Resolute Inaugurates Green Energy Power Island

Resolute Forest Products inaugurates green energy power island at their Thunder Bay, Ontario operation:
Resolute Forest Products has officially inaugurated a major power island producing green energy at its pulp and paper operation located in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The power island includes a refurbished and upgraded woodwaste boiler and a new 65-megawatt condensing turbine. Approved by Resolute in early 2011, the C$65 million project took just over 21 months to complete. “The power island is a strategic addition to Resolute’s Thunder Bay facility,” stated Richard Garneau, President and Chief Executive Officer. “It will reduce the mill’s energy costs as well as maximize our local woodlands, sawmill, pulp and paper, and energy operations by fully utilizing forest-based biomass to produce green electricity.” The green power produced will be sold to the Ontario grid under a power purchase agreement between Resolute and the Ontario Power Authority. To mark the inauguration, a ceremonial “throwing of the switch” was held earlier today involving key company and government representatives. “This project is consistent with Resolute’s focus on optimizing our network to reduce costs as well as investing in projects that improve our competitive position and are aligned with a sustainable future,” added Garneau.

IP To Pilot TAPPISAFE Program

International Paper to Pilot TAPPISAFE Program: International Paper will pilot the TAPPISAFE Program at its Selma, Ala., mill. TAPPISAFE is a standardized safety orientation and verification program developed “for and by the industry,” and offered in partnership with the Alliance Safety Council and governed by an Advisory Committee consisting of representatives from major pulp, paper and packaging companies. The program ensures that contractors and suppliers achieve a standard level of safety awareness before arriving at a mill. The use of the TAPPISAFE program at the IP facility demonstrates how the industry is beginning to embrace the program. In addition, more than 20 companies have demonstrated their support for improving contractor safety.

Fortress Paper-Q1 Results

http://www.stockwatch.com/News/Item.aspx?bid=Z-C:FTP-2069682&symbol=FTP&region=C

Fortress Paper Ltd. had 2013 first quarter EBITDA loss of $2.6-million. Excluding corporate costs, combined EBITDA  loss of the three business segments Fortress operated in during the first quarter of 2013 was $300,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2013. The recently discontinued specialty papers segment contributed $10.5-million EBITDA, while the dissolving pulp segment and the security paper products segment generated EBITDA losses of $8.7-million and $2.1-million, respectively. Corporate costs contributed to EBITDA loss in the amount of $2.3-million.Fortress reported a net loss (including discontinued operations) of $12.4-million, or diluted loss per share of 85 cents for the first quarter of 2013, on sales of $99.7-million. In the fourth quarter of 2012, the company reported a net loss of $4.2-million or diluted loss per share of 29 cents on sales of $96.1-million, and for the first quarter of 2012, net loss of $10.7-million or diluted loss per share of 75 cents on sales of $61.4-million.

Mondi To Close News PM In South Africa

Mondi to close PM in South Africa

Mondi recently announced that its South Africa Division plans to close a newsprint machine at its Merebank mill in South Africa. Mondi states that  “as a result of the ongoing decline in domestic newsprint demand and reorganisation within the publishing sector, the decision has been taken to close one of the two newsprint machines in Merebank. The newsprint business will continue to operate one newsprint machine with an annual production capacity of 120,000 tonnes per annum.” Mondi will also close the South Africa Division's woodchip export operations. The Mondi Merebank Mill produces a range of office paper including the premium South African brand, Mondi Rotatrim. Mondi Shanduka Newsprint (MSN) is also housed in Merebank, and produces newsprint and telephone directory paper, primarily for the South African market.

Quad Soon To Be Colombia’s Top Comm Printer

Quad/Graphics Soon To Be Colombia’s Top Commercial Printer:
Quad/Graphics-Bogotá will become Colombia’s largest commercial printer in terms of production capacity after it installs a new, highly productive 64-page web offset press this year. Designed for high-quality, high-page-count print work, the single-web Goss Sunday 4000 will be the largest, fastest offset pre

KBA Q1 Earnings Hit By Behind Schedule Sales

KBA Q1 Earnings Hit by Behind Schedule Sales:
Given the current economic uncertainty, global investment restraint in printing presses already visible towards the end of last year continued in the first quarter of 2013. Koenig & Bauer (KBA) disclosed a 15.5% reduction in the group’s new orders to €200m (2012: €236.6m). Group sales of €190.7m were also below last year’s figure of €263.5m due to shipments postponed by customers and more deliveries planned in the second half of the year. On 31 March group order backlog of €657.3m was slightly higher than at the beginning of the quarter, but still 17.7% lower than the prior-year figure of €798.8m.

Study: 92% of News Consumption-Still in Traditional Media

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/business-news/the-biz-blog/212550/new-research-finds-92-percent-of-news-consumption-is-still-on-legacy-platforms/

New McKinsey research indicates that about 35% of the time consumers spend on news consumption is devoted to newspapers and magazines, 41%  to TV, 16% to radio/audio; 4% to desktop/laptop; 2% each to  smartphones, tablets. But digital devices get slightly more than half of total (not just news) media time—about 10X more than newspapers and magazines. Poynter's Rick Edmonds points out that the time-spent metrics don't solve traditional media's "basic advertising problem of vanished monopoly pricing power and strong competition from a wide range of targeted digital marketing options," but might help strengthen the case for print and other traditional-media advertising to be used in conjunction with digital advertising. Separately, in opinion piece, PaidContent's Mathew Ingram argues that the findings shouldn't make traditional media complacent, for several reasons.

Japan Ad Economy Expands

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/200264/dentsu-japan-ad-economy-expands-for-first-time-in.html#axzz2TGriI8TX

Japan’s advertising economy expanded 3.2% in 2012, marketing the first increase in five years for one of the world’s most developed ad markets, according to estimates released this morning as part of Tokyo-based agency holding company Dentsu’s first quarter earnings statement. The quarter, the last of Dentsu’s fiscal year, saw net sales expand 2.5% over the same quarter in 2012. While demand for advertising, especially TV advertising time, showed a “strong upturn” during the second quarter as Japan’s ad market continued to rebound from the lingering effects of the earthquake and tsunami, Dentsu said other macroeconomic issues, including economic tumult in Europe and a slowdown in China, as well as overall uncertainty in the world’s economy, means that ad demand “started slow” and the outlook will remain “unpredictable.” In terms of specific media, Dentsu said “traditional media” expanded 2.9% during 2012, while “promotional media” rose only 1.4%. Satellite television was the fastest growing sector, rising 13.7% over 2011, while Internet advertising also beat the overall marketplace, expanding 7.7%.

Meredith Buys/Absorbs Parenting & Babytalk

Meredith Buys and Absorbs Parenting and Babytalk From Bonnier:  Meredith today announced it acquired the Parenting and Babytalk brands from Bonnier. The two magazines will effectively be absorbed into Meredith's existing Parents and American Baby brands. Following the deal, subscribers of Parenting and Babytalk will begin getting Parents and American Baby instead starting with the September issues. In the meantime, Meredith will port over popular editorial features and columns from the former Bonnier titles into Parents and American Baby. But starting this fall, Parenting and Babytalk will essentially cease to exist in print. Parenting.com, however, will continue to operate as part of the Parents network of sites. A sale price wasn't released, but Meredith says the acquisitions will not have a material effect on performance. According to PIB numbers, Babytalk was down about 37 percent in ad pages in the first quarter this year compared to the same period in 2012. The 2.2 million circ Parenting was down 29 percent in ad pages in that same period. The sale follows a succession of events out of Bonnier since Dave Freygang took over as CEO after Terry Snow's departure in January. 

Lucky Magazine, Looking for a Turnaround

http://adage.com/article/media/lucky-magazine-offeris-eye-candy/241442/

Shopping magazine Lucky saw ad pages drop 20.3% in 2012, and newsstand sales -31% in 2H 2012 (though overall circ stable). In January, Conde Nast named Gillian Gorman Round to oversee both its editorial and business operations (a first), and Lucky is a first priority for Anna Wintour in her new, added role as corporate artistic director. First iteration of Lucky's evolution seen in June/July issue, with redesign emphasizing visuals ("eye candy," in Round's wording). The new cover photo (shown) was shot outdoors instead of against a white backdrop in a studio. A grid-like way of showing products in the magazine, often as thumbnail images, has given way to livelier, larger photos as well as more images of models in real-world settings. But real-world settings and other aesthetic changes aren't meant to dilute the focus on shopping. "We are all about the girl and helping her define what she's going to buy for herself," Round said. "We are reasserting that position--owning, occupying, and dominating that position and making sure that every part of our brand is exceeding that position." Ecommerce strategy is another key challenge for Lucky. Round has background in ecommerce and is promising action, but no details on plan as of yet. (Separately, WWD reports that Wintour's artistic director title is being added to all CN magazine mastheads in June or July issues, depending on production schedules.)

Vanity Fair Targets Brand Campaign

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/vanity-fair-targets-brand-campaign-ad-community-149490

Vanity Fair has had a strong start for the year, with ad pages up 5 percent. But the Condé Nast title isn't taking anything for granted, launching a campaign to woo the advertising community. Beginning Thursday, Vanity Fair will send out a weekly email newsletter called "The List" to 1,000 people in the agency world. The e-newsletter includes highlights from the magazine's website, print edition, and its Cultural Agenda promotional blog. (It also reminds recipients to contact their local sales rep if they’re not on the magazine’s comp list.) Each month, 50 people from "The List" will receive a hand-delivered red envelope containing a prize that ties into the magazine's content. On May 14, 49 list members will get an AMC gift card to see The Bling Ring, the new Sofia Coppola film profiled in the June issue of Vanity Fair (and based on a 2010 VF article by contributor Nancy Jo Sales), while one will get a ticket to the movie’s premiere instead. Other future prizes could include items from the magazine’s Fanfair section or tickets to a Vanity Fair event—like its fabled Oscar party. "Our goal with this program is to create new and exciting points of entry for media audiences to engage with the Vanity Fair brand," vp, publisher Edward Menicheschi said in a statement.

Atlantic Media To Launch Digital Brand

Atlantic Media to Launch Digital Brand for National Security Market:  Atlantic Media announced today that it's planning to release a new digital-first brand targeting the U.S. defense and national security markets. Called Defense One, the mobile-optimized brand will launch this summer, followed by a live event and specific iOS and Android apps in the fall. According to the company, Defense One will be ad supported and will provide news and analysis for national security leadership, including defense leaders, Congressional offices and committees, contractors and think tanks. Atlantic Media already has a presence in the government b-to-b space with its Government Executive Media Group, which is where Defense One will be housed and includes the Government Executive and Nextgov brands. Both of those already serve more than 60,000 Department of Defense subscribers, says the company. The new brand will be modeled after the six-month-old Quartz, which is optimized for desktop, mobile and tablet users and now attracts about 2.3 million monthly uniques, per Omniture numbers. An events platform will support the brand, with the first planned for this fall. Shortly after that, the company says it will also release a series of e-books. 

Push Rolls Out New Magazine

Push rolls out new magazine targeting artistic elite:
The London company printed the first run of 1,000 copies in five colours on its Heidelberg Speedmaster 102XS. A further 350 limited editions of the twice-yearly magazine feature a die-cut, gold foiled slip case and binding with visible stitching.
Joint partner Roy Killen said one of the creative highlights of the 108-page magazine with six-page cover was the "coptic" binding, with exposed thread stitching down the spine. The magazine measures 255mm x 210mm. Article, billed as a magazine that "celebrates Britain with the coolest of papers", covers art, design, culture and contemporary men's fashion and was printed with the support of Arctic Paper UK. The launch issue includes a selection from the paper supplier's range including Arctic Matt, Arctic Silk, Arctic Volume White and Munken Lynx Rough. The latter was chosen for its "tactile appeal; not too bulky or shiny, yet offering unique colour reproduction," said the magazine's art director Rosy Tsai. Arctic Paper managing director Garry Colyer, said: "This unique magazine is inspirational in terms of design and its choice of papers. All standard Arctic Papers are FSC certified so it has great environmental credentials too." Push works with design companies, galleries, arts organisations, publishers and the wider creative community.

BtoB study: Email Marketing Matures

BtoB study: Email marketing matures, driven by content, mobile: Email marketing, while virtually a legacy channel, continues to adapt—slowly—to content and mobile marketing, according to a new study by BtoB. According to “Email Marketing: An Established Channel Evolves,” content that inspires registration is the most common trigger for an email campaign: 63% of respondents reported that event and trade show registrations provide leads for email marketing campaigns, with 62% saying that form registration for webinars and white papers also trigger an email. No other customer activity—requests for demos (36%), website behavior (32%) or call center interaction (17%)—came close. However, use of triggered email remains relatively rare. Only a little more than a quarter of marketers reported that their companies use automation platforms to deploy email this way.

Apps To Send Mail From Mobile Devices

http://postalnews.com/postalnewsblog/2013/05/14/apps-make-it-easy-to-send-mail-from-mobile-devices/

Technology finally has caught on to the value of the mail, with four mobile apps that let users mail custom cards and letters directly from their devices. Cards, Felt, Ink Cards and Lettrs are four apps with a similar premise — each uses technology to produce hard-copy mail. Each app also allows users to customize a card or letter using a variety of template, text and photo options. Once users have completed their pieces, each service prints and mails the card or letter for a flat fee.

The Cards app, first offered by Apple in 2011, is available for iPhones, iPads and the iPod Touch. Customers can use photos stored on their devices to create a custom photo card. Each card produced using this app costs $2.99 to design and send within the U.S. International pieces cost $4.99. Users are notified when their items are delivered. The Felt app is available only for iPads. Like Cards, it offers a variety of card templates and styles, but allows users to draft a note with a pen tool that replicates handwriting. The cards are printed, sealed and stamped for $3.99 each. The Ink Cards app is currently available for iPads, iPhones and Android devices. It specializes in high-quality photo cards that cost $1.99, including postage, to create and deliver. The Lettrs app gives users the ability to send a letter using the app’s online technology. Customers have three stationery options for their letters: A $2 recycled paper letter, a $4 letter on parchment paper, or an $8 letter that delivers a message on scented linen paper with a wax seal.