ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, recently hosted 40 students from the TAPPI student chapters at Miami University and Western Michigan University at ABB Westerville in Ohio. The students left with a very positive impression of ABB and its products.

On October 14, ABB staff met with the students, introduced them to ABB’s pulp and paper business, and demonstrated how the company’s products and services help papermakers.

“Not only did all the visitors get excellent presentations about ABB's business, products, technology and services, they were also particularly impressed by ABB's teamwork,” said Shin-Chin Chen, a corporate executive engineer with ABB’s Pulp and Paper Division in Westerville. “These students will remember ABB for a long time.”

The students took part in presentations on ABB’s pulp and paper technologies, led by experienced ABB staff including Charlie Young, Steve Sturm, John Spachman, Andy Broomfield, Randy Niemeyer, Kevin Starr and Don Gillespie. The presentations covered measurement technology, actuator technology, control system technology, and project delivery and service. Åke Hellström, a retired ABB chief engineer, explained how ABB’s integrated Quality Control System helps create quality paper and demonstrated ABB’s System 800xA.

Summing up their visit to ABB, many of the students commented that it had exceeded their expectations. Student advisors reported that the feedback they received was 100 percent positive.

M-real Corporation, part of Metsäliitto Group, plans to restructure its coated paper business to achieve an approximately EUR 20 million improvement in annual operating result.

Paper production at the Husum mill in Sweden is planned to be reorganized. The annual coated paper capacity on the mill will be increased from 285,000 tonnes to approximately 340,000 tonnes without material investments. The reel production of Äänekoski paper machine is planned to be transferred to Husum.

Äänekoski mill’s coated fine paper machine is planned to be closed and the sheeting capacity converted fully to folding boxboard sheeting. Statutory negotiations related to the possible closure of the paper production and the development of sheeting capacity covering the whole of Äänekoski paper and board mills’ personnel of approximately 370 people will be commenced on 9 November 2011. Amount of personnel at the Äänekoski mills is expected to reduce by 180 at the maximum.   

Currently there is one machine at Äänekoski paper mill with an annual capacity of approximately 200,000 tonnes of coated fine paper. After the planned closure of paper production the paper and board sheeting operations at the site are planned to be combined. This would increase the folding boxboard sheeting capacity and improve M-real’s profitability.

M-real’s coated papers will also in the future be sold by Sappi Fine Paper Europe. Based on the planned measures M-real’s annual coated paper capacity would reduce by approximately 145,000 tonnes. M-real’s annual sales would reduce by approximately EUR 60 million and operating result would increase by approximately EUR 20 million based on the actual performance of the coated paper production in the first half of 2011. The full annual financial impact of the planned measures is expected to be seen from 2012 onwards.

“Profitability of coated paper production is very weak due to the worsened market situation and the structural overcapacity in Europe. The situation is not expected to materially improve in the future either, due to which we are planning to reduce our coated paper production and to focus it to our most efficient unit in Husum where M-real has one of the most modern and efficient coated paper production lines in Europe. Husum is one of Europe’s largest paper and pulp integrated sites which productivity has been increased to a very good level thanks to successful improvement measures.” says M-real’s CEO Mikko Helander.

Consumer Packaging’s 4Q/2011 operating result is expected to include approximately EUR 25 million non-recurring impairments and cost provisions related to the planned measures in Äänekoski. Total net cash impact of the planned measures is expected to slightly positive taken into consideration also the reduction of working capital.
 
M-REAL CORPORATION

A worker is dead after a late-afternoon explosion at the Terrace Bay Pulp mill on Monday.

Ontario Provincial Police have not released the employee's identity.

Two other people were taken to hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

Ontario Ministry of Labour spokesperson Greg Dennis said details are preliminary until investigators can confirm what happened.

Dennis said it appears the explosion was in a blow tank, a large cylindrical container in which cooked wood chips are blown after coming out of a digester during the pulp process. Residents reported hearing a loud explosion and seeing black smoke.

"This is a terrible thing and our sympathies go out to the family of this ... young worker," Dennis said.

The Ministry of Labour, Ontario Fire Marshall's Office, Coroner's Office and the OPP are all investigating.

source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/

KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation has announced that it has completed the acquisition of U.S. Corrugated, Inc. ("USC"). Under the terms of the sale, KapStone acquired USC, including a 240,000 ton recycled containerboard paper mill in Cowpens, SC and 14 converting facilities in the eastern and mid-western United States. USC has been successful in creating strong, long-term customer relationships resulting from outstanding service, quality and innovation.

"Today we are welcoming USC's team as the newest members of KapStone," stated Roger W. Stone, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We look forward to building on their momentum. The acquisition of USC now transforms KapStone into a much more profitable and stronger company."

Funding for the acquisition came from cash on hand and borrowing under a new $525 million senior secured credit facility led by Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Barclays Capital. The new facility consists of a $375 million term loan maturing over five years and a $150 million revolving credit facility. At closing, KapStone's previously existing $101 million term loan was repaid. KapStone now has a $375 million 5 year term loan at an initial interest rate of 2.25%. The revolver was unused and is available for working capital requirements. 

SOURCE KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation 

Acquisition of MRF will expand Sonoco Recycling's footprint in the Upstate

Sonoco Recycling, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sonoco and one of the largest packaging recyclers in North America, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of American Recycling of South Carolina's Greenville location, a large material recovery facility (MRF). The new facility is expected to significantly increase Sonoco Recycling's ability to meet rising demand in the Upstate.

"With this acquisition, Sonoco Recycling has significantly expanded its single-stream recycling capabilities in the Upstate," said Jim Brown, vice president, Sonoco Recycling. "The Greenville MRF will help accelerate Sonoco Recycling's current goal of doubling the volume of tons collected by 2014."

The acquisition of the Greenville facility as Sonoco Recycling's fifth MRF will expand Sonoco's operations in one of the largest metro cities in South Carolina, securing its position as South Carolina's recycling industry leader. The Company already has operations in Charleston, Columbia and Spartanburg.

Currently, Sonoco Recycling's reclamation rates in South Carolina save approximately 843,000 cubic yards of landfill space, equating to enough landfill space for the annual disposal needs of over one million South Carolinians. The Company is heavily involved in numerous environmental initiatives such as the Carolina Recycling Association and the Southeastern Recycling Coalition; and participates as an environmental partner in local activities such as the S.C. Green Steps school program.

Founded in 2003, American Recycling of South Carolina, LLC is a leading processor of recyclable materials in the Southeast, with plastics and various grades of paper comprising the majority of processed materials. The facility offers services to all types of recovered material generators, including commercial printers, office complexes, municipalities, manufacturing and distribution facilities, commercial shredding companies, paper converters and merchants; providing flexible, customized programs that help clients increase efficiency, reduce waste and optimize their environmental stewardship.

A recycling leader with locations and expertise worldwide, Sonoco Recycling annually collects more than 3 million tons of old corrugated containers, various grades of paper, metals and plastics. In addition, the Company has experts who provide secure, reliable and innovative recycling solutions to residential and commercial customers. Sonoco Recycling operates five material recovery facilities (MRFs) and serves more than 125 communities in which curbside-collected residential and commercial materials are processed. The Company also provides recycling programs which identify waste reduction opportunities that reduce operating expenses for many of the largest consumer product companies in the U.S. 

Walki Group, the leading producer of technical laminates and protective packaging materials, today announced the sale of its 52 % share holding in Converflex Ab. The transaction was made as a local investor backed management buyout (MBO).

Converflex is a flexo printing company in Sweden with a focus on the printing of ream wrapping and flexible packaging. The company generated a turnover in 2010 of 6,6 million Euros and employed 16 persons.

It has been agreed that Walki will continue to supply Converflex with barrier materials. The parties have agreed not to disclose the acquisition price.

The Swiss-based specialty chemicals company Clariant announces the opening of its new Regional Headquarters for South East Asia & Pacific and its new Global Textile Chemicals headquarters, both located in Singapore. Today Clariant is also celebrating the inauguration of its newly built ethoxylation plant and application laboratory in Guangdong, China. “Expanding Clariant’s business in the fast-growing Asian region is an important pillar in our profitable growth strategy and a strong commitment to serving our customers and markets,” comments CEO Hariolf Kottmann.

• New Singapore Headquarters for South East Asia & Pacific
• New Textile Chemicals Headquarters and application lab
• First Asian Clariant ethoxylation plant in Dayabay, China

New Regional Headquarters for South East Asia & Pacific Region
Clariant’s new regional hub is the first headquarters to be shared by Clariant and Süd-Chemie. The current 200 employees based at the Singapore location will support customers in the South East Asia and Pacific regions. In the last five years, Clariant’s sales in the Asia Pacific region have grown from 17% to around 22%. At the same time investment reached over CHF 200 million in China alone. Clariant’s acquisition of Süd-Chemie will add significantly to this growth. Süd-Chemie achieved 31.5% of its sales in Asia and the Middle East in 2010, standing at EUR 385 million. A third of its employees are located in this region.

New Global Textile Chemicals BU Headquarters
The South East Asia & Pacific Headquarters will also serve as the headquarters for Clariant’s Textile Chemicals Business Unit. In 2010 the textile business generated sales of CHF 821 million. With more than 60% of global textile production based in the Asia Pacific region, Clariant already generates 43% of its textile chemicals sales from Asia. With its relocation from Switzerland now complete, the new headquarters will accommodate the entire senior Textile Chemicals BU management team. The Business Unit has also set up its global textile application team at the new location, including a state of the art laboratory.

First Asia ethoxylation plant of Clariant in China
Clariant’s completion of its global ethoxylation footprint with a first site in Asia marks another significant investment in the country by its Industrial and Consumer Specialties (ICS) Business Unit.

The new 80,000 square meter Dayabay plant situated in the South East of Guangdong Province is the business unit’s largest plant in Asia Pacific. The plant has an initial capacity close to 50,000 tons per annum for the manufacture of surfactants. Additionally, it is equipped with an autoclave laboratory to allow fast product development and customization of products to local demands.       

Nalco, providing essential expertise for water, energy and air, has been named one of America's Safest Companies by EHS Today magazine. The magazine recognized 12 companies for providing a safe working environment for their employees and serving as examples of companies that have achieved world-class safety status. The companies chosen for 2011 were revealed at an awards dinner in Philadelphia.

"Safety is one of Nalco's core values," said Nalco Chairman and CEO Erik Fyrwald. "We work to make safety personal for all our employees and continue to focus on zero--zero accidents, injuries and fatalities."

To be considered one of America's Safest Companies, those selected must demonstrate: support from management and employee involvement; innovative solutions to safety challenges; injury and illness rates lower than the average for their industry; comprehensive training programs; evidence that prevention of incidents is the cornerstone of the safety process; good communication about the value of safety; and a way to substantiate the benefits of the safety process.

"We were struck by how many of the companies chosen this year focused on leading indicators, such as achievement metrics and predictive analytics, rather than trailing indicators, such as Total Recordable Injury Rates, when discussing the strength of their safety process," said Sandy Smith, Executive Editor of EHS Today. "We had a difficult time this year narrowing the field down. We received so many excellent applications that for the first time, we conducted several rounds of eliminations."

More information about Nalco's safety efforts is available in the 2010 Sustainability Report at www.nalco.com/sustainability. More details about America's Safest Companies is available at ehstoday.com. 

Metso acquires Fabco Inc. (Fabrication Company of Maine), located in Winthrop, Maine, USA. The acquired business, employing 20 persons, will be affiliated to Metso's Paper and Fiber Technology segment - Filtration Services, as of November 1, 2011. The value of the transaction is not disclosed.

The acquisition will complement Metso’s current services, technology and product offering to the pulp industry in North America, and is in line with Metso's strategy to increase the level of business in the services sector.

Fabco Inc. has been manufacturing and servicing filtration components for the pulp and paper industry for over 30 years. The filtration solutions are offered for different parts of the paper mill; woodyard, pulp mill, paper machine, and waste water treatment. Some of the key manufactured products are disc filter sectors, drum filter covers, belt press belts, sector covers, vibrating & polishing filter screens and recausticizing products.