, prices, helping rivals as well as themselves.
P&P Week Completes Merger
RISI,
the leading information provider for the global forest products industry, today
announced that it has incorporated the publication Official Board Markets (OBM)
into its sister publication, PPI Pulp & Paper Week (PPW). As the premier
news and price reporting service for the North American pulp and paper
industry, PPW will leverage the addition of OBM resources and content to
improve the accuracy of recovered paper price reporting and expand its coverage
of the paperboard market.
Birla’s AV Terrace Bay Starts Pulp Mill
Indian firm Aditya Birla Group's 350,000 tonnes/yr northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) market pulp mill at Terrace Bay, ON, fired up its boiler on Wednesday and is starting pulp production this week, as reported by RISI.
Forbes AdVoice Becomes BrandVoice
It has rebranded the service to BrandVoice to differentiate it as content marketing and is expanding it into video. Forbes is positioning the content product as a premium service, building up a content services division and often bundling BrandVoice as part of pricey integrated buys that carry a $1 million minimum.
Wired Tries "Advertorial"
Condé Nast’s Wired, Reddit Team Up for Multi-Platform Ad Campaign:
Wired is getting creative with its advertisers, and having readers go along for the experience. In a new campaign designed by the magazine and client, user generated content is leveraged to provide a collaborative, multi-platform advertorial (below) that appears in the publication’s October issue.
Wired is getting creative with its advertisers, and having readers go along for the experience. In a new campaign designed by the magazine and client, user generated content is leveraged to provide a collaborative, multi-platform advertorial (below) that appears in the publication’s October issue.
Source Interlink Buys Dirt Sports & Off-Road Industry
Source Interlink's Grind Media Forms Dirt Sports Group with Acquisition:
Source Interlink Media's enthusiast sports group, GrindMedia, bought Dirt Sports and Off-Road Industry magazines from Ryan Communications Group this week.
Source Interlink Media's enthusiast sports group, GrindMedia, bought Dirt Sports and Off-Road Industry magazines from Ryan Communications Group this week.
Penton Invests in Consulting Firm
Penton Takes Stake in Energy Management Consulting Firm:
Penton Media has made an investment in energy management and sustainability consulting firm GreenPoint Partners with the intention of co-developing a site that connects building managers with green utility and product manufacturers.
Penton Media has made an investment in energy management and sustainability consulting firm GreenPoint Partners with the intention of co-developing a site that connects building managers with green utility and product manufacturers.
Revamp at The New Republic
Making The New Republic New Again:
Chris Hughes, one of Facebook’s co-founders, took a majority stake in The New Republic in March. The brand, at a circulation of just under 40,000, has ricocheted between owners over the last few years and has been unable to turn a profit. Hughes is investing his own capital to relaunch its entire platform—print, mobile and web—all at once in the next couple months.
Chris Hughes, one of Facebook’s co-founders, took a majority stake in The New Republic in March. The brand, at a circulation of just under 40,000, has ricocheted between owners over the last few years and has been unable to turn a profit. Hughes is investing his own capital to relaunch its entire platform—print, mobile and web—all at once in the next couple months.
Wingate Partners Acquires Nekoosa Coated Products
Wingate Partners Acquires Nekoosa Coated Products: Deal to Accelerate GrowthNekoosa Coated Products, LLC announced today the sale of the business to Wingate Partners effective October 2, 2012. Wingate Partners, a Dallas, Texas based investment firm, partnered with Paul Charapata, John Danio and other leaders on the Nekoosa team to acquire the business from Dunsirn Partners, based in Appleton, Wisconsin. The company, which manufactures specialty paper products at its Nekoosa, Wisconsin facility, will remain an independent company operating company operating under the same name.
Hallmark to Close Topeka Plant
Hallmark to Close Topeka Plant; Consolidation to Cost 300 Jobs in Kansas: Hallmark Cards Inc. will close its Topeka (KS) manufacturing plant and shed about 300 jobs as it consolidates its Kansas operations at its remaining facilities in Lawrence and Leavenworth, the company said yesterday. The Kansas City-based greeting card company said the number of people working at its Kansas plants will fall from about 1,300 now to about 1,000 when consolidation is finished by the end of next year.
August Commercial Printing Shipments Fall
August 2012 US Commercial Printing Shipments Down -2.9% Compared to 2011 (Economics & Research):
August 2012 US commercial printing shipments were $6.9 billion, down -$205 million (-2.9%) compared to 2011. On an inflation-adjusted basis, shipments were down -$325 million (-4.5%). For the first eight months of the year, shipments are down -2.1% in current dollars, and -4.1% after inflation adjustment. Our forecast models indicate that the year will finish at approximately $80.5 to $81.0 billion. It is more likely that the models are slightly high, and that the year will probably finish at approximately $79.5.
August 2012 US commercial printing shipments were $6.9 billion, down -$205 million (-2.9%) compared to 2011. On an inflation-adjusted basis, shipments were down -$325 million (-4.5%). For the first eight months of the year, shipments are down -2.1% in current dollars, and -4.1% after inflation adjustment. Our forecast models indicate that the year will finish at approximately $80.5 to $81.0 billion. It is more likely that the models are slightly high, and that the year will probably finish at approximately $79.5.
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