Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Appleton Coated Announces Price Increase

Appleton Coated has announced a price increase of $1.50/cwt, effective with shipments on or after July 1, on the following grades:
U2:XG web, Utopia Two web, Utopia Three web, Utopia Book web, Utopia Thin Book web, Utopia Film Coat web, and Utopia GW Book web.

Resolute Announces Early Solicitation Results

Resolute Forest Products Inc. today announced that holders of $496.5 million principal amount of its 10.25% senior secured notes due 2018 (CUSIP No. 003687AB6) (the "2018 notes"), or 99.1% of the outstanding principal amount, tendered their 2018 notes and delivered consents before 5:00 p.m., New York City time today, the "early tender deadline" under the Company's previously-announced cash tender offer and consent solicitation. Resolute intends to accept for payment on May 8, 2013 , all 2018 notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn before the early tender deadline. The holders of those notes will receive $1,166.94 per $1,000 principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest up to, but not including, the date of payment.

Truckers Refusing to Deliver to Port Hawkesbury

Truckers are refusing to deliver wood to Port Hawkesbury Paper, in Nova Scotia.
The truckers claim the mill is refusing to negotiate with their Northeastern Pulp Truckers Association. Rates are down about 15% from the previous mill operator, NewPage Port Hawkesbury.
Only a 5 day supply of wood remains at the mill.
At 10am this morning the mill’s woodland manager entered into emergency negotiations with the trucking association.

Disney Q2 Profit Up 32%

Walt Disney Co. DIS -1.82% said late Tuesday that its fiscal second-quarter earnings rose to $1.51 billion, or 83 cents a share, from $1.14 billion, or 63 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Excluding one-time items, the company would have reported 79 cents a share. Revenue grew to $10.55 billion from $9.63 billion last year. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected fiscal second-quarter earnings of 77 cents a share on revenue of $10.49 billion. Disney shares rose 0.6% to $66.45 in after-hours trading on moderate volume.

Quad/Graphics Reports Q1 Results

Quad/Graphics Reports $14 Million Net Loss in Q1: SUSSEX, Wis. - Quad/Graphics, Inc. today reported results for its first quarter ending March 31, 2013. The reported results include Vertis from the day of acquisition on January 16, 2013. With the exception of certain debt ratios, prior year financial results do not include the acquisition ofVertis.
“Our first quarter results were in line with our expectations and we reaffirm our previously released 2013 annual guidance,” said Joel Quadracci, Quad/Graphics Chairman, President & CEO.

Hearst, Time Warner Cable, HBO and Verizon Fund Initiative

Time Warner Cable, Hearst, HBO and Verizon are helping to fund the fledgling NYC Media Lab as part of a media-industry effort to encourage and benefit from research in the same way that tech companies  already do.

manroland web systems in North America

manroland web systems Reports Success, Change in Leadership: In March 2012, the North American branch of manroland web systems began business in the United States and Canada. Specific and challenging goals were put forward for the company’s first year. These goals included (but were not limited to) strengthening the parts and service support to existing customers, relocating the substantial North American parts inventory to a new warehouse in Elk Grove Village, IL, expansion of the printcom pressroom consumables product portfolio for U.S. and Canadian customers, relocating North American Headquarters to a new office in Lisle, IL, and completing the year with a financial profit. Each of these goals, and more, were completed by the strong, seasoned team at manroland web systems, under the leadership of CEO Roland Ortbach.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Catalyst Paper Reports Q1 Results

Catalyst Paper Cuts Loss Despite Weak Markets: Catalyst Paper posted a net loss of $9.8 million ($0.89 per common share) in the first quarter of 2013. The loss was $11.6 million before specific items. Improvement over the final quarter of 2012—when the company recorded a loss of $35.2 million ($1.55 per common share) and $15.7 million before specific items—was driven by increased prices for pulp, and lower maintenance costs. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) in the first quarter were $11.2 million, up from $7.2 million in the final quarter of 2012. Adjusted EBITDA was not impacted by restructuring costs in either quarter.

Appleton Reports Q1 Results

Appleton Papers posts 1Q profit; to become Appvion on May 13:
Appleton Papers Inc. on Monday reported a first-quarter profit, turning around a year-ago loss, as the maker of coated transaction paper continued its restructuring and prepared to change its corporate name to reflect its recent changes.
In the January-March quarter, Appleton reported net income of $2.14 million, compared to a loss of $64.9 million a year earlier.
Appleton's sales fell 4.0% to $210.8 from $219.6 million. The decline stemmed from the company's longtime core product of carbonless transaction paper, which fell 21%.

Hearst Food Network & HGTV Magazines Rate Base Jump

Rate Bases Jump Again for Food Network & HGTV Magazines:  Hearst's TV-tied brands are seeing their rate bases jump again.The company announced Tuesday that Food Network Magazine will see its 11th consecutive rate base increase since officially launching in 2009, with sister title HGTV Magazine increasing its rate base for the third time since launching its first official issue in June 2012.

Internet Sales Tax Bill Heads for the House

Catalogers take on the hill.
Instead of mourning over what they consider a rush job by the Senate to pass a flawed bill, 22 key members of the American Catalog Mailers Association (ACMA) will walk Capitol Hill today and ask House members for a more realistic Marketplace Fairness Act than the one passed in a 69-27 vote yesterday.
“Obviously, we're disappointed, but it's not unexpected,” said ACMA President and Executive Director Hamilton Davison, as he prepared to rally the group of CEOs and senior executives for visits to members of the House Judiciary and Oversight & Government Reform Committees. “This really is a job killer for medium and small catalogers and Internet marketers. 
Tax-free online shopping may soon become a thing of the past. A bill allowing states to collect sales taxes on the Internet passed the Senate Monday evening 67 to 27. President Obama has supported the measure, but first it has to get through the House, where it faces an uncertain future.

Print is Making a Big Comeback

Mark Twain once said, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” This quote also seems to apply to incessant reports about the demise of print as a communications tool.
There are various reasons for its resurgence. A primary one is that print no longer is the primary communications medium, so it’s new and fresh again because it stands out from the crowd.
Evidence of this can be seen in the newfound popularity of direct mail. Because digital messaging now is the norm, print mailings have declined. While many people are weary and wary of email pitches, enewsletters and other digital marketing, they’ll pay attention to well-done print pieces (just the opposite of what occurred when direct mail glutted everyone’s mailbox years ago).

Time & Sprint in Mobile Ad Deal

Mobile advertising has lagged consumer behavior, but now Time Inc. and Sprint have struck a wide-ranging deal to crack the burgeoning market.
The deal lets the No. 1 U.S. magazine publisher tap into the carrier's 56-million user base through Sprint’s personalized ad-targeting service, Pinsight Media+. Advertisers will have access to Sprint’s mobile portal, ad networks like Jumptap and third-party publishers like AccuWeather. Likewise, Sprint will be able to run clients’ ads on the mobile sites of Time Inc.’s brands like Time, People and Sports Illustrated, which reach 20 million monthly unique visitors.

Fortune 500 Reports Record Ad Pages

The economy may still be in recovery, but the indicators are good for Fortune magazine: this year's Fortune 500 has the most ad pages of any Fortune issue since 2004. With 193 ads (and a total 356 pages), the magazine's biggest franchise is up 36 year-over-year in ad pages, including 75 advertisers who didn't appear in last year’s issue. 
Jed Hartman, group publisher for news and business at Time Inc., said some of the issue's biggest ad growth came from the automotive, travel, and fashion categories (auto was up 79 year-over-year, while fashion rose 21 percent).

Heidelberger Reports Higher Sales

According to preliminary figures, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) recorded higher sales in financial year 2012/2013 (April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013) than in the previous year thanks to the expected strong fourth quarter. In line with the company's own forecasts, the operating result excluding special items improved significantly. 
Preliminary Group sales after 12 months were up 5 percent on the previous year's figure (EUR 2.596 billion) at EUR 2.735 billion. Despite a number of countervailing effects, the growth in volume combined with the savings made by the Focus 2012 efficiency program improved the preliminary result of operating activities (EBIT) excluding special items to EUR 28 million (previous year: EUR 3 million).  

Book Sales, Printed & Digital, Up

Books, Like the Phoenix, Are Rising from the Ashes:
Written by Howard Fenton
Senior Technology Consultant, NAPL

There has been a lot of gloom and doom predictions about the future of books, but the latest data suggests that books, like the phoenix, may be rising from the ashes and reborn.
Some critics have said that book sales and book readership are dying. Others have said that the future of books is not printed books, but electronic books. The most recent evidence suggests that neither is true. Books are not dying and electronic versions of books are not displacing printed versions of books. According to the Association of American publisher’s report on the 2012 sales, book sales are up 7.4%, which amounts to $451 million in additional revenue for total sales of $6.5 billion.

2013 Ad Spending Forecast Up 0.4%

Magna: U.S. ad spending to increase 0.4% this year: U.S. ad spending will increase 0.4% this year, according to a new forecast from Magna Global. Excluding ad spending on the Olympics and political advertising last year, ad spending will increase 2.4% this year.

Monday, May 6, 2013

UPM Completes Stracel Sale

UPM has completed the sale of assets and part of the land of the UPM Stracel paper mill site to Blue Paper SAS, the joint venture company of VPK Packaging Group NV and Klingele Papierwerke.
Blue Paper SAS will convert the mill to produce recycled fibre-based fluting and test-liner. The production is expected to start after completing investments in autumn 2013.
The sale of Stracel was part of UPM's plan to adjust its magazine paper and newsprint paper capacity to match the needs of its global customer base originally announced in August 2011. UPM stopped the production of coated magazine paper on the mill on 4th January 2013.

West Linn Announces Coated Increase

West Linn Paper has announced an increase in the price of Sonoma, Capistrano, Nature Web, and Nature Plus coated freesheet paper, effective with all orders shipped on or after July 1. The increase of $1.50/cwt applies to all basis weights and finishes.

Consolidation Continues at IP

In addition to previous reports of two box plant shutdowns, International Paper this week said it will close three corrugated container plants and a sheet plant in the US by mid-year.
The company will close box plants in Indianapolis, Lake Wales, FL, and Kansas City, KS, and a sheet plant in Jacksonville, FL.
Related to the Indianapolis closure by early July, IP cited overcapacity in its corrugated packaging system in some areas following the February 2012 combination with Temple-Inland.