Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/njhjqk/pulp_and_paper) has announced the addition of the "Pulp & Paper Edge" report to their offering.

The monthly publication of record for the Australian and New Zealand pulp, paper and paper products industry is meticulously researched by a team that is in the field, analyzing the market and examining the trade on a daily basis.

Every edition includes:

- Pricing - local production, imported and exported paper and paperboard grade, including currency and inflation considerations

- Production - Australian facilities, their access to resources and expenditure on capital projects

- Trade - volumes and pricing of imports and exports, the impact on the domestic market and international market trends

- New projects and facility upgrades - changes to capacity and processes, major capital works and market drivers behind the projects

- Company strategies - company positioning in the paper and paperboard markets, planned investments, changes in market share and company results

- Strategic issues - mergers, acquisitions and new entrants, changes in resource availability, market trends, environmental legislation and initiatives and industry bodies

- International developments - globalisation, freight costs, major new mills, the influence of international prices for pulp, paper and paperboard on the Australasian markets and investment by both international companies in Australasia, or local companies in overseas markets

- Government policies - at the federal and state levels impacting resource availability, pricing, trade, tariffs and markets, environmental standards and future market requirements

In addition, each edition contains a feature, such as a chief executive interview, or an in-depth analysis of issues of interest to the industry.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Current Prices

2. Market Volumes

3. Market Analysis

4. Trade Reviews

5. Corporate Updates

6. Monthly Feature

7. Interviews

8. Currency Analysis

Companies Mentioned

- ABC Tissue

- Amcor

- Asaleo Care

- Asia Pulp & Paper

- Australian Paper

- BJ Ball

- Carter Holt Harvey

- Carter Holt Harvey Pulp, Paper and Packaging

- Cottonsoft

- Encore Tissue

- KW Doggett

- Kimberly-Clark Australia

- Nippon Paper

- Norske Skog

- Oji Holdings

- Oroa

- Pan Pac

- PaperlinX

- SCA

- SCA Hygiene Australasia

- SIG Combibloc

- Solaris

- Tetrapak

- Visy Industries

- Winstone Pulp

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/njhjqk/pulp_and_paper.

Voith filed a patent infringement suit in Italy before the First Instance Court in Rome against Toscotec S.p.A. In its complaint, Voith alleges that a Tissue Machine with shoe press technology type Ahead 2.0S. version Shoepress produced by Toscotec S.p.A. in Italy and delivered to a paper mill in Portugal infringes Voith’s European Patent No EP 0 926 296 in Italy. The Voith Patent EP´296 protects Voith´s shoe press technology NipcoFlex TTM in combination with suction turning roll for Tissue machines.

Toscotec reacted to Voith´s infringement law suit by requesting the nullification of the Voith EP´296 patent as well as filing a request for ascertainment of non-infringement. In this respect it has to be noted that the validity of Voith´s EP´296 patent has already been unsuccessfully challenged before the European Patent Office in a previous opposition filed by another competitor.

Mercer International Inc  is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has implemented a leadership transition plan that capitalizes on the strength and depth of management.

Mr. Jimmy S.H. Lee, currently Chief Executive Officer ("CEO"), President, and Chairman of the Company, will transition to Executive Chairman of the Board, effective July 20, 2015. At that time, Mr. David M. Gandossi, Mercer's current Chief Financial Officer ("CFO") will assume the role of President and CEO and become a Director. Mercer is also pleased to announce that Mr. David K. Ure, the Senior Vice-President, Finance will concurrently become the CFO and Secretary of the Company.

Mr. Jimmy S.H. Lee stated: "It has been an honor and privilege to serve as Mercer's CEO and one of its founders. In my new role, I will be responsible for focusing upon developing Mercer's overall corporate strategy, capital market activities and corporate development initiatives.  I look forward to continuing to work with the Board and the senior management team as Mercer enters its next chapter of growth and success. I have had the opportunity to work closely with David Gandossi over the past decade, during which time David has demonstrated his dedication and operational aptitude, and I believe that David will excel as Mercer's next CEO. 

Mr. David Gandossi said, "I am very excited and humbled by this opportunity and am pleased to be taking on this exciting new role. On behalf of everyone at Mercer, I would like to thank Jimmy for his leadership and vision over the past 23 years which has been instrumental in building the Company. As Executive Chairman, Jimmy will continue to be actively involved with the Company by lending his expertise to the development of Mercer's strategic goals and initiatives. I look forward to being able to continue working with Jimmy in the execution of the Company's strategic affairs."  

Mr. Gandossi further stated, "I also want to congratulate David Ure. Since returning to Mercer in 2013, David has become an important member of the management team and is well respected for his extensive forest products industry experience." He concluded, "I look forward to working with the Mercer team as we continue to execute our strategy to realize the full operational and financial potential at Mercer on behalf of all our stakeholders."

About Jimmy S. H. Lee

Jimmy S.H. Lee has served as Director of the Company since May 1985 and President and Chief Executive Officer since 1992. During his tenure at Mercer, the company acquired the Rosenthal mill and converted it to the production of kraft pulp, constructed and commenced operations at the Stendal mill and acquired the Celgar mill. 

Mr. Lee possesses particular knowledge and experience in finance and banking, credit markets, derivative risk management, and international pulp markets. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of British Columbia, Canada.

About David M. Gandossi

David M. Gandossi has served as Executive Vice-President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary since August 2003. Mr. Gandossi's previous roles included Chief Financial Officer and other senior executive positions with Formation Forest Products and Pacifica Papers Inc.

Since 2007, Mr. Gandossi has chaired the British Columbia Pulp and Paper Task Force, a joint government industry and labor effort mandated to identify measures to improve the competitiveness of the British Columbia pulp and paper industry. He also participated in the Pulp and Paper Advisory Committee to the BC Competition Council and was a member of BC's Working Roundtable on Forestry. He is currently a Director of FPInnovations and Chair of the FPI National Research Advisory Committee. He also co-chairs the BC Bio-economy Transformation Council, a collaborative effort between government and industry. Mr. Gandossi holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of British Columbia and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia (ICABC).

About David K. Ure

David K. Ure returned to Mercer in September 2013, assuming the role of Senior Vice President, Finance. Prior to serving as Vice President, Finance of Sierra Wireless Inc., Mr. Ure was Vice President, Controller at Mercer from 2006 to 2010. He has also served as Controller at various companies including Catalyst Paper Corporation, Pacifica Papers Inc., and TrojanLitho, as well as Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Finlay Forest Industries Inc.

Mr. Ure has more than fifteen years of experience in the forest products industry. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from the University of British Columbia, Canada and is a member of the Certified General Accountants' Association of Canada.

About Mercer

Mercer International Inc. is a global pulp manufacturing company. To obtain further information on the company, please visit its web site at http://www.mercerint.com.

Iggesund Paperboard is enhancing its distribution service in Asia. The main aim is to shorten lead times and thereby give Asian customers better service.

“We are continuously evolving together with our customers’ needs. We have therefore set up a sheeting and warehousing capability in Taiwan, which will be operationally ready by the end of July 2015,” explains Ivan Chong, Business Area Director G&P, Asia Pacific. “This channel will strive to enhance Invercote’s availability in the Asian market and will help Iggesund and our customers to gain new business.”

Iggesund is not just establishing a distribution channel in Asia. The company will also keep Invercote in stock and offer local sheeting from a service point in Taiwan in order to minimise lead times.

“Invercote is a niche product aimed at customers who place high demands on appearance and function and who want the end result to attract attention on the retail shelf and encourage purchase,” comments Arvid Sundblad, Vice President Sales and Marketing, in charge of global sales. “Unlike basically all SBB paperboard made in Asia, Invercote has a multi-layer construction, which means it does not crack along the creases. This is a huge advantage, supported, of course, by Invercote’s strong environmental and economic sustainability properties.”

Iggesund’s enhanced service in Asia is part of its efforts to become more global by strengthening its delivery service outside Europe. It is also recruiting staff to reinforce its sales efforts. The company has also launched a broader service concept to inform its customers of the many resources and support functions available to them. “Care by Iggesund” includes the quick and easy ordering of samples and inspirational material, the provision of product safety information and certificates, and access to the analytical services of Iggesund’s accredited Laboratory of Sensory and Chemical Analyses. Iggesund’s extensive environmental documentation is also part of the service offering, not least as a guarantee that customers will not encounter any unpleasant surprises due to the origin of the forest raw material used in their paperboard.

Iggesund’s service offering also includes everything associated with the company’s products, Invercote and Incada: from technical support in local markets to Iggesund’s own paperboard expertise in the form of various reference works.

“We don’t just want our customers to buy our paperboard – we also want them to get the most out of it,” Arvid Sundblad comments. “All our documentation, together with our team of technicians, who are out in the local markets and who have experience from projects and operations similar to those of our customers, exists to ensure this. Some of this support we have had for a long time but we haven’t been clear enough to our customers in general that all this service exists.”

Iggesund

Iggesund Paperboard is part of the Swedish forest industry group Holmen, one of the world’s 100 most sustainable companies listed on the United Nations Global Compact Index. Iggesund’s turnover is just over €500 million and its flagship product Invercote is sold in more than 100 countries. The company has two brand families, Invercote and Incada, both positioned at the high end of their respective segments. Since 2010 Iggesund has invested more than €380 million to increase its energy efficiency and reduce the fossil emissions from its production.

Iggesund and the Holmen Group report all their fossil carbon emissions to the Carbon Disclosure Project. The environmental data form an integral part of an annual report that complies with the Global Reporting Initiative’s highest level of sustainability reporting. Iggesund was founded as an iron mill in 1685, but has been making paperboard for more than 50 years. The two mills, in northern Sweden and northern England employ 1500 people.

Further information:

Staffan Sjöberg
Public Relations Manager
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Iggesund Paperboard
SE-825 80 Sweden
Tel: +4665028256
Mobile: +46703064800
www.iggesund.com

CEO Per Lindberg comments on the development during Q2 2015:

“We deliver a result for the quarter that is strong, but burdened with extra costs for the upgrade of our fluting machine in Gruvön. Technically, the upgrade is a success and the quality improvements are above expectations, but it took a bit longer to implement than estimated.”

THE RESULT

The second quarter’s operating margin of 10% was negatively impacted by the planned maintenance shutdown and the extra costs for implementation of the upgrade of the fluting machine in Gruvön, all in all approximately SEK 170 million. I am however content with the underlying result we produce. Overall the weak SEK continues to be positive for us. Our growth 2015 is largely driven by favourable currency developments, and our volumes have suffered partly due to investments and rebuilds. We have given priority to longer-term capacity enhancements rather than short term volume maximizations.  Still our volume growth in business area Consumer Board for the first half of the year was 6% and above the plan.
Our net debt/equity ratio increased to 0.62 due to our dividend pay-out. Return on capital employed improved to 12% and we continue to close in on our targeted 13%, so overall we are performing well in line with our targets.

MARKET OUTLOOK

The overall market has been stable during the quarter. We expect the market to continue to be stable with good demand and little changes in local prices.

We see no reason to change our outlook for business area Packaging Paper. Increased competition pressures local prices within the MF segment and we did not utilise our full capacity during the quarter. This situation was anticipated and is likely to continue. Meanwhile the market situation for sack paper and the MG segments are solid which makes the outlook for the business area quite stable and balanced.

Consumer Board market continues to be stable.

Within Containerboard, the fluting segment is currently very strong, with strong order books and with previously announced local price increases starting to show. We are also expecting the improved product quality from the machine upgrade to support additional value growth in the business area in the longer-term. In the liner segment, competition continues to increase with increased capacity on the market. But local prices have been kept stable during the quarter, helped by low stocks, announced price increases for waste based papers, and a strong USD that favours European kraftliner.

STRATEGY

One of our strategic stepping stones is to expand our position both in the value chain as well as geographically. We want to expand our offering and our networks to include stakeholders beyond converters, for instance brand owners.

In our efforts to achieve our ambitions in this area it is worth mentioning that our JV, FibreForm Packaging, has taken its first order where a complete system solution has been sold containing a FreeFormPack machine with deliveries of FibreForm material to one of Europe’s largest co-packer, Vetipack.

When it comes to geographical expansion our goal is that more than 50% of our future growth will come from outside of Europe. Here we have finalised establishment of companies in India and USA and they are fully operational. We are also finalising the set-up of a company and a complete customer service center in Singapore.

The information is such that BillerudKorsnäs AB (publ) is obligated to publish under the Swedish Securities Market Act. Submitted for publication at 10.02 CET, 20 July 2015.

For further information, please contact:
Per Lindberg, President and CEO 46 (0)8 553 335 00
Susanne Lithander, CFO, 46 (0)8 553 335 00

BillerudKorsnäs provides packaging materials and solutions that challenge conventional packaging for a sustainable future. We are a world leading provider of primary fiber based packaging materials and have customers in over 100 countries. The company has 8 production sites in Sweden, Finland and the UK and about 4 300 employees in over 13 countries. BillerudKorsnäs has an annual turnover of about SEK 21 billion and is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. www.billerudkorsnas.com

Orora has announced  that it has reached agreement to sell its former carton board mill site in Petrie, Queensland, to Moreton Bay Regional Council for a total consideration of $50.5 million.

Orora will receive $20 million on the exchange of contracts and the balance of the proceeds will be paid as decommissioning of the site progresses over the next two years. The total profit on the sale is anticipated to be approximately $10 million.

About Orora - the facts

Orora Ltd is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. The company was created in 2013 after Amcor, one of the world's largest packaging companies with a 150 year history in Australia, demerged their Australasian and Packaging Distribution businesses.

Barry‐Wehmiller Cos., Inc., capital equipment and engineering solutions leader, is moving toward acquiring the Bielomatik group associated with the paper processing product line of Bielomatik Leuze GmbH + Co. KG. They signed a letter of agreement this week, and expect the sale to be finalized in the upcoming months, once approval conditions are met.

Bielomatik’s paper processing product line that cuts, binds, finishes and wraps paper will merge with BW Papersystems, headquartered in the USA, a global supplier to the paper and board sheeting; paper converting; and corrugating industries. BW Papersystems incorporates many of the successful brands: Will‐Pemco, MarquipWardUnited, SHM, Wrapmatic, Kugler‐Womako and Curioni.

Bielomatik is globally known for its paper processing equipment including sheeters, and machines for wrapping, stacking and packing. Their paper processing group additionally manufactures stationery and binding machines incorporating all binding technologies used for the production of exercise books, in schools and business around the world.

BW Papersystems offers state of the art technology for folio, cut size and digital sheeting and packaging machines, plus stationery, passport production and specialized paper converting applications. For the corrugating industry, customers can continue to rely on the well‐known brands MarquipWardUnited, Curioni and VortX. With manufacturing plants in USA and Europe, parts and service centers in the USA, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, Singapore and Shanghai plus an effective global team of aftermarket parts and field service, BW Papersystems offers a lasting commitment to its customers.

BW Papersystems, with Bielomatik, will employ over 1,600 team members worldwide and is expected to generate revenue in excess of $400 million.

ABOUT BW PAPERSYSTEMS
A global supplier of advanced corrugating, sheeting and finishing machinery, BW Papersystems has achieved international success through a combination of technical innovation and superb reliability. With more than a century of experience, BW Papersystems has become a renowned manufacturer of high‐speed equipment—including sheeters, splicers, slitter/scorers, direct drive knives, rotary die cutters and flexo folder gluers—for the folded carton, corrugated box and paper converting industries worldwide.

Visy Paper PM5 has successfully started up in end of March 2015 at Colaroo, Melbourne – Australia, after a press section upgrade carried out by the Italian company Toscotec. VP5 paper machine produces coating base sheet and test liner for export, from recycled paper.

Visy is one of the world’s largest privately owned paper, packaging and recycling companies; it was established in Melbourne, Australia in 1948 as a manufacturer of corrugated cardboard boxes, and today’s operational footprint extends in over 120 sites across Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Vietnam and trading offices across Asia, Europe and the USA.

The project aim was to increase test liner paper quality and the overall efficiency of the press section, thus increasing the energy savings. The goal was achieved by the installation of a new framing for the press section and the introduction of a state of the art shoe press - TT XPress as third nip, working with a maximum nip load of 1300kN/m at an operating speed of 1000 m/min. The addition of a new TT SteelDryer-SD1500 at the beginning of the dryer section, completed the upgrade.

The short shut down period and the success of the installation was a result of the strong and constant partnership and cooperation between Toscotec, Build Run Repair, Visy’s dedicated Project Management Group, and the Mill that led to the quick achievement of the expected performances.

About Toscotec S.p.A.

Since 1948 TOSCOTEC, based in Lucca, Italy, has specialized in machinery for the Tissue and Paper industries. The company provides top of the range machinery and system solutions for complete turn-key plants ranging from 40 to 260 TPD and designs and manufactures TADVISION for the premium tissue and towel markets that require Through Air Dried technology.

Actually Toscotec is the market Leader in Steel Yankee Dryers with sales of over 160 Steel Yankees up to 22’ in diameter and widths up to 6000 (236”mm).

Appoints Ahmet Gureli as General Manager for Region

Xerium Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:XRM), a leading global provider of industrial consumable products and services, has commissioned its new business in Turkey. This new regional hub will serve customers in Turkey, Southeast Europe, and the Middle East including:

• all Huyck.Wangner machine clothing products for all applications - pulp, paper, nonwoven production, converting
• all Stowe Woodward roll recovering and roll services
• in-mill machine service and machine optimization
• factory-provided equipment repair
• all sales, service, and supply chain activities

The business will be headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey and will be led by Mr. Ahmet Gureli. Mr. Gureli is the new General Manager of Xerium Turkey. Mr. Gureli is a 3^rd generation industry veteran with three decades of experience and relationships in the region. Mr. Gureli and his local team will be responsible for all of Xerium’s activities in the region – technology, service, sales, marketing, plant operations, and supply chain activities.

Xerium has conducted business in the region for many decades as an exporter, and has now built an indigenous supply capability. The centerpiece of the business start-up is a brand-new greenfield plant located in Corlu, Turkey. The new plant took over 2 years to design, build, equip and commission. Corlu will continue to ramp production capabilities throughout the third quarter. The facility contains state-of-the-art rolls and services machines from Europe. Xerium has transferred all of its best practices and all of its patented technology solutions to the region. The plant has state-of-the-art information systems and supply chain interfaces and is conducting business from an SAP technology platform.

For the first time ever, customers in the region will receive locally provided & locally optimized state-of-the-art rubber extrusion technology, and state-of-the-art polyurethane technology. The Corlu plant will be able to service large rolls from any industry or application. The plant has one of the largest grinding machines in this region and was built to handle rolls up to 80 metric tonnes in weight.

The commercial objective is to provide machine optimization solutions with world-class technology, short lead times, and a local cost structure. The customers in the region deserve this world-class approach and we are proud to provide it. Customers will immediately receive better prices, better lead times, better technology, and better service. This new business start-up is part of Xerium’s investment strategy to realign its global business model and global factory locations to line up with growth markets in the world.

Mr. Harold Bevis, President and CEO of Xerium, made several comments regarding this entrepreneurial business start-up. “As with all new business start-ups, there are many aspects to success and it requires a great team effort over a sustained amount of time. We were able to do that and we want to recognize a few people. First, we want to thank our wonderful partners in Turkey – the Eren family and the Eren Group executives. It is difficult to start a new business in a new region, to be aware and observant of local customs, to find and hire local talent, to transfer a huge amount of machine and process technology, and to align properly with local customers. The Eren family and executives have been outstanding partners, helping us along the way from beginning to end. We are thankful for their help and partnership.

Second, we are thankful for the new employees who have joined the Xerium team. Led by Mr. Ahmet Gureli, we have hired a complete experienced team of factory-direct sales, service, and operational personnel. The Xerium team in Duren, Germany trained the operations team and helped install and transfer the company’s technology and best practices. The operational startup has been led by Mr. Bernd Hahne, Global Vice President of all of Xerium’s rolls and service plants.

Third, we are thankful for our customers in the region who have embraced our entrepreneurial start-up and our local business commitments and investments. The teamwork between our customers and the Turkey based team is well underway, with the mutual goal of having our customers’ machines run in the best possible manner, with great lead times, and a great cost structure. The entire business start-up has been led by Mr. Dave Pretty, President of Xerium’s businesses in both Europe and North America.

This new business start-up is an important part of the new business strategy being deployed at Xerium – reposition the company into growth markets. We are excited that this new business is underway selling machine clothing, performing on-machine service, and performing in-factory service. Already, the plant has performed in-factory service on a critical roll on the largest paper machine in Turkey,” said Mr. Harold Bevis, President and CEO of Xerium.

ABOUT XERIUM

Xerium Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:XRM) is a leading global provider of industrial consumable products and services. Xerium, which operates around the world under a variety of brand names, utilizes a broad portfolio of patented and proprietary technologies to provide customers with tailored solutions and products integral to production, all designed to optimize performance and reduce operational costs. With 25 manufacturing facilities in 12 countries around the world, Xerium has approximately 3,100 employees.

Source: Xerium Technologies, Inc.

Xerium Technologies, Inc.
Cliff Pietrafitta, 919-526-1444
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
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or
Xerium Turkey Contact
Ahmet Gureli, +90-532-241-69-69
General Manager – Xerium Turkey
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or
ICR Inc.
Dan Whalen, 203-682-8277
Senior Vice President
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SCA is set to invest approximately SEK 650m in a new production facility in Brazil for the manufacture of incontinence products. Production is scheduled to commence in 2016.

Through an acquisition made in 2011, SCA established a presence in the Brazilian market for incontinence products. Since then, SCA has increased its sales and market share in Brazil. SCA is now the second largest company in the Brazilian market for incontinence products, with its global leading brand TENA and the local brand, Biofral.

Brazil, which is one of SCA’s prioritized emerging markets, is the third largest retail market in the world for incontinence products.

“This investment will increase our production capacity and improve our profitability in Brazil in the long term. The investment enables us to capitalize on the growth opportunities that we can see in the Brazilian market for incontinence products and to potentially launch other product categories in the future,” says Magnus Groth, President and CEO of SCA.

The new production facility in Jarinu, Brazil, will replace the smaller existing plant.

In 2014, SCA’s net sales in Brazil amounted to SEK 514m.

NB: This information is such that SCA must disclose in accordance with the Securities Markets Act and/or the Financial Instruments Trading Act. Submitted for publication on July 16, 2015, at X:XX a.m./p.m. CET.

For additional information please contact:
Johan Karlsson, VP Investor Relations, +46 8 788 51 30
Karl Stoltz, Media Relations Manager, +46 8 788 51 55

SCA is a leading global hygiene and forest products company. The Group develops and produces sustainable personal care, tissue and forest products. Sales are conducted in about 100 countries under many strong brands, including the leading global brands TENA and Tork, and regional brands, such as Libero, Libresse, Lotus, Nosotras, Saba, Tempo and Vinda. As Europe’s largest private forest owner, SCA places considerable emphasis on sustainable forest management. The Group has about 44,000 employees. Sales in 2014 amounted to approximately SEK 104bn (EUR 11.4bn). SCA was founded in 1929, has its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, and is listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm. For more information, visit www.sca.com.