UPM will publish its January-March 2013 interim results on 25 April 2013 at 09:30-10:00 EET. The report will be available on the company's website at www.upm.com after publishing.

UPM's President and CEO Jussi Pesonen will present the results in a conference call and a webcast for analysts and investors, held in English language, on 25 April 2013 at 13:15 EET.

Later in the afternoon, UPM's President and CEO Jussi Pesonen will present the results in a press conference held in Finnish language at UPM Group Head Office in Helsinki (main entrance, Eteläesplanadi 2) on 25 April 2013 at 14:30 EET.

Conference call details:

The conference call can be participated in either by dialing a number in the list below or following the webcast online at www.upm.com or through  http://qsb.webcast.fi/u/upm/upm_2013_0425_q1/

Only participants who wish to ask questions in the conference call need to dial in. All participants can view the webcast presentation online.
The presentation is available at www.upm.com for 12 months after the call.

We recommend that participants start dialing in 5-10 minutes prior to ensure a timely start of the conference.

Conference call title: UPM Interim Report January-March 2013
Conference ID: 931258

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ABB, the leading power and automation group, has won an order for upgrading the paper quality control system of the production line LWC4 at the SCA Ortviken paper mill in Sweden. The project scope includes a number of new functions and measurement scanners for the paper quality control process as well as integration of the new functions in the existing operator environment. The upgrading project represents the final step of integrating the entire control in one single operator environment in the paper line.

The new quality control system, System 800xA QCS with six operator stations, will be integrated in a virtualized server as well as in the existing operator environment for DCS and drive systems. SCA Ortviken is one of the first paper mills to use ABB’s technology for virtual operator stations, which is a solution that offers many benefits including lower system maintenance and energy use since fewer hardware units are needed to do the work that previously required one computer for each operator.

The order also includes replacement of the older measurement scanners with the Network Platform
including the latest technology such as the moisture measurements meter HPIR and the optical thickness meter Optical Caliper. Multivariable CD Control (MCD) is used for profile control, which enables control decisions based on the most important paper quality aspects in every situation. The new system will be commissioned in late May 2013.

SCA Ortviken is one of the largest paper mills in Sweden with four paper machines and an annual output of 510,000 ton LWC and 380,000 tonnes of un-coated paper.

It was too many versions of the dictionary ago that “ecology” and “economy” were virtually right next to one another. That, however, was about the only place where the two came together.

But they’re cozying up again now via a deal between International Paper, the world’s largest paper company, and Asheville, N.C.-based Dogwood Alliance, one of the leading forest conservation organizations in the South.

The historic agreement will help advance scientifically based forestry improvements across the Southeast, one of the world’s largest paper-producing regions.

The papermaking giant and environmental group will map forests around International Paper’s mills in the region, including the huge mill just west of Rome, in a bid to identify whether any endangered or high conservation-value parcels exist.

This mapping project will be undertaken to make sure that IP is not obtaining forest products from any endangered forests, which is part and parcel to long-standing IP policy. The deal will also help target mutually agreed upon areas where conservation can be focused.

Part of the deal also calls for both the Dogwood Alliance and IP to work hand-in-hand to discourage the conversion of natural hardwood forests to pine plantations. 

A decade ago International Paper’s forerunner in Floyd County, Temple-Inland Forest Products, joined hands with The Nature Conservancy to protect more than 900 acres in southwestern Floyd County near the Alabama state line.

The area, known as the Coosa Prairie, is believed to provide habitat for more than three dozen rare and endangered flowers — including the whorled sunflower which was, at one time, thought to have become extinct. Mohr’s Barbara’s buttons and Alabama warbonnets are also among the rare species of flora known to exist in the prairies.

“They are going to be investing in land conservation in the Cumberland Plateau eco-region, and Rome is right there at the foot of the Cumberland Plateau,” said Danna Smith, executive director of Dogwood Alliance. “That will be a positive impact in that community to get some high conservation value.”

Teri Shanahan, International Paper’s vice president of sustainability, said the company has a clear, built-in need to maintain healthy forests.“Our business creates the economic basis for millions of acres of land to remain as forests over long periods of time,” she said. “Engaging with our critics is an important part of our process of continuous improvement. We look forward to working with Dogwood, because it’s clear that, although we approach it from markedly different perspectives, they are as passionate about the forests as we are.”

The partnership with Dogwood Alliance bolsters a series of projects recently unveiled by International Paper.

The first is IP’s membership in the World Wildlife Fund’s Global Forest & Trade Network in North America. Additionally, IP announced a $7.5 million, five-year project with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to restore and conserve forests in the Coastal Carolinas, Cumberland Plateau and Texas/Arkansas Piney Woods regions.

IP also announced an increase in its sourcing of Forest Stewardship Council-certified fiber by more than 1.2 million tons during the past five years, and expects to triple that increase by the end of 2014. The company continues to support multiple certification standards as part of its public goal of increasing certified fiber.

“I would imagine that would include working with the landowners within the sourcing area for their mill in Rome to get them to be FSC certified,” Smith said. “IP’s leadership on FSC certification, and its recently announced commitment to fund conservation in regions that have long been a priority for us, opened the door for transitioning our formerly adversarial relationship to one of collaboration.”

Malcolm Hodges of The Nature Conservancy said that, like its predecessor Temple-Inland, IP has sold off virtually all of its formerly vast timber holdings. He said the agreement, which calls for IP to work with its timber-sourcing companies, is definitely a significant accomplishment.

The Dogwood Alliance, which was created in 1996, has been openly critical of International Paper in the past, though it has increasingly worked with industry leaders to find innovative business solutions that protect Southern forests.

Smith said the deal reached this past week with International Paper has resulted in the Memphis-based paper giant taking a step beyond some of its primary competitors including Georgia Pacific and Resolute Forest Products, formerly Bowater.

The alliance, she said, has spent much of the past decade thinking about how to transform the way the paper industry sources wood in the southern United States.

“Most of it’s privately owned now — and we have taken the approach of not trying to pursue regulation and get the government to solve our problem, but rather to work with companies to try to create the right market incentives that make doing the right thing good for business,” Smith said. “Our strategy has been to get major customers of IP on our side, and use that as a tool to help drive change. Over the years we’ve gotten big names like Staples, Office Depot, McDonald’s to develop new policies that are holding companies to a standard in the forest.”

Over time IP and Dogwood will be looking to map special areas around the Rome mill that can be targeted for conservation efforts.

Smith said over the years there has been a lot of fragmentation of natural hardwood forests.

“We’re going to try to work together to try to really protect and maintain natural hardwood stands that exist in and around the Rome mill,” Smith said.

In the future, paper machine manufacturer Voith Paper and nonwovens expert Trützschler are working together, offering a complete production line for the manufacturing of wet laid and hydroentangled nonwovens. The aim of the cooperation is the joint development and marketing of innovative and economical production equipment.

"We are certain that this partnership will enable us to offer convincing machine concepts", says Marc Wolpers, Sales Director of Trützschler Nonwovens & Man-Made Fibers. "By providing common solutions we can meet the market requirements in a much better and faster way than we ever could by acting independently".

With its HydroFormer, Voith Paper contributes the core component to the cooperation. It has been specifically optimized for the formation of wet-laid nonwovens and, with more than 70 successful installations, gained worldwide acceptance. Due to its expertise, Voith also offers support regarding stock and water systems, press concepts, fabrics and calendars.

In the bonding area, the know-how from Trützschler is applied. Web bonding is performed downstream of the former with the help of the well-known AquaJet, a leading solution in the field of hydroentanglement. In this field, Trützschler Nonwovens can draw on extensive experience from more than 100 projects.

As expert for complete production lines for the nonwovens industry, Trützschler is also responsible for drying and winding within the framework of the joint project.

"This cooperation allows us to offer our customers a complete line ranging from wet laying, bonding, to drying and winding", adds Dr. Klaus Afflerbach, responsible for special machines within Voith Paper. "The combination of two wet processes in form of HydroFormer and AquaJet results in a high-quality web that is of interest to manufacturers of cleaning cloths throughout the world."

A leading supplier of logistics automation, logistics IT, and materials handling and storage systems, Dematic has won the 2013 Honeywell Partner of the Year Award (Manufacturing Sector), for the successful implementation of some of the region’s biggest RF projects.
 
The Honeywell Partner of the Year Awards was held recently during Honeywell’s 2013 Asia Pacific Partner Conference. Dematic won the honour for the second year in a row.
 
Nishan Wijemanne, Dematic’s Sales Manager of Real Time Logistics, who accepted the award said that the 2013 Honeywell Partner of the Year Award was an honour and reinforced Dematic’s leading position in mobile computing and RF integration.
 
Dematic’s Real Time Logistics group is Australasia’s leading integrator of mobile computing and IT solutions for supply chain applications. 
 
Services include:

• Wireless Network Design, Installation & Support
• Vocollect Voice systems
• Mobility Solutions
• RFID, Vision & POD systems
• Systems Integration
• 24/7 Service & Support

Fortress Paper Ltd. ("Fortress Paper" or the "Company") (TSX:FTP) is pleased to announce that it and its wholly owned subsidiary, Fortress Security Papers AG ("FSP"), have entered into a share purchase agreement (the "Share Purchase Agreement") with Glatfelter Gernsbach GmbH & Co. KG ("Glatfelter Gernsbach") and its parent, P.H. Glatfelter Co. ("Glatfelter"), pursuant to which FSP has agreed to sell all of the shares of its wholly owned subsidiary, Dresden Papier GmbH ("Dresden"), to Glatfelter Gernsbach for an aggregate purchase price of €160,000,000 (CDN$213 million), subject to working capital adjustment. The transaction is expected to close within the second quarter of 2013, but no later than June 30, 2013, and is subject to certain customary conditions, including governmental anti-trust approvals in Germany and the Ukraine.

Pursuant to the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, the Company has agreed to guarantee the obligations of FSP and Glatfelter has agreed to guarantee the obligations of Glatfelter Gernsbach thereunder.

Dresden owns and operates the Company's Dresden Mill, a producer of non-woven wallpaper base paper operating in Germany.

Chadwick Wasilenkoff, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fortress Paper, commented "The sale of the Dresden Mill is an important step in Fortress Paper becoming a more focused global leader in the dissolving pulp industry. The transaction was part of our strategic plan to achieve significant liquidity to enhance future growth opportunities. We are very pleased to have been able to reach an agreement with P.H. Glatfelter and look forward to the finalization of the sale. We would also like to acknowledge the contributions of the Dresden management team over the years and wish them every success in the future."

Willamette Riverkeeper drops threat to sue over waste from Halsey pulp mill

An environmental watchdog group has backed off its threat to sue the operators of a Halsey pulp mill over pollution in a Willamette River mixing zone after the company took steps to remedy the problem.

Willamette Riverkeeper and Cascade Pacific Pulp LLC announced a $20,000 settlement late Friday afternoon that resolves most of the issues in the dispute and calls for mediation of one outstanding point.

Under terms of the deal, Cascade Pacific pledged to move forward with a dredging project aimed at increasing the volume of water flowing through the mixing zone. The company also agreed to pay $10,000 toward Willamette Riverkeeper’s legal fees and another $10,000 to help fund a floodplain restoration project at Green Island north of Eugene.

The two sides further agreed to let a mediator decide whether the pulp mill operator must post a permanent sign marking its wastewater outfall. Willamette Riverkeeper is backing a bill in the Oregon Legislature that would require such signs for all mixing zones, areas where pollution discharges are allowed to exceed permitted limits because river flows are considered sufficient to dilute the effluent.

Travis Williams, the executive director of Willamette Riverkeeper, said the group got most of what it wanted in the settlement.

“It’s not ideal, but it does remedy the issue with the (Halsey) mixing zone,” he said. “Ultimately they’ll have more flow over the diffuser, and we’ll see that waste we were seeing swept downstream.”

Last August, Willamette Riverkeeper threatened to sue Cascade Pacific Pulp under the Clean Water Act over a coffee-colored, foul-smelling waste plume it claimed violated the company’s discharge permit.

Cascade Pacific is allowed to discharge up to 17,000 pounds a day of process wastewater from the company’s Halsey pulp mill and the adjoining Georgia-Pacific tissue plant. The liquid waste, which enters the Willamette River through an underwater diffuser about 15 miles upstream from Corvallis, is supposed to be dispersed by the river before it leaves a defined mixing zone.

But a gravel bar had built up just upstream, reducing the amount of water flowing past the diffuser pipes and allowing the waste plume to extend well beyond the mixing zone during the summer months.

Cascade Pacific dredged a temporary channel through the gravel bar to alleviate the situation and has applied for permits to remove more than 22,000 cubic yards of material in hopes of permanently solving the problem.

The company’s attorney could not be reached for comment after the agreement was announced on Friday.

A Pictou County businessman is critical of the Dexter government for helping a much larger company expand at the expense of his operation.

Robert Langille, president of E&R Langille Contracting Ltd. of New Glasgow, says direct involvement by government in helping Northern Pulp finance a wood-chipping plant at its Abercrombie Point facility will force his small company to shutter its $5-million wood-chip investment on Mount William, putting about 18 employees out of work.

“Somebody made a bad decision there,” Langille told me Friday, adding that he will soon meet with Northern Pulp to discuss what the changes will mean.

An independent forestry contractor currently providing about 30 per cent of the wood chips used by Northern Pulp, Langille says the government’s decision to help the pulp mill build its own plant is doubly hurtful since his application for a business loan from government was rejected a few years ago.

Ironically, Langille says, his application was rejected on the grounds it would have created an unfair advantage over other suppliers.

When the Northern Pulp funding announcement was made last week, the NDP government boasted that Northern’s new chip plant would create 20 permanent full-time positions and save Northern about $8 million annually.

Langille says he and his father, Ed, started the forestry company a number of years ago, and today it employs about 90 workers, including his brothers, Darren and Craig.

In addition to the Mount William operation, it is involved in wood harvesting, trucking, road building and operating another wood chip operation in Aulds Cove, which Langille says will be dedicated to supplying fuel for the new biomass power plant at the Port Hawkesbury Paper mill in nearby Point Tupper.

There is no way of substituting chips from the Mount William operation for those slated for the biomass plant, he says. There is different equipment and a different process involved in making the biomass fuel.

On the other hand, the Northern Pulp operation is an important economic engine for northern Nova Scotia, employing about 250 people. The company has also benefited from plenty of taxpayer support.

In addition to providing loans for the wood chipper, which reportedly has been on site at Northern Pulp since last fall, the provincial government also provided a $3.6-million loan and a $900,000 grant to fund the conversion of Northern’s boilers and lime kiln to run on natural gas.

The conversion is expected to save the pulp plant about $8 million in annual energy costs. The province is also helping Heritage Gas extend its pipeline to reach the Northern Pulp plant.

At the same announcement last week, the government revealed that it is loaning Northern Pulp $12 million — $2.5 million in the form of a forgivable loan — for the installation of new pollution abatement equipment in the pulp company’s 40-year-old smokestacks.

In total, the province has reportedly loaned Northern Pulp $107 million since 2009. The federal government also provided $28.1 million in grants through the Green Transformation Fund in 2011-12 to assist the company in becoming more environmentally friendly.

Nevertheless, small Nova Scotia companies feel they are being hurt by the government’s direct financial involvement.

Just last month, another supplier to Northern, Hodgson’s Chipping Ltd., a family-run business based in Truro, shut down and put about 70 full-time employees out of work.

Hodgson’s blamed the shutdown on the NDP government’s decision to reduce clearcutting by 50 per cent over five years. Select cutting is more costly for the forestry contractor, but the price paid by Northern Pulp has stayed the same.

The loss of the Hodgson’s supply left Langille as the last Nova Scotia independent wood chip supplier to serve Northern Pulp.

The Heinzel Group is pleased to announce that the takeover of the former SCA publication paper mill in Laakirchen, Austria, agreed in December 2012, was completed on April 2, 2013. With a turnover of EUR 308 m in 2012, Laakirchen Papier AG, as the company will be known in future, is set to make a sizeable contribution to Heinzel Group growth.

It is expected that the integration of the 540,000t mill into the Heinzel Group will proceed smoothly and synergies from pulp integration and common purchasing can be realized immediately. The takeover transaction also involved the acquisition of a majority holding in the waste paper dealer, Bunzl & Biach, with annual sales volume of 590,000t and possesses further growth potential.

With turnover of EUR 1.1 billion and EBITDA of EUR 69 million, the Heinzel Group again showed strong results in 2012. An equity ratio of 48.5% and gearing of 12% form a solid basis for investment-based growth.

Following its integration into the Heinzel Group, Laakirchen Papier’s financing basis will change. External investors – especially in Austria – have indicated a keen wish to participate in this traditional Upper Austrian corporation. To date this was not possible, as the company was internally financed, but now in response to this interest a bonded loan issue is planned with the aim of reaching a large number of potential investors.

Another important element of the takeover is represented by the decision of the Heinzel Group and SCA to cooperate in the sale and marketing of publication papers, pulp, kraftliner and products for flexible packaging. In this connection, two former SCA offices in Poland and Italy have also been acquired by Heinzel Sales, the sales and trading arm of the Heinzel Group.

For each country, a separate strategy has been defined between the sales organizations of both Heinzel and SCA with the aim of using the strongest position of each group to maximum effect.

The Heinzel Group will retain the Grapho brands for SC products from Laakirchen, as products such as GraphoVerde and GraphoNova are well established in the markets and occupy a strong quality position.

Andrew Paul, the head of Heinzel Sales: “We are excited about the new opportunities for both groups to provide even better service performance and a stronger market presence for our customers and we will be implementing the active transfer of responsibilities within the coming months.”

(Wilfried Heinzel AG)

International Paper Company (NYSE: IP)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reiterated by investment analysts at Goldman Sachs in a note issued to investors on Friday, AnalystRatingsNetwork reports. They currently have a $51.00 target price on the stock.

Shares of International Paper Company (NYSE: IP) traded up 0.39% during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $48.42. International Paper Company has a 52 week low of $27.29 and a 52 week high of $49.10. The stock’s 50-day moving average is currently $45.37. The company has a market cap of $21.363 billion and a P/E ratio of 26.76.

International Paper Company (NYSE: IP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 29th. The company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the analysts’ consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. International Paper Company’s revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that International Paper Company will post $3.90 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Analysts at Jefferies Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of International Paper Company in a research note to investors on Friday. They now have a $60.00 price target on the stock, up previously from $52.00. Separately, analysts at UBS AG raised their price target on shares of International Paper Company from $46.00 to $52.00 in a research note to investors on Wednesday. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, analysts at Longbow Research reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of International Paper Company in a research note to investors on Tuesday, April 2nd. They now have a $56.00 price target on the stock.

Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. International Paper Company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.44.