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Pregis Corp.'s Hexacomb® business unit is announcing a 6% price increase on all grades and sizes of its product line shipped to customers in the U.K., Germany, France, Belgium  and The Netherlands.  The price increase is effective on or after June 1, 2010.

The latest price increase has become necessary due to additional upward pricing pressure from paper, fuel and adhesives.  Testliner has risen approximately EUR 30 per ton over April, which puts the increase at more than 25% since October 2009.

"World demand for pulp, which is the primary component of our linerboard, is continuing its two year climb.  This, coupled with the other escalating raw material prices, is forcing us to increase our prices so that we can maintain our quality supply. Superior raw material is a critical component in helping us deliver the high level of engineered performance required by our customers," said Jeff Kellar, president, Hexacomb.

"As the leader in quality and performance-driven honeycomb protective packaging, we are increasing our prices to ensure that we can maintain our quality supply and continue to deliver performance products in what is an increasingly tight raw material paper market. Quality raw material is a critical component in delivering the high level of engineered performance required by our customers," said Jeff Kellar, president, Hexacomb.

Hexacomb is made with 100% paper (all natural, renewable virgin and post consumer recycled fibers) and engineered into a proprietary honeycomb configuration. The product offers excellent strength, superior cushioning and blocking/bracing functions for a wide range of protective packaging and other applications.  Hexacomb® products include sheets, runners, edge and corner protectors.

About Hexacomb:

Pregis Hexacomb is a leading supplier of paper-based protective packaging and serves key industries which value product protection coupled with environmental sustainability. This includes furniture, consumer, automotive, textile, food, building products, energy, glass and industrial. Hexacomb has three manufacturing plants in Europe and nine in North America. For more information about Hexacomb visit www.hexacomb.com.

About Pregis:

Pregis Corporation is a leading global provider of innovative protective, flexible, and foodservice packaging and hospital supply products. The company offers packaging and product solutions for a wide variety of consumer and industrial market segments including food and foodservice, healthcare, agriculture, automotive, furniture, electronics, construction, fulfillment, catalog and military/aerospace. The specialty-packaging leader currently operates 47 facilities in 18 countries around the world. For more information about Pregis, visit www.pregis.com.

SOURCE Pregis Corporation; Pregis Hexacomb

Taking place in Birmingham, UK from May 18^th- 25^th, recognized Original Equipment Manufacturers will demonstrate the high quality print results achieved together with Mondi’s premium papers.

Vienna, 11^th May, 2010 – Mondi will be present at this year’s IPEX fair as a paper sponsor for some of the printing industry’s most recommended OEMs. This year, Mondi has sponsored Xeikon, Konica Minolta, Xerox, and Canon with supplies of Color Copy — the first colour laser paper in the world to be specifically designed for colour laser systems. In addition to Color Copy, Xeikon will also receive IQ premium in 80 gsm — an ideal paper for text and graphics due to its high whiteness.  Mondi’s new HP Indigo certified products will also be available for viewing in the paper sample swatch book at the HP stand.

“IPEX is a major international event and as a global manufacturer of Uncoated Fine Paper, Mondi is pleased to participate alongside Xeikon, Konica Minolta, Xerox, Canon, and HP,” says Johannes Klumpp Marketing and Sales Director of Mondi Uncoated Fine Paper. “With this year’s focus on digital printing technologies, it is important to demonstrate how Mondi’s paper technologies have developed in conjunction with OEMs to produce exceptional print results.”

Both part of Mondi’s digital print portfolio, IQ premium and Color Copy are available in a wide range of grammages and formats. According to the Graphic Technology Research Association FOGRA, Color Copy has once again set the benchmark as Europe’s leading paper for overall print quality. More recently, it was qualified for Xeikon digital duplex presses — a confirmation of manufacturer confidence in Color Copy’s excellent runnability and machine protection.

The last IPEX, which occurred 4 years ago, attracted visitors from over 159 countries, 40% of which came from outside of the UK.  More information about Mondi’s digital product portfolio and its environmental accreditations can be found at: www.mondigroup.com/digitalprinting.

Contact

Jolene Pozniak, Communications Manager, Uncoated Fine Paper

Tel: +43 (1) 79013 – 5663, e-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

DS Smith Plc, the international packaging manufacturer and office products wholesaler, today issues the following trading update ahead of its full-year results announcement for the year to 30 April 2010.

DS Smith Group
The Group’s trading performance in the second half of 2009/10 has been slightly ahead of management’s expectations at the time of the Interim Management Statement (IMS) issued on 4 March 2010. The Group’s profits have been underpinned by the steps taken to reduce costs, raise productivity and generate cash, but in recent months we have also benefited from higher than expected sales, particularly in Office Products.

We continue to be faced by the uncertainty surrounding the strength of economic recovery and the ongoing need to recover rising input costs. Nevertheless, business performance remains encouraging.

In our First Half statement issued in December 2009, we advised that exceptional cash restructuring costs of £4.5 million would be incurred in the year. We now expect there to be an additional £9 million of non-cash exceptional costs, representing the impairment of the carrying value of certain assets within the Group.

Packaging
As noted in our March IMS, demand for corrugated packaging in the European market is recovering, although it is still below the level at this time in 2008. Input costs, predominantly for waste paper, continue to increase. In response we have implemented further corrugated
case material (CCM) and box price increases. We expect the usual delay in the timing of the recovery of these higher costs and it will be into our next financial year before full recovery is achieved.

Plastic Packaging has continued to achieve the better profits noted in the first half; benefiting from restructuring and sales into new markets.
Office Products Wholesaling Demand for office products across our markets has been significantly affected by last year’s slowdown in the European economy. Nevertheless, Spicers sales have been better than expected. The actions taken in the UK business have improved its performance and this is now reflected in the results. The profits for this Division in total are expected to be broadly in line with last year.

Appointment of new CEO
As confirmed on 15 April, Miles Roberts will be joining the Company as Group Chief Executive on 4 May and Tony Thorne will step down from the Board on the same date.The Group plans to announce its preliminary results for the financial year to 30 April 2010 on 24 June 2010.

Enquiries
DS Smith Plc +44(0)1628 583 400
Tony Thorne, Group Chief Executive
Steve Dryden, Group Finance Director
Liz Christie, Group Investor Relations Manager
Financial Dynamics +44(0)20 7831 3113
Andrew Dowler

Further to the announcement made on 3 November 2009, DS Smith Plc, the international packaging manufacturer and office products wholesaler, is pleased to confirm that Miles Roberts will be appointed to the Board as an Executive Director and Group Chief
Executive on 4 May 2010. Tony Thorne is retiring as Executive Director and Group Chief Executive on the same date.

Miles, aged 46, was Group Chief Executive of McBride plc from July 2005 until April 2010 having originally joined the company as its Group Finance Director in January 2002.

He is a Non-Executive Director of Care UK plc.

As required by the Listing Rules, it is confirmed that there are no details to be disclosed pursuant to LR 9.6.13 R (1) to (6). Miles Roberts does not currently hold any shares in the Company.

Contact:
Carolyn Cattermole
Company Secretary
+44 (0) 1628 583 400

Aylesford Newsprint Ltd, located in Aylesford, Kent, England, has awarded a contract to Metso for the supply and commissioning of a new process automation system for installation on PM14 newsprint machine.

The scope of supply is for a metsoDNA distributed control system and includes hardware, applications software, project management and commissioning. The metsoDNA comprises operator stations, process control stations, input/output cards, as well as links to other systems to gain maximum integration of control systems on PM14. The new system will replace an older technology system that was installed when the PM14 was originally built in 1995. Previous successful automation projects delivered to Aylesford Newsprint Ltd by Metso were important factors in evaluation and selection of the best vendor for this project.

Aylesford Newsprint Ltd has decided to make this investment to improve operations and avoid potential stoppages due to obsolescence problems. New and better operator displays, diagnostics and monitoring, will bring better and more efficient operations to PM14 production.

Aylesford Newsprint Ltd recycles 500,000 tonnes per annum of used newspapers and magazines in the manufacture of Renaissance; a 100% recycled publishing quality newsprint which is used by many of the UK and Europe’s regional and national newspaper publishers. Aylesford Newsprint Ltd is a joint venture company between SCA Forest Products and Mondi.


For more information, please contact: Mike Morrissey, Country Manager, UK, tel +44 7768 142877
or
Ari Pinjamaa, Vice President, Sales & Services, EMEA, tel. +358 40 708 9666

William Kenyon have recently supervised a rebuild to the 5th to 6th section rope transfer and 6th section rope system on PM2 at Hollingsworth & Vose in the UK.

The design was implemented to give improved threading reliability. In addition, from a safety perspective, the design also removes the potential for manual intervention in the area during the tail feeding process. Since the installation, H&V has seen a tremendous improvement at the transfer and due to a couple of further minor modifications to existing transfers while on site, the mill has also seen much improved tail threading all the way through the machine.

The installation was trouble free and completed within the necessary timescale. This was in large part due to the close working relationship William Kenyon have built up over the years with the mill's engineering department.

Commented Ken Horton, H&V Operations Manager: "I approached William Kenyon on the basis that they had previously done other work on this particular paper machine. The designer was very meticulous and ensured the operators were happy with the install before he left our site.

"The rebuild to the 5th and 6th section rope transfer was very complicated with many obstacles to consider. The paper now runs through these two sections without any problems. Manual intervention is unnecessary."

For more info please contact

ANDY BARNES
TITLE: Sales / Operations Manager
PHONE: +44 (0) 161 308 6030
FAX:+44 (0) 161 308 6046

email:

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William Kenyon has recently introduced a low cost tensioner to complement its full specification tensioner product and the company has already received its first UK order.

The new unit has been designed with rodless cylinders and a reduced frame.

It is aimed particularly at machines running at lower speeds and in positions where space is limited.

Andy Barnes, Sales Manager, commented, "Over the last few years we have identified a clear demand for a tensioning system which caters for the specific requirements of machines with severe space restrictions and/or where limited running speeds mean that the capabilities of a full specification tensioner are not needed. The addition of this new tensioner design means that William Kenyon has a rope threading solution to suit all positions and budgets."

The rodless design lends itself to all systems - whether single, two or three ropes - and can be installed either horizontally or vertically, with minimal changes to the support framework.

The new tensioner is being supplied through the company's UK operation in Dukinfield, Cheshire. The full specification tensioner units will continue to be supplied from the company's US subsidiary.

For more info please contact

ANDY BARNES
TITLE: Sales / Operations Manager
PHONE: +44 (0) 161 308 6030
FAX:+44 (0) 161 308 6046

email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.