The new OptiConcept M production line will provide high productivity at low operating cost

Metso will supply an OptiConcept M containerboard production line with an extended scope of supply implementation for the Ban Pong mill of Siam Kraft Industry Co., Ltd. in SCG Paper in Ratchaburi, Thailand. The start-up of the machine is scheduled for 2014. The value of the order will not be disclosed.

The novel OptiConcept M production line represents a new way to design, build and operate a paper machine. It is designed for high productivity at low operating cost. The innovative industrial design and engineering of the OptiConcept M production line facilitate assembly of the line. In its design, usability and safety are also at a new level. 

The order is included in Metso’s Pulp, Paper and Power first quarter 2013 orders received.

Technical information

Metso’s delivery will comprise a complete OptiConcept M boardmaking line from headbox to reel including an approach flow system, steam and condensate systems, surface size preparation and supply systems, a winder and machine clothing. The automation solution includes MD/CD and machine controls, profilers for the headbox and condition monitoring sensors for the critical machine sections.

In addition, Metso’s extended scope of supply will include complete mill engineering, and mechanical installation and supervision services related to commissioning, testing and start-up of the machine.

The 7.25-m-wide (wire) PM 16 will utilize a new sizing method providing better strength properties. The production capacity of PM 16 is approximately 300,000 tonnes of recycled fluting in the basis weight range of 90-150 g/m². The design speed is 1,300 m/min.

Siam Kraft Industry Co., Ltd. in SCG Paper produces and markets industrial and packaging paper in Thailand and internationally. It offers corrugating medium, linerboard, coreboard, industrial sack kraft, bag papers, plaster linerboard, duplex board as well as converted and finished products. The company was founded in 1984 and is based in Bangkok, Thailand. Siam Kraft Industry Co., Ltd. operates as a subsidiary of SCG Paper.

The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, whose reporters organized one of the industry’s most active opposition movements against its parent company’s plans for cutbacks, will trim home delivery to three days a week and create a new digital company, the owner, Advance Publications, said on Thursday. The paper is also expected to cut more than a third of its newsroom staff.

The announcement was made to the newsroom Thursday morning at the same time it was posted on The Plain Dealer’s Web site. According to the announcement, the company is creating a new digitally focused media company called the Northeast Ohio Media Group. It will continue to print a daily newspaper that readers can buy on newsstands and elsewhere. These changes will start to take place this summer.

“These actions are aimed at driving innovation, capitalizing on the tremendous strengths of our existing organizations, preserving high-quality journalism and marketing solutions, and providing greater efficiency and flexibility in serving Northeast Ohio through print and digital applications,” Terry Egger, The Plain Dealer’s president, publisher and chief executive, said in the statement posted on the Web site.

John Mangels, a science writer and 22-year veteran of the paper, who worked with the union during negotiations, said 53 of the newsroom’s work force of more than 160 people would be laid off, in addition to members of management. He said earlier plans to start layoffs on May 1 had been delayed until this summer.

Mr. Mangels helped organize a campaign late last year that called on readers to join the effort to preserve Cleveland’s daily newspaper. Some Plain Dealer employees were determined to avoid the fate of other Advance papers like The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, The Press-Register of Mobile, Ala., and The Huntsville Times in Alabama; Advance announced last May that it would cut back the print editions of those papers to three days a week.

It seemed almost inevitable that Advance would follow the same path in Cleveland. But the paper’s employees began a campaign to spare it. That effort, financed partly by Local 1 of the Newspaper Guild and a grant from the Communications Workers of America, included a television commercial, a Facebook page and a petition. At the time of Thursday’s announcement, the Facebook page had attracted 5,373 likes and the petition had received 7,377 supporters.

Mr. Mangels said he was both relieved and disappointed by the news. It was still unclear whether he would keep his job.

“We were expecting that the paper would be reduced to three days a week,” he said in an interview. “We’re glad that the paper listened to the campaign and the voices of Cleveland to keep the paper a daily, to keep it publishing seven days a week. But that victory is tempered by a lot of things. The cuts in home delivery and the layoffs are going to reduce our ability to cover news in Cleveland.”

One supporter wrote on the Facebook page: “Soldier on, ladies and gentlemen. Soldier on and best wishes.”

The Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Commercial Law Practice of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. was honored with the Community Impact Award by M&A Advisor at its 7th annual awards ceremony. The ceremony was held March 5th and 6th in Palm Beach, FL.

The firm was honored for its work in the acquisition of Manistique Paper by Watermill Group. Manistique Paper, a Michigan-based paper mill, filed for bankruptcy in 2011. Mintz Levin assisted Watermill Group in acquiring Manistique Paper, a major employer in the region, through a unique partnership with a local bank and a state development agency.

“This was a particularly gratifying matter to be involved with,” said Richard E. Mikels, Chair of Mintz Levin’s Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Commercial Law Practice. “There was a shared commitment on the part of all parties involved to find a workable solution to ensure that the plant continued to operate.”

In addition to the Community Impact Award, the Practice was a finalist in two Sector “Deal of the Year” awards. The firm was recognized in the Healthcare/Life Sciences sector for its work on the restructuring of The Woodlands at Furman, led by Daniel Bleck and Leonard Weiser-Varon. It was also a finalist in the Industrial Goods and Basic Resources sector for its works on the Watermill Group’s acquisition of Manistique Paper, led by Richard Mikels, Daniel Follansbee and Joseph Dunn.

source: fort mill times

As part of its Manufacturing Appreciation Week, the state of Georgia has recognized Nordson Corporation’s (Nasdaq: NDSN) Swainsboro manufacturing facility as its mid-size manufacturer of the year. The prestigious award was presented to Nordson by Georgia Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle during ceremonies in Atlanta yesterday hosted by the Technical College System of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

The award is based on multiple criteria including economic impact on the community and surrounding area, corporate responsibility and community involvement programs, workforce excellence, and letters of support. Nordson operates two facilities in the state in the cities of Swainsboro and Johns Creek. The facilities support the company’s adhesive dispensing systems segment, which manufactures precision equipment used in a wide variety of consumer packaging, nonwovens and general product assembly applications.

“We are extremely honored to accept this award. Georgia is a great place to do business and we’ve been operating in the state for more than 23 years,” said Jim DeVries, Nordson’s Corporate Vice President of Global Continuous Improvement. “Due to the tremendous growth of our business, we opened a new expanded facility in Swainsboro last year just miles away from our previous facility. The City of Swainsboro, the Swainsboro Chamber of Commerce and the local Joint Development Authority have always been great partners and they were instrumental in making this new facility a reality. As a result of this strong partnership, the Swainsboro workforce has tripled to over 180 workers, many of whom were hired through Georgia’s Quickstart program. It is the hard work of all our employees in both our Swainsboro and John’s Creek facilities that continues to drive the success of Nordson as well as the continued success of the state of Georgia.

“I’d also like to point out that a successful business climate can, in turn, impact the quality of life in the surrounding community,” continued DeVries. “Every year, Nordson donates millions of dollars to charities, and, just as importantly, our employees donate thousands of hours through our Time and Talent program. Much of that investment happens right here in the state of Georgia through partnerships with organizations like the Sunshine House, Safe Haven, Willow Hill Heritage Center, 21st Century Leaders, United Way and Relay for Life. We see it as our responsibility to share our success, and we are proud to work together with such great organizations that make the state of Georgia a better place to live and work.”

Ahlstrom, a global high performance fiber-based materials company, strengthens its focus on wallcoverings by continuing to invest in product development and production. Ahlstrom is a world leader in the production of materials for wallcoverings.

As part of Ahlstrom EasyLife(TM) product offering, Ahlstrom has developed a nonwoven wallcovering substrate at its Osnabrück plant in Germany. The products have been very well received by customers, and the product range will be expanded during this year with a number of new product launches.

In line with these product developments, an investment program has been carried out to ensure the high quality standards and efficiency needed. "We are fully committed to serving our customers from Osnabrück as well as developing the nonwoven product offering further and completing ongoing investments on the production line at the plant," says Laura Raitio, Executive Vice President, Building and Energy.

Ahlstrom is a global leader in wallcover substrates, offering the most comprehensive product range on the market. Its materials are manufactured in Europe and North America and are part of Ahlstrom's Building and Energy business area. In order to further support the development of the Chinese wallcovering market, Ahlstrom will start manufacturing nonwoven wallcover substrates in Binzhou, Shandong province in China. Production of the high quality and innovative wallcover substrates will start during the second half of 2013.

Additionally, Ahlstrom is investing in Malmedy, Belgium, to produce embossed substrates for digital print applications. This will offer enhanced design possibilities to customers.

Ahlstrom is in the process of demerging its Label and Processing business and merging it with Munksjö AB. The transaction is under the European Commission's review with respect to abrasive backings and pre-impregnated decor paper. The transaction has no effect on Ahlstrom's commitment to provide leading-edge product offerings in wallcoverings and other key focus areas in high performance fiber-based materials.

MeadWestvaco Corporation (NYSE: MWV), a global leader in packaging and packaging solutions announced its preference for purchasing certified wood – specifically wood that is certified under the American Tree Farm System® (ATFS).

MWV has a long standing commitment to sustainable forest management. The company certifies its forestlands under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) and also purchases wood fiber from responsible third-party suppliers. Forest certification and promoting markets for certified fiber is one way MWV demonstrates its commitment to sustainable forest management.

MWV’s commitment is also visible in its corporate sustainability goals, which include a specific goal of increasing the amount of certified fiber used across MWV’s global manufacturing operations. Within the United States, the source of fiber for these facilities is primarily non-industrial, privately-owned forestland and fiber from well-managed family forests; a vitally important component of this program. The American Tree Farm System provides the mechanism to increase certified fiber from family forests.

The American Tree Farm System represents more than 89,000 family forest owners who sustainably manage 27 million acres of forestland in the United States. It is the largest and oldest forest management system in the United States and is a program of the American Forest Foundation. Along with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative^® program, the ATFS standard has been endorsed under the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, a global program that recognizes excellence in sustainable forest management.

“MWV has a long history of working with the American Tree Farm System. We were the first company to group certify our landowner assistance program to the ATFS standard and our announcement today reaffirms our commitment to the program and to the value for our business and our customers, of securing certified fiber from family forest owners,” said Jim Buzzard, president, MWV and American Forest Foundation Board member.

MWV supplies packaging and packaging solutions to the world’s most admired brands. For wood fiber based packaging, MWV and its customers demand assurance that the fiber used in manufacturing is sourced responsibly. Forest certification programs are an important aspect of providing the sustainability assurance required.

“MWV supports multiple forest certification systems worldwide and we implement the system that can provide an economic, sustainable supply of paperboard for our customers. In the United States, our forestlands are certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative but the great majority of wood used to manufacture MWV products comes from privately owned, family forests. Sustainability is deeply embedded in our culture, and we routinely search for ways to improve our own performance. Our relationship with both the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the American Tree Farm System are very important to our overall sustainability objectives,” said Bob Feeser, senior vice president, MWV Packaging.

MWV’s preference for certified wood, including American Tree Farm System, will be implemented through a number of measures, including:

• Priority Markets – the company will maintain a priority market for certified wood over non-certified wood.
• Supporting expansion of the American Tree Farm System – the company will expand its current landowner assistance system by promoting ATFS certification, including group certification.
• Chain of custody – the company tracks certified wood and uses this information to develop programs to increase certified furnish.

Katrinefors Kraftvärme AB (KKAB), a 50/50 joint venture owned by Metsä Tissue, part of Metsä Group, and the local municipal energy company VänerEnergi AB, will build a new biomass combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Mariestad, Sweden, in conjunction with the Metsä Tissue mill. This will be the second bioenergy plant operated by KKAB.

The construction of the new plant will start in April 2013. The plant is expected to be operating by the end of 2014. The total investment will amount to approximately 30 million euros of which Metsä Tissue’s share will be 50 per cent.

According to Mark Watkins, SVP Tissue Scandinavia, KKAB’s new bioenergy plant is an important step in increasing the share of bioenergy. In Metsä Group, the share of wood-based bioenergy is high, as over 80 per cent of all the used fuel is biomass.

Increasing the share of bioenergy is one of the key activities in Metsä Group’s efforts to mitigate climate change and reduce fossil CO2 emissions. Metsä Group’s target is to reduce fossil-based CO2 emissions by 30 per cent per product tonne by 2020 from the 2009 level.

The new bioenergy production reduces significantly, even as much as 90 per cent, Metsä Tissue Mariestad mill’s oil usage. The new power plant will decrease Mariestad mill’s CO2 emissions by approximately 6,000 tonnes, i.e. by 30 per cent from the present. Currently oil is used to cover wintertime peak in heat demand and as reserve fuel.

The new biomass CHP plant will be composed of an approximately 28 MW biomass boiler to produce heat and approximately 7 MW turbine to produce electricity. The biomass fuels consist of energy wood and the mill’s recycled fibre residues.

In addition to producing electricity and heat to Mariestad mill, the plant will provide renewable energy for the surrounding community in the form of district heating and bio-based grid electricity.

METSÄ GROUP
Group Communications

Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) has called for individuals and Qatar-based organisations to take part in an initiative to reduce paper waste in the country, estimated at 5.4 million sheets of paper a day.

Under the ‘No Paper Day Qatar’ campaign, participants record the amount of paper they use in a day and compare it with the amount they save on April 4.

Participants are also encouraged to ‘upcycle’ used paper products into creative projects, such as weaved baskets or paper flowers.

The council said that it expected “more than a dozen organisations and countless individuals to participate in the day.”

“As part of the Qatar National Vision 2030 to strike a balance between developmental needs and the protection of the nation’s environment, we must continue to raise public awareness of the important role that individuals and businesses play in preserving the country’s habitats for future generations,” said Meshal Al Shamari, Director of QGBC, said in remarks emailed to Gulf News. “No Paper Day Qatar, which will be an annual event, is a national call to be more conscious of the paper we waste every day and how nationally we can do more to conserve our natural resources. Our Solid Waste Interest Group is at the forefront of this initiative, and together we will be examining the results of this event in a larger report on waste produced in Qatar later this month.”

QGBC founded the Solid Waste Interest Group (Swig) in 2010 to raise awareness about waste issues. As part of No Paper Day Qatar, Swig provided the public with tips on how to save paper in their daily lives, whether at home, in the office or at school. Advice included sharing magazine and newspaper subscriptions with a friend or colleague, signing up for electronic bill payment and notifications and refraining from using disposable goods.

“We are proud to assist in No Paper Day Qatar as an initiative with local and international relevance,” said Roy Hana, of Swig. “After all, whether we live in Qatar or anywhere else on this planet, we have a responsibility to our environment, and reducing our paper consumption is just one of the ways we can start to ‘think green’ in our daily lives. What we do today will have an impact for generations to come. Let this impact be a positive one.”

Swig has organised a number of events and activities to engage the community on the issue.

In November 2011, the group conducted Qatar’s first waste composition analysis at a beach clean-up and also led a major educational initiative in partnership with The Pearl-Qatar to turn discarded bottle tops into art.

Student and adults participating in the project collected more than 60,000 bottle tops across Qatar, and the resulting Bottle Top Art project is on permanent display at The Pearl-Qatar.

WWF has invited the world’s most important and strategically relevant paper manufacturers, representing 25% of global wood pulp production and 35% of global paper and paperboard production, to participate in the third edition of its Environmental Paper Company Index (EPCI). 70 leading paper manufacturers from Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and Africa have been identified as potential leaders in promoting transparency and continual improvement in paper manufacturing. The list is publicly available on wwf.panda.org/epci2013 

The EPCI started in its current form in 2010 and is one of WWF’s key tools to promote and reward transparency and continual improvement to reduce the environmental footprint of paper production. The index is produced every two years. It offers an opportunity for paper producers in all product sectors to set a signal for transparency on environmental performance and to receive public recognition from the leading conservation organization WWF. 

“Transparency is increasingly recognized by the industry as an important aspect of their operations, and many companies today make efforts on transparency in various ways,” says Emmanuelle Neyroumande, Manager of WWF International’s global pulp and paper work. “WWF´s Environmental Paper Company Index facilitates a better understanding of complex data sets by focusing on the most important parameters and filtering them through an environmental lense.” 

In 2012, the EPCI method was reviewed in cooperation with paper manufacturers from around the world in order to improve its global applicability and relevance. WWF also changed the EPCI to focus on a reference format, presenting collated results per company rather than presenting a comparison matrix. 

“All participating companies will be applauded for being transparent on their environmental performance, which is more important than actual results in this exercise,” says Neyroumande. “The new reference rather than comparison format of the EPCI will hopefully make it attractive for more producers to take part.”

Deadline for participating is 30th of June 2013.

Companies that have not been invited but would like to participate can contact the WWF International Paper Team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.