USPS Reports February Loss

USPS' losses mount in February: The U.S. Postal Service reported a loss of $1.1 billion for the month of February, the fifth month of its fiscal year, raising its year-to-date losses to $5.6 billion.

EURO-GRAPH Reports February Numbers

Total European shipments of coated mechanical paper fell -2.5% in February, as compared to the same month last year. Demand was down -3.9%, but exports rose by +2.9%. Shipments of Supercalendered paper increased 0.9% and demand was up 4.5%. Exports declined -14.6%.

St.Mary's May Never Restart

http://www.saultstar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3514164

St. Marys Paper is expected to be approved for sale in a on Monday morning.

A union representative for the papermaker's 300 workers expects the buyer, 2319839 Ontario Inc. won't restart operations, but instead will strip raw iron, special metals and electric motors from the century-old Supercalendered paper mill.

West Fraser Raising Pulp Price

West Fraser followed Canfor Pulp, Domtar, Resolute Forest Products and Tembec in announcing an increase of $30/metric tonne for NBSK pulp, effective April 1.

Variety For Sale

Variety Goes on the Block: Reed Business Information [RBI] today announced that is putting Variety up for sale. The company has spent the last three years divesting its U.S. magazine properties.

Resolute Paper Raises NBSK Prices

Resolute Forest Products announced an increase of $30/tonne on NBSK pulp, effective April 1.

Nippon Restarts LWC Machine

The Nippon Paper Group  has restarted another machine at its Ishinomaki mill in Japan.

Ishinomaki is the last facility in the country still dealing with machine damage from the catastrophic tsunami and earthquake of March 2011. PM 6, a 272,000 tonne/yr lightweight coated (LWC) paper unit, started back up on March 9. PM 5, which can produce 150,000 tonnes/yr of LWC, came back online on February 22.

White Birch Union Approves Offer

White Birch employees vote ‘Yes’ to accept final offer:
The vote by the unionized workers of the Stadacona mill yesterday was 79% in favour of accepting White Birch Paper Company‘s final offer. The offer includes significant concessions, but also gives the workers a chance that their newsprint mill may reopen.

Norske Skog Sells Follum Mill & Operations in Chile

http://www.pulpapernews.com/2012/03/norske-skog-sells-follum-to-viken-skog
Norske Skog divests its operations in Chile:
Norske Skog has entered into an agreement to sell the Follum, which the company had closed, to Viken Skog.
Separately, Norske Skog announced the sale of Norske Skog Bio Bio in Chile to Group BO, a consortium of Chilean investors, for USD 56 million.

ABC Endorses New Consolidated Media Report

ABC board endorses new Consolidated Media Report format for business publishers: The Audit Bureau of Circulations board has endorsed a new Consolidated Media Report format for business magazine publishers. The CMR enables publishers to include data from such brand extensions as newsletters, trade shows and websites to help quantify the reach of the brand.

Access Intelligence Buys LeadsCon

Access Intelligence Acquires LeadsCon, Daily Deals Summit: Access Intelligence, owner of FOLIO: publisher Red 7 Media, announced today it has acquired LeadsCon.

Flint Group Raising Prices

Flint Group Announces April 1st Price Increases: Continuing raw materials cost increases as well as other operations and logistical cost increases in 2012 requires Flint Group to increase prices of solvent based packaging inks and all packaging and narrow web white inks in North America effective 1 April 2012.

Trouble for USPS Reform Bill

Backlash Against USPS Mail Plant Closures Threatens Reform Bill: The massive political backlash against U.S. Postal Service plans to reduce the size of its mail processing network by 50 percent has reached fever pitch, threatening to completely block any postal reform legislation.

Quad Establishes Media Solutions Services Group

Quad Graphics Establishes Media Solutions Services Group:
Quad Graphics Inc. announces the formation of Media Solutions, a services group dedicated to helping marketers and publishers more efficiently and effectively integrate print and new media channels.

RRD 8% Dividend Yield

R.R. Donnelley Prints Everything -- Including an 8% Dividend Yield -- Except Profits:
As investors, we're all increasingly accustomed to modern companies - created in recent years to capitalize on things like the Internet, global trade and the use of myriad technologies that replace much of what workers formerly did.

eBook Sales Reaching Plateau

Are eBook Sales Reaching a Plateau?: The once-exploding sales growth of eBooks has slowed dramatically, according to research from RR Bowker.

Vietnam; World’s Largest Wood Chip Supplier

Vietnam now world’s largest wood chip supplier

More Details Kodak's Chapter 11

More details emerge behind Kodak's fall into Chapter 11:

A dramatic collapse in licensing revenues at Kodak's Consumer Digital Imaging division and a doubling of losses at its Graphic Communications Group wing helped propel the firm into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

People On The Move; Omnimedia

People on the Move: Alison Adler Matz is named senior vice president and publisher of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia’s Everyday Food and Whole Living. She was previously publisher of Fairchild Fashion Media’s WWD Beauty Inc.

Supercalendered Paper Ships Fall

The PPPC has reported that North American Supercalendered paper shipments declined -27% in February as compared to the same month last year. Demand was down -28.3% and imports decreased -32.7%. The operating rate was 96%. SC-A/SC-A+ shipments fell -17.6%, demand was down -22.6% and imports declined -34.7%.