Folio: People on the Move

http://www.foliomag.com/2013/people-move-7-25-13#.UfGCflOYyKw

TheStreet announced that Ron Kost, Michael McCormack, Andrew Freedman and John Ferraro have joined the advertising sales team as directors of advertising sales.

Ron Kost worked with startup and blue chip media companies for many years and spent the past four years with new media companies like GigaOM media and PSN Inc.
Michael McCormack has held positions with ALM, Forbes and Banner Direct. 
Andrew Freedman has more than 14 years of digital media sales experience. He previously represented Sojern, LinkedIn, bizjournals and Forbes.com. He joins TheStreet from Adara. 
John Ferraro is joining TheStreet from Seeking Alpha. He previously worked at Nasdaq.com as sales director and The Deal LLC as associate publisher.

Penton Buys Aviation Week

http://www.foliomag.com/2013/penton-buys-aviation-week-mcgraw-hill#.UfGB51OYyKw

McGraw Hill Financial has sold Aviation Week to Penton in an all-cash deal. The transaction is part of McGraw Hill Financial's ongoing effort to divest "non-core" assets and position itself as a financial intelligence company.
The acquisition, the third for Penton since 2010, was conducted privately and not through an auction process.
For its part, Penton plans to house Aviation Week in its existing Aviation Group, consisting of six core brands including Air Transport World, Speed News and Airportdata.com.

Door-to-Door, Sat. Delivery Closer to Getting Axe

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/24/house-committee-votes-to-limit-postal-service-home-delivery/2584377/

Door-to-door service and Saturday mail delivery, long hallmarks of the U.S. Postal Service, are a step closer to being phased out.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Wednesday approved a measure that would end door-to-door delivery to 37 million residences and businesses and Saturday mail service to more than 150 million homes and businesses.
Ending door-to-door delivery — which will force millions to get mail at curbside boxes or neighborhood cluster boxes by 2022 — would save up to $4.5 billion annually, said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. Ending Saturday service — a proposal that was met with widespread criticism when it was first proposed in 2012 — could save an additional $2 billion a year.
"A balanced approach to saving the Postal Service means allowing USPS to adapt to America's changing use of mail,'' said Issa, the bill's sponsor and chairman of the committee. "Done right, these reforms can improve the customer experience through a more efficient Postal Service."

B-to-B CEOs More Confident

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20130725/MEDIABUSINESS10/307259999/b-to-b-media-ceos-more-confident-about-economy

B-to-b media CEOs are more optimistic about business conditions for their own companies and the markets they serve than they were six months ago, according to American Business Media's July 2013 CEO Confidence Index.
Sixty-six percent of b-to-b media CEOs surveyed for the latest report said current business conditions for their companies are positive, compared with 58% in January. Looking ahead 12 months, 75% of respondents said they anticipate better business conditions next year, compared with 60% who had positive expectations in the January survey.
CEOs' optimism is more tempered when it comes to the market conditions of their reader customers. In the latest survey, 44% expressed a positive outlook, while half were neutral. In January, only 37% of CEOs reported positive economic conditions, and 56% assessed conditions as neutral.

$105 Billion Global Cross-Border Shopping Market

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/paypal-unveils-the-modern-spice-routes-2013-07-22

Cross-border payments between six key markets expected to grow 200% by 2018.

With the global economy still struggling, businesses and exporters can help increase their revenue by waking up to cross-border sales opportunities as revealed by new PayPal and Nielsen data released today.

The report titled 'Modern Spice Routes: The Cultural Impact of Cross-Border Shopping' analyzes cross-border online shopping and spending behavior in six major markets -- the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, mainland China and Brazil. It maps for the first time the new spice routes -- those corridors of online trade between consumers buying directly from merchants in different parts of the world. The research report and video testimonials are available for download at www.paypal.com/spiceroutes.

NewPage to Build New Plant, Escanaba

http://up.secondwavemedia.com/devnews/newpage72413.aspx 
The NewPage paper mill in Escanaba will be home to a new plant soon, which brings a whole array of benefits including lower costs, more jobs, more locally-sourced materials, and a healthier environment to the mill.
NewPage signed an agreement with Omya, a producer of minerals and pigments, to build a precipitated calcium carbonate plant at the Escanaba mill site.
PCC, as it's called, is an essential to the papermaking process, used for texture, brightness and whiteness, and currently is manufactured elsewhere and transported to the plant. The lime needed for making PCC also will become a locally-sourced product as a result.
NewPage says the new on-site PCC plant has yet another benefit; it will use carbon dioxide generated at the paper mill in the process of making PCC, which reduces the environmental impact and carbon waste of the paper mill.

Millcraft to Buy Midwest Business Assets of Ariva

http://www.paperage.com/2013news/07_23_2013millcraft_paper_ariva_lindenmeyr.html

The Millcraft Paper Company [yesterday] announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the United States Midwest-based business assets of Ariva Distribution, Inc. from Lindenmeyr Munroe, a division of Central National-Gottesman Inc. (CNG).

In a separate but coordinated business transaction, privately-held CNG entered into its own agreement with Domtar Corporation, Ariva’s parent company, pursuant to which Lindenmeyr, based in Purchase, New York, will first acquire Ariva’s entire U.S. operations.
Millcraft’s acquisition includes Covington, Kentucky-based Ariva’s six Midwest locations in Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Fort Wayne and Indianapolis.

Study Highlights Importance of Catalogues

http://www.printweek.com/news/1192499/Study-highlights-importance-catalogues/

Businesses that use catalogues as sales and marketing tools say they are directly responsible for 30% of sales, according to Channel Vision - Version 2.0, a report published by design, marketing and print specialist Catalogues 4 Business (C4B).
For those employing e-commerce as well, a further 29% of sales were driven by the catalogue through their website.
C4B surveyed more than 100 UK organisations, both B2B and B2C, from a wide range of sectors and industries to assemble the study.
According to the report, 33% of respondents also said that sales through their catalogue for the past year are up on the previous year.
C4B managing director Ian Simpson said: "It’s great to see so many companies' sales figures increase from catalogues, they are an incredibly powerful marketing tool. Like most marketing activities, there must be a strategy in place to ensure that both sales and marketing are working together to maximise the output."Simpson said: "Within today's digital era, people get fixated with the online world and forget that having something physical is a novelty and sometimes even preferred. Catalogues are one of the best ways to drive online traffic. It’s about integrating offline and online tactics."

Weyerhaeuser Completes Acquisition

http://www.weyerhaeuser.com/

Weyerhaeuser Company (WY) today announced the completion of its acquisition of Longview Timber LLC from affiliates of Brookfield Asset Management.

The acquisition includes approximately 645,000 acres of high-quality timberlands in Washington and Oregon, which expand Weyerhaeuser's timber holdings in the Pacific Northwest by 33 percent to approximately 2.6 million acres. The transaction increases the total amount of U.S. timberlands Weyerhaeuser owns or controls to approximately 6.6 million acres.

North American Newsprint Ships Decline

Total newsprint shipments fell 7.6% year-over-year in June in North America, marking an improvement on their 9.3% average decline in the first half of the year, according to the Pulp and Paper Products Council.

Overseas export volumes in June were only 1.7% lower than a year ago, but their average for the first half of the year remained 8.6% higher than for the same period last year.

Newspapers' demand for newsprint declined 6.9% in June, an upturn from its 10.4% average decline year-to-date, but demand from commercial printers worsened, slipping 10.4% or close to double its 5.9% first half average.

June Global Pulp Deliveries Fall

Global pulp deliveries edged down by 0.8% to 3.651 million tonnes in June, down from 3.682 million tonnes in May, according to Pulp and Paper Products Council (PPPC) data.

Shipments were 6.0% higher than the year-earlier period, up from 3.445 million tonnes in June 2012.

The shipment-to-capacity ratio rose from 91% in May to 92% last month.

Bleached softwood kraft (BSK) pulp shipments inched down from 1.885 million tonnes in May to 1.841 million tonnes in June, while bleached hardwood kraft (BHK) pulp deliveries increased from 1.670 million tonnes in May to 1.690 million tonnes last month.

India's Paper Industry to Grow at 6-8% Per Year

http://www.paperage.com/2013news/07_24_2013india_paper_industry_report.html

With a total consumption of 11.60 million metric tons (MT), the Indian paper industry accounted for less than 3% of global paper demand. The per capita consumption of paper amounts to around 10 kilogram (Kg), which is significantly lower than world average of around 58 Kg and even the consumption levels of some of the other developing nations.

While the market size and per capita consumption are relatively low, they have exhibited a rising trend over past several years from 7.3 kg in 2008 to 10-11 kg in 2012. The total paper consumption has grown at a CAGR of around 6% over last decade with none of the last ten years showing a decline in consumption demand.

Graphic Packaging Raises Paperboard Price

http://www.graphicpkg.com/default.aspx

Graphic Packaging has informed customers it will increase prices on all its solid unbleached sulfate (SUS) paperboard, also called coated unbleached kraft (CUK), by $50/ton effective with shipments on or after Sept. 1, according to industry sources.

The increase applies to Graphic Packaging's Omni-Kote, Pearl-Kote and Aqua-Kote SUS grades.
MeadWestvaco last week set a $50 price increase on its coated natural kraft (CNK) also called CUK effective Sept. 1.

AAM Approves Streamlined Audit Program

http://www.foliomag.com/2013/aam-approves-streamlined-audit-program#.UfAN7VOYyKw

The Alliance for Audited Media has announced one step that will ease the burden on some publishers now, and another that may do the same in the future.
AAM has approved an optional streamlined audit program for publishers with circulations of less than 100,000. Publishers would be able to do without certain metrics like average price, average edition circulation, trending analysis and geographic breakdowns-metrics that Mark Wachowicz, senior vice president of sales and marketing for AAM, says are unnecessary for smaller publications.
"The new program has eliminated a number of reporting elements for that segment of the membership," he says. "That segment of the membership doesn't really utilize any of those categories, and more importantly, the endemic advertisers, which is the vast makeup of their advertising component, don't use any of that information."
Members opting for the reduced two-page reports will see a cost savings of 20 to 30 percent, Wachowicz notes, although custom add-ons will available at additional cost. Publishers will see additional time and labor savings in reporting fewer categories, he says.

Consumers Soon Able to Opt-Out Mobile Ads

http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/ad-industry-expands-privacy-self-regulation-mobile-151386
While the World Wide Consortium sputters and spits trying to negotiate a Do Not Track standard to protect consumer privacy online, the digital advertising business is forging ahead with expanding its self-regulation program to mobile devices.
On Wednesday, the Digital Advertising Alliance, representing the nation's largest media and marketing associations, announced mobile principles for behaviorally targeting advertising, the first major step in offering consumers a way to opt-out of targeted ads the same way consumers can now opt-out of online paid messages via the DAA's ad choices program.

Government of Canada Moves to E-Printing

http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/media/nr-cp/2013/0705-eng.asp

The Honourable Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board, today announced the Government of Canada has made electronic publishing its new standard for all documents as part of an ongoing commitment to reduce costs and modernize operations.
"Our Government is committed to delivering information to Canadians in the most efficient and cost effective way," said Minister Clement. "From now on electronic publishing will be the default for all government organizations, significantly reducing the amount of large volume printing and the costs associated with it."
In 2011–12, the Government of Canada spent about $19 million on the printing, distribution and warehousing of communications products. Through these new procedures, the Government will reduce these costs.

Short Term Renewable Energy Use Down

http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_GX/global/6f6ae56a59600410VgnVCM2000003356f70aRCRD.htm

Global investment in the renewable energy sector is set to continue to decline in the short term from the 11 percent fall seen in 2012. This is according to the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) Alternative thinking 2013: Renewable energy under the microscope report. 
The report identifies the important trends and opportunities in renewable energy for developers, investors, and policy-makers. The report also points out where significant barriers to progress lie, and suggests strategies for dealing with them. Despite the recent decline in investment, the study finds that renewables are becoming less alternative and increasingly mainstream, with 118 countries now having renewable energy targets in place and the wave of public demand for clean energy increasing.

USDA Scientists: Invasive Trees for Jet Fuel

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2013/130722.htm

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are exploring options for using invasive trees to develop U.S. Navy fighter jet fuel. 
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists at several locations in the western United States are contributing to a project called "Accelerated Renewable Jet Fuel (RJF) Supplies from Invasive Woody Species." ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency, and this work supports the USDA priority of developing new sources of bioenergy.

Americans Continue to Use More Renewable Energy

https://www.llnl.gov/news/newsreleases/2013/Jul/NR-13-07-04.html#.UfAy1FOYyKw

The 2012 energy flow chart released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory details the sources of energy production, how Americans are using energy and how much waste exists.

Americans used more natural gas, solar panels and wind turbines and less coal to generate electricity in 2012, according to the most recent U.S. energy charts released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Natural gas use is up particularly in the electricity generation sector, where it has basically substituted directly for coal, while sustained low natural gas prices have prompted a shift from coal to gas in the electricity generating sector, according to A.J. Simon, an LLNL energy systems analyst.
The rise in renewables is tied to both prices (the underlying cost of solar panels and wind turbines has gone down) and policy (government incentives to installers of equipment or renewable energy targets in various states), Simon said.
Overall, Americans used 2.2 quadrillion BTU, or quads, less in 2012 than the previous year (BTU or British Thermal Unit is a unit of measurement for energy; 3,400 BTU is equivalent to about 1 kW-hr).
Once again, wind power saw the highest gains.

European Forest Organizations Push for EU Report

http://www.fern.org/publications/press-releases/european-commission-urged-release-eu-forest-strategy

This press release warns that any delay in proposing an EU forestry strategy will lead to more fragmented and possibly contradictory decisions. European forest related organisations are seriously concerned that the European Commission has delayed publishing the new EU Forest Strategy, overlooking the importance of forests and forestry in EU policy.