Ian Melin-Jones
Stora Enso receives European Union's LIFE environment award for innovative recycling technology
Stora Enso and its partner Alucha Recycling Technologies have been granted the ‘Best of the Best’ LIFE Environment Project award for 2010. This award is granted by the European Union to recognise projects that 
have a positive impact on the environment. Stora Enso and Alucha Recycling Technologies received the award for developing and investing in innovative recycling technology in Stora Enso’s Barcelona Mill. The new technology separates plastic-aluminium laminate from recovered beverage cartons by a process that enables both fibre and aluminium to be fully reused, and the plastic to be utilised to generate energy in the mill.
Selections of favourable projects were made by the representatives of EU Member States working in co-operation with the European Commission’s DG Environment LIFE Unit to produce a shortlist of projects for the award.
“Fibre-based beverage cartons are a great packaging product because it is a natural material with a low carbon footprint that comes from renewable resources and it is highly recyclable,” explains Mats Nordlander, Executive Vice President at Stora Enso Packaging. “We are continuously working to enhance the recycling of our products, and look for innovative ways to reduce our environmental footprint. This is why we are especially proud of this recognition from the EU.”
Stora Enso’s Barcelona Mill receives used milk and juice cartons from Spain, France, Portugal and the UK which are used as raw material for the production of white lined chipboard, a carton grade based on recovered fibre used in various packaging applications.
NewPage Names Jay A. Epstein Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
NewPage Corporation today announced that Jay A. Epstein will join the company's senior leadership team, effective July 5, 2011, as senior vice president and chief financial officer, replacing Curtis Short who was serving in the role on an interim basis.
Mr. Epstein will be responsible for the management and direction of the company's finance, accounting, treasury, compliance and investor relations organization. Reporting to George F. Martin, president and chief executive officer, Mr. Epstein joins NewPage with experience in the pulp and paper industry. "We are pleased to have a finance professional of Jay's caliber join NewPage," said Martin. "His experience in the paper industry combined with his proven fiscal management experience will greatly benefit NewPage."
Prior to joining NewPage, Mr. Epstein had been vice president finance, treasurer and secretary of Brant Industries, White Birch Paper Company and SP Newsprint Company and was chief financial officer for SP Recycling Company. He was director, Global Risk Management at National Bank of Canada from 2002 to 2004, and served in a number of roles at Enron from 1999 to 2002, which included their pulp and paper business. Prior to Enron, Mr. Epstein held positions of increasing responsibility in process engineering, capital and energy management and operations management at BASF Corporation.
Mr. Epstein earned his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and a master's degree in business administration with concentrations in finance and economics from The University of Chicago.
SOURCE NewPage Corporation
PMP to Deliver a Reel Rebuild to Kimberly Clark - Aranguren, Spain
PMPoland S.A. – a member of the PMP Group will deliver a reel rebuild including extended reel rails and a safety package to the Kimberly-Clark - Aranguren mill. The scope of supply for the dry end rebuild covers Extended Reel Rails, Safety Guarding and Threading & Sheet Stabilization systems. The project is schedule to be installed in the third quarter of 2011.
Kimberly-Clark Corporation is a Fortune 100 company, and is a leading global manufacturer of personal care, consumer tissue and away-from-home products. The company’s global brands include HUGGIES®, KOTEX®, KLEENEX®, DEPEND®, SCOTT®, KIMWIPES® and WYPALL®. Other brands well known outside the US include ANDREX®, SCOTTEX®, PAGE®, POPEE®, and KIMBIES®. Kimberly-Clark is also a major producer of professional health care products and premium business correspondence and technical papers.
PMPoland S.A. will supply the reel rebuild for PM#5 in Aranguren, Spain. The machine has a reel trim of 2,760 mm and a design speed of 1,500 mpm. The main goals of the project are to improve tail threading and sheet stabilization. PMP’s technical solutions and high quality manufacturing techniques allow PMP to meet the requirements of this rebuild.
TAPPI Honors ABB Staff for Exceptional Achievement
Shin-Chin Chen, Åke Hellström and Keith Masters are recognized during PAPERCON 2011
Three ABB staff members, Shin-Chin Chen, Åke Hellström and Keith Masters, were recently honored by TAPPI, one of the industry’s leading associations, for their outstanding achievements and service.
Chen, a corporate executive engineer with ABB’s Pulp and Paper Division in Westerville, Ohio, USA, was named a TAPPI Fellow for 2011. TAPPI Fellows are an elite group who have each made extraordinary contributions to the industry.
Chen, who has worked for ABB since 1984 and has a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University in systems engineering, holds 10 patents and has published more than 40 technical papers. His recent paper on “VAP and new indices for quantifying sheet quality and trouble shooting” won the 2009 Jasper Mardon Award.
Hellström won TAPPI’s Process Control Division Technical Award. He retired from ABB in 2009 as a chief engineer with the company’s Pulp and Paper Division in Columbus, Ohio, USA,
During his four decades with ABB, Hellström played a key role in developing the scanner and sensor technology that is still widely used today. He worked as the chief engineer on ABB’s Measurement Platform, launched in 1986. Hellström holds 13 U.S. and many international patents.
Masters, a business manager with ABB’s Pulp and Paper Division in San Antonio, Texas, USA, was awarded TAPPI’s Division’s Leadership and Service Award.
Masters, who has over 30 years of leadership in the pulp and paper industry, worked at Honeywell, Bailey, and Measurex before joining ABB in 2006. He has worked on project, product and quality management, and chaired PAPERCON panels on process control.
Chen, Hellström and Masters were recognized during the PAPERCON 2011 conference held May 1 – 4, 2011, in Covington, KY, USA.
ANDRITZ to supply stock preparation systems for Jiangsu Fuxing Paper, China
International technology Group ANDRITZ received an order to supply stock preparation systems for a duplex board machine to Jiangsu Fuxing Paper Co. Ltd., China. Start-up is scheduled for June 2012.
The scope of supply comprises:
a 180 t/d NBKP/LBKP (Northern Bleached Kraft Pulp/Leaf Bleached Kraft Pulp) line for the top ply,
a 160 t/d OMG/MOW (Old Magazines/Mixed Office Waste) line for the under top ply,
a 750 t/d MW (Mixed Waste) line for the filler ply,
a 160 t/d ONP (Old Newsprint Pulp) line for the back ply,
a five-layer Paper Machine Approach system,
a broke system, and
a sludge handling system.
The FibreFlow® drum pulper ordered by Jiangsu Fuxing Paper will be the 200th unit delivered by ANDRITZ PULP & PAPER.
PMP Group will supply two tissue machines to Yuen Foong Yu to Chinese paper mill
In January 2011, PMP was chosen as a supplier for two new complete Intelli-Tissue™ 1500 lines by Yuen Foong Yu. PMP will deliver the equipment of two CF tissue machines to the site in the first quarter of 2012. The start-ups of these machines are set to follow one by one at the end of second quarter of 2012.
Yuen Foong Yu is a corporation that comprises three business units. One of them is household products division. In the range of this business the company owns the three major brands of tissue paper at present: Mayflower, Tender and Deyi. Its production lines cover paper products such as toilet paper, tissue paper, facial tissues, paper towels and napkins. In addition, it is also responsible for producing cosmetic products such as bio facial masks for leading brands in the country.
To develop new products and advance towards possessing production lines for all household paper products, YFY decided to invest in new tissue machines project from PMP Group. What is interesting, it is the repeated order following previous YFY Beijing project. YFY Corporation decided to continue partnership building with PMP Group recognizing its strengths and abilities to supports long run strategy. In selection of tissue machine suppliers decisive was supplying added value by PMP. PMP Optimum Cost Solutions, attractive return-on investment factor and flexibility of PMP organization have met project requirements. Excellent communication between companies, which was recognized during the first project, was also significant.
In November 2008 PMP supplied crescent former Intelli-Tissue™ 1500 machine that has a maximum operating speed of 1500 m/min, 2.4 m width and capacity of 1500 tons/month. PMP received excellent feedback from the mill, which allowed improving this particular machine. The installation runs in continuous mode and has surpassed the design criteria. The mill still meeting all performance guarantees for quality, excellent media consumption and effective production. Stabilization of the machine allows paper mill to achieve additional profits.
Paperlinx appointment of Non-executive Director
The Board of PaperlinX Limited advises that Mr Tony Clarke has joined the Board as an independent non-executive Director.
Mr Clarke has a strong financial background and has held a number of senior finance positions including Chief Financial Officer of Amcor Europe and Finance Director of Pacifica Group Limited. He was recently involved with Centro Properties Ltd in the financial restructuring of that Group.
“We are delighted to welcome Tony to the Board. His experience of working in the European paper and packaging industry will be particularly valuable to PaperlinX” said David Meiklejohn, Chairman of PaperlinX Limited.
Kemira Oyj: Damage claim for Kemira Chemicals Oy for violations of competition law
Kemira Oyj's subsidiary Kemira Chemicals Oy (former Finnish Chemicals Oy) has today received documents where it is stated that CDC Project 13 Sa (CDC) has filed an action against four companies, including Kemira, for violations of competition law applicable to the sodium chlorate business. Kemira will get acquainted with the documents.
The European Commision set on June 2008 a fine of EUR 10.15 million on Finnish Chemicals Oy for antitrust activity in the company's sodium chlorate business during 1994-2000. Kemira Oyj acquired Finnish Chemicals in 2005.
AkzoNobel CEO Hans Wijers to leave 2012 – Ton Büchner to succeed
The Supervisory Board of Akzo Nobel N.V. (“AkzoNobel”) has today announced that Hans Wijers, Chief Executive Officer, has decided to step down with effect from the Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2012.
The Supervisory Board also announced the appointment of Ton Büchner as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer – pending AGM approval – with effect from the AGM 2012. Ton Büchner is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Swiss publically-quoted multinational Sulzer AG.
Hans Wijers
Hans Wijers (age 60) joined AkzoNobel as Member of the Board of Management in October 2002, and was subsequently appointed CEO in May 2003. Having previously pursued a successful career as minister for economics in the Netherlands and within management consultancy, he quickly identified that the diversity of the company – the product of a history of mergers and acquisitions – was preventing the creation of long-term value for all stakeholders.
In his first few years, he improved the pipeline of the Pharma business, focused the Chemicals businesses and successfully grew Coatings. Following these strategic changes, he successfully led the transformation of the company by divesting its pharmaceuticals operations and acquiring ICI, effectively creating today’s AkzoNobel, the world leader in coatings and specialty chemicals.
Hans Wijers’ focus to deliver value for all stakeholders realized an improved track record in the area of sustainability, a more diverse and engaged workforce and a true global spread of the company’s operations. Under Hans’ leadership, AkzoNobel has recently embarked on a strategy of accelerated, sustainable growth aiming at €20 billion of revenues in the medium-term and year-on-year EBITDA growth.
“Hans has built a considerable legacy at AkzoNobel which bears testament to his skills as a leader and businessman,” commented Karel Vuursteen, Chairman of AkzoNobel’s Supervisory Board. “The transformation of the company from a diverse conglomerate in 2003 to a focused, global market leader in coatings, specialty chemicals and sustainability is due, in large part, to his vision and drive. He will leave behind a business which is both operationally and financially strong; capable of continuing to grow and to deliver real value to all stakeholders.”
Ton Büchner
Ton Büchner (age 45) has been Chief Executive Officer of Sulzer AG (“Sulzer”), a publically traded company on the Swiss Stock Exchange, since 2007. He joined Sulzer in 1994 and has held a number of operational and leadership roles across the company including the presidencies of two of its divisions, Sulzer Turbomachinery Services and Sulzer Pumps. He was also Chief Representative and responsible for Sulzer operations in China.
Ton Büchner has a proven track record for strategically developing and significantly growing the businesses he has managed, also under difficult market conditions. He started his professional career as an offshore oil and gas construction engineer with Allseas Engineering in Europe and worked for AkerKvaener throughout South East Asia for several years.
A Dutch national, Ton Büchner graduated from Delft University of Technology with an MSc in Civil Engineering and gained an MBA from the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), Lausanne, Switzerland.
“We are fortunate to have secured Ton Büchner as our new CEO. His proven strategic experience leading a public company, and his expertise in the global industrial arena make him the ideal candidate for this role,” said Karel Vuursteen. “He also has an excellent track record of delivering strong results and experience of leading businesses in high-growth markets. We look forward to Ton joining us in January and building on the strong foundations left by his predecessor.”
Stand-out packaging for Finnish whisky uses Kemiart Brite from M-real
Teerenpeli Single Malt Whisky was launched in stylish packaging early this year. The packaging design is the result of co-operation between Design Foundation Finland and the Lahti Institute of Design. The designers were given a free hand to create an attractive, clear and ecological concept.
The surface material used for the stylish corrugated board packaging is uncoated white-top kraftliner Kemiart Brite from M-real Consumer Packaging. The liner sheets have been offset-printed, hot-foiled and then litho-laminated on single-faced E-flute sheets. The packages are manufactured at Stora Enso Packaging’s Ruovesi plant.
The project was headed by Ville Korhonen, a graphic designer at Design Foundation Finland, who was responsible for both the graphical design and the look and feel of the packaging, as well as putting it into production.
“The packaging production process consists of several stages. We chose Kemiart Brite as the surface material, because its consistent quality gives better control over the process. Uncoated Kemiart Brite conveys the desired message of recyclability and eco-friendliness. The end product requires the packaging to have the strength of a primary-fibre-based liner,” explains Juha Isomäki, head of production at Stora Enso Packaging.
According to Matti Turpeinen, project manager at Design Foundation Finland, “Teerenpeli’s single malt whisky packaging has a unique structure and the concept helps this rare product – Finnish whisky – to stand out from the competition. The packaging clearly displays the stylish bottle and the valuable product - the high-quality whisky that it contains.”
“Teerenpeli’s core values are Finnish roots, ecology and recyclability, which are well portrayed by the packaging. The genuine uniqueness of the packaging appeals to consumers,” concludes Teerenpeli Group’s Managing Director Anssi Pyysing.