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The first roll came off the supercalendered paper machine at 1:11 a.m. Wednesday, a major milestone for the Point Tupper mill many once left for dead.

The former NewPage Port Hawkesbury paper mill, rechristened Port Hawkesbury Paper LLC by new owners Pacific West Commercial Corp., an affiliate of Stern Partners Inc. of Vancouver, had been buzzing with activity over the last two weeks to prepare for this moment.

“We’re very, very happy we did because we have customers with orders that want to run that paper on Monday,” Marc Dube, the mill’s restructuring manager, said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

“So we needed to get production started, and obviously we had some small items that stopped us, but once production started, we ran the first 12 hours without a paper break.”

A substantial $124.5-million aid package extended by the Nova Scotia government to Pacific West was nearly derailed last month before being resuscitated less than 24 hours later, much to the relief of many on Cape Breton Island left in limbo since the mill was shuttered by its former owners,NewPage Corp., last year.

The $33-million sale of the mill to Pacific West was officially finalized Friday, much to the delight of many across the Strait of Canso also dependent on the region’s largest employer.

Dube said that after nearly a year of negotiations, the company was happy to be producing paper, noting that there is a “real team atmosphere and a real determination that we’re going to make sure that the mill can be a success.”

The provincial government spent millions over the last year keeping the mill resale ready in a “hot-idle” state, but that didn’t mean that the supercalendered machine, which makes paper used for magazines, catalogues and newspaper inserts, was ready at the flick of a switch.

“There’s so many different parts and pieces to a mill like this that all have to flow together for it to be successful, so we had some motor failures, pump failures, we had some plugged lines, we had a steam outage because of a power bump at the steam plant,” Dube said.

The equipment is now working well and workers will “continue to fine-tune and continue to speed things up until we’re back to full production,” he said.

About 550 unionized employees worked at the mill under its former operator, but less than half that — 229 workers — will be called back, with several more positions being contractual and management.

Dube said he expects to be at a full complement of employees by December, at the latest.

“Not everyone’s back that we’ve called back. Some people will be coming in during the month of October. Some people have decided not to come back. We’ve offered those jobs to others, and so they’ll be reporting as quickly as they can.”

The mill will be at full production in the next week, producing as much as 1,000 tonnes of paper a day.

Dube said the company has been fielding orders from across Canada, the United States and overseas since last month, with the first order shipping today.

That order is expected to be put to press by the customer Monday.

“So we’ve got a strong interest, and we’re very happy that the reputation of the paper and the employees here have allowed us to get back into the marketplace in a very positive way.”

NewPage Corporation (NewPage) has announced that it has reached an agreement in principle with all of its major creditor groups concerning the terms of its chapter 11 plan.  A brief summary of the agreement in principle has been posted to the KCC restructuring website, www.kccllc.net/NewPage 

"This is a very important step for NewPage, and assuming satisfaction of certain conditions, this agreement should allow us to emerge from chapter 11 in the near term," said George F. Martin, President and CEO of NewPage. 

The agreement was reached as part of court ordered mediation conducted by the court-appointed mediator, Bankruptcy Judge Robert D. Drain.  At the request of certain parties participating in the mediation, the mediator did not provide any of the term sheets proposed by the parties to the mediation (or any of their material terms) to certain other parties participating in the mediation.  Rather, the mediator served as an intermediary, facilitating discussion among the parties and encouraging the parties to make concessions in an effort to reach agreement upon a consensual chapter 11 plan.

NewPage wishes to acknowledge the outstanding result achieved by Judge Drain in facilitating a consensual chapter 11 plan, and wishes to thank all the mediation participants for their efforts throughout this process.

NewPage also announced today that it contemplates signing in the near term an exit financing facility in the form of a $500 million secured term debt facility and $400 million asset-based revolving credit facility.

SOURCE NewPage Corporation

NewPageCorporation (NewPage) has announced the introduction of OmniPoint™, a new 60 lb. (89 gsm) heavyweight wet strength label paper designed for large glass and plastic containers used in food, beverage and condiment applications. 

With specific expertise and technological capabilities in manufacturing wet strength label papers for the food and beverage market, the product development team at NewPage set its sights on developing a new heavyweight label paper that maintains a premium appearance, and consistently performs well in all aspects of production; from label printing, to die cutting and high speed label application.

"We worked closely with our customers to develop a heavyweight label paper solution that meets their needs for consistent quality, durability and label converting performance, while allowing them to deliver the best possible label graphics for their food and beverage brand owner customers," said David Diekelman, executive director of Sales and Marketing for specialty papers. "OmniPoint achieves these critical objectives."

OmniPoint is available with third-party chain-of-custody certifications to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC^®) (BV-COC-953662), the Sustainable Forestry Initiative^® (SFI) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC™).

OmniPoint joins the broader range of label papers from NewPage which includes DuraPoint™, ProPoint™, LithoPoint™ and EcoPoint™ product brands. In addition, NewPage manufactures specialty papers used in flexible packaging, technical and pressure-sensitive labeling applications.

For more information or product samples, visit the NewPage booth #1539 at Labelexpo Americas in Chicago, Illinois, September 11 – 13, 2012, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 888-557-3565.

SOURCE NewPage Corporation

NewPage Corporation (NewPage) has announced that it has upgraded its Digital Coated Paper line with a new look and new paper. Sterling^® Premium Digital™ and Sterling® Premium Digital™ for HP Indigo are the new digital premium papers without the premium price tag.

"On July 30, NewPage announced that the company's legendary Sterling brand had been reengineered to provide enhanced optics, an extremely smooth surface and premium shade – all at a No. 2 price," stated Aaron Haas, director, Commercial Product Management at NewPage. "Orders for the new sheetfed product, Sterling Premium, began shipping August 6."

Now, digital coated paper buyers can place orders for Sterling Premium Digital to get the same enhanced optics, surface and budget-friendly pricing. Sterling Premium Digital and Sterling Premium Digital for HP Indigo are available in a full range of finishes, weights and sizes – including a new 120 lb. gloss and dull cover weight.

"Even though we just started shipping paper, Sterling Premium Digital and Sterling Premium Digital for HP Indigo have already proven themselves in the field," said Dennis Essary, director, Digital Papers at NewPage. "During press trials, print service providers gave the products high scores, not only on the amazing surface smoothness and brightness, but also on the product's consistency and performance on press."

In addition, the market leading Futura^® product line now includes a 120 lb. gloss and dull cover while Blazer Digital^® has expanded to include a 110 lb. gloss and satin cover to meet the growing needs of the digital marketplace.

The entire NewPage Digital Coated Paper line has a new look, with redesigned ream wraps and boxes that will start with the new Sterling Premium Digital and Sterling Premium Digital for HP Indigo product lines first and continue with Futura, Produtolith^® Pts. Digital and Blazer Digital through the remainder of the year. A full offering of printed support collateral with customer personalization options to co-brand materials is available at www.NewPageDigital.com.

SOURCE NewPage Corporation

NewPage Corporation has announced that it has filed a Joint Chapter 11 Plan (the "Plan") with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.  The Company also requested an extension of time to file the disclosure statement related to the Plan.

"The filing of our plan of reorganization is an important and positive step forward to a successful completion of our financial reorganization," said George F. Martin, president and chief executive officer.  "Discussions with and among our major creditor groups regarding the plan are ongoing. We are hopeful that these discussions will lead to broad support for our plan."

The Plan is available at http://www.newpagerestructuring.com/legal-filings/.

This release is not intended as a solicitation for a vote on the Plan.

NewPage Corporation today announced that it has created a shift in the premium paper value equation with the introduction of Sterling® Premium, Sterling® Premium Digital™ and Sterling® Premium Digital™ for HP Indigo.

 The company's legendary Sterling brand has been reengineered to provide enhanced optics, an extremely smooth surface and premium shade – all at a No. 2 price.

"This is an exciting day as we mark the next chapter for our flagship Sterling brand," said Tanya Pipo, commercial product manager, premium sheet and C1S grades. "We have been listening to our customers and found that they want a premium product at a price that reflects today's reality. Sterling Premium delivers all the features customers look for in a premium grade – premium optics, print performance and an elevated level of service – all at an affordable price."

With the introduction of the new product line, NewPage will be retiring Centura® sheets and web, Productolith® sheets and web and Sterling® Ultra sheets. Sterling Ultra web products will remain.

Seeing is Believing

The new Sterling Premium draws on decades of papermaking experience and technology. The result is a world-class surface with superior on-press performance. "When agencies, marketers or printers are looking to upgrade their printed materials, Sterling Premium delivers a game-changing solution," said Steven DeVoe, vice president, Marketing and Customer Service for NewPage. "Feedback from our customers has been that this product out-performs premium sheets in the market and it delivers all of these qualities without the premium price tag. We are incredibly excited about the potential Sterling Premium offers to our customers."

Beyond budget-friendly pricing, the new Sterling Premium offers strong value propositions for all stakeholders in the supply chain. Designers, marketers and corporate end users get a brand-building premium paper that delivers worry-free consistency. Printers get a superior substrate to showcase their work combined with the runnability they've come to expect from Sterling. A streamlined offering allows NewPage to stock more deeply, ensuring that merchants, printers and end users have what they need, when they need it, including press-ready mini skids and quick turn custom cut sheets. 

NewPage will continue to offer matching digital products – Sterling Premium Digital and Sterling Premium Digital for HP Indigo. The new product lines replace the current Sterling® Ultra Digital™ and Sterling® Ultra Digital™ for HP Indigo offering with improved optics and print surface while maintaining the great runnability and press performance the market has come to know and expect from Sterling. Both product lines will include a new 120 lb. gloss and dull cover offering.

Both the sheetfed and digital line ups are earth friendly; carrying three chain-of-custody certifications and containing 10 percent post-consumer recycled fiber and 100 percent of our products are made in the USA by NewPage, an American-operated manufacturer.

To learn more about Sterling Premium, visit www.NewPageCorp.com.

SOURCE NewPage Corporation

NewPage Corporation (NewPage) has announced that it has been engaged in a series of discussions with its various constituents, including first lien note holders, second lien note holders and the Unsecured Creditors' Committee, in an effort to finalize a consensual Chapter 11 plan. Information relating to these discussions has been posted on the NewPage restructuring website www.NewPageRestructuring.com.

During these discussions, an ad hoc group of second lien note holders presented to an ad hoc group of first lien note holders an unsolicited proposal to combine NewPage and Verso Paper Corp. (Verso). After thoroughly evaluating this proposal, NewPage determined that the combination posed significant downside risks to its stakeholders, employees, and business. NewPage has also been advised that the first lien note holder group did not support the proposal.  Accordingly, NewPage does not anticipate further discussions regarding this proposal.

SOURCE NewPage Corporation

NewPage Corporation announced today that it has been awarded U.S. (8,096,479) and Canadian (CA 2678556) patents for PointTrac™ TT, a new paper-based substrate for printed Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) labels. PointTrac TT offers RFID label manufacturers the ability to combine thermal transfer printed variable analog information with advanced RFID chip technology. This technology facilitates low-cost production of printed paper RFID labels when compared with traditional multi-layer plastic film substrates.

RFID uses a wireless non-contact radio system for the transfer of data for automatic identification and tracking. PointTrac TT has special dual functionality built in so that printed barcodes on the label face can be read with a line of sight optical device or by using an out of sight electronic device.

"The NewPage PointTrac TT technology will allow RFID chips to become more widely used in shipping, tracking and transactions by making conversion to this technology more affordable," said Jim Sheibley, director of Specialty Business and Product Development.

PointTrac TT is available with third-party chain-of-custody certifications, providing customers with high performance RFID products, while maintaining a level of both sustainable and renewable attributes.

PointTrac TT joins the broader range of NewPage specialty label papers used in supply chain and variable data end uses. In addition, NewPage manufactures specialty papers used in flexible packaging, technical and pressure-sensitive labeling applications.

SOURCE NewPage Corporation

NewPage is pleased that President Obama signed the legislation passed by the U.S. House and Senate that will allow the Department of Commerce to continue to apply the countervailing duty law to non-market economy countries like China. This legislation will preserve intact the countervailing duty order in place covering coated paper, as well as other countervailing duty orders covering other products from China.

"We applaud the remarkable effort of Congress in passing this important legislation, and would like to especially thank Republican Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Susan Collins (R-ME) for their leadership roles," stated George Martin, president and chief executive officer for NewPage. "Keeping these duties in place helps to level the playing field and allow our world-class operations and workforce to continue to service our customers with high quality, competitive products," added Martin.

In 2009, Appleton Coated LLC, NewPage Corporation, Sappi Fine Paper North America and the United Steelworkers Union filed trade cases seeking to end dumping and subsidy practices, involving certain coated paper produced in China and Indonesia. In 2010, these efforts resulted in antidumping and countervailing duties being imposed on imports from both of these countries. Until the duties were put in place, imports from these countries were having a devastating effect on production and employment in the United States.

SOURCE NewPage

Prospective buyers have been touring the Terrace Bay mill in Northern Ontario, while in Nova Scotia, the bidder on the NewPage pulp and paper mill is ironing out details with the provincial utility and the employees’ union.

The Chronicle Journal reported in early March that eight companies with an interest in purchasing the insolvent Terrace Bay pulp mill had toured the facility.

The mill was closed in October 2011, following an explosion that killed one worker. The mill shut down for repairs, and then extended the shut down due to poor market conditions. In January, the company was put under creditor protection and the mill put up for sale.

Under the sales process approved by the courts, a new owner is to be in place by the end of April.

The Chronicle Journal also reports that the Ministry of Labour has concluded its investigation in the fatal explosion, but hasn’t yet decided whether there were any violations of the labour code.

For the NewPage Port Hawkesbury mill in Nova Scotia, the sales process is more advanced. The court appointed monitor is in negotiations with Pacific West Commercial Corp., an affiliate of Stern Partners Inc. of Vancouver, to finalize a going-concern sale of the mill.

In an update to the court presented in February, Ernst & Young said negotiations are proceeding on several fronts, according to the Chronicle Herald newspaper.

A plan of arrangement is being developed to determine how the company will handle its debt. In addition, Pacific West has contacted the Communications Energy and Paperworkers Union, Local 972, to schedule negotiations on a new labour agreement, the newspaper reports.

Talks between Pacific West and the province on fibre costs, and Nova Scotia Power Inc. on energy costs, are also ongoing.

Source: Pulp and Paper Canada