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Leading European Paper Distributor Takes Stock of Certification
The Antalis Group is the European leader and fourth largest distributer of paper, printing supplies and packaging in the world. The company is present in 53 countries and has more than 230,000 clients, comprised mainly of companies and printers.
Michel Migeot, Director of Marketing and Sustainable Development at Antalis France takes stock of four years of PEFC certification.
Why have you chosen to implement PEFC certification?
We obtained PEFC certification in December 2007 in response to client expectations and increasing requests for assurances about the origins of paper fibre. The Antalis Group supports all initiatives intended to promote sustainability efforts within the paper sector.
How did you implement PECF Chain of Custody certification?
The implementation of PEFC Chain of Custody certification took place over a four-month period and involved three members of staff who devoted part of their time to its roll-out. I was involved, along with another member of the marketing team. The Head of Logistics also participated in gaining Chain of Custody certification. Indeed, logistics are an important part of what we do and therefore a crucial element in PEFC Chain of Custody.
Antalis chose to focus on key staff members and to train them in the new practices required. The company was able to adapt easily to the requirements for PEFC Chain of Custody certification, and our IT system was modified to integrate the tracing of certified material throughout the Chain of Custody.
What are the main commercial benefits of PEFC certification?
Demand for PEFC certified paper is increasing. Today, most printers are PEFC certified. PEFC certification therefore gives us a market advantage. Certified paper currently accounts for 70% of what we offer.
How was PEFC certification received internally by the company?
Certification allowed us to mobilize our workforce and is a source of great pride for our staff. Three to four years ago, deforestation was a very important concern for the paper industry. Thanks to certification, we have been able to put in place a credible and verifiable system that offers assurances about the sustainable source of our paper. This could only meet with the approval of our workforce!
SCA strengthens its presence in South America
SCA acquires the remaining 50 percent in the Chilean hygiene company PISA (Papeles Industriales S.A.), and will after the transaction own 100 percent of the company. The purchase price is approximately 520 MSEK.
The turnover 2011 was approximately 780 MSEK. The company is primarily operating within tissue for consumers and Away-From-Home usage, which represents almost 70 and almost 30 percent of the turnover, respectively. In addition, incontinence care products under SCA’s global brand TENA have been introduced in Chile through PISA.
SCA entered PISA with a 50 percent ownership during 2003. After the acquisition announced today, which is expected to be closed end of April, PISA will be a fully-owned subsidiary to SCA.
“The time is ready for us to take the next step in our expansion in Latin America, where the PISA acquisition further strengthens our presence on this important growth market,” says Jan Johansson, CEO and President of SCA.
PISA holds a position as number two in consumer tissue with the brand Favorita. Within AFH tissue, PISA also holds a number two position in Chile. The company has over 400 employees and a production facility in the capital Santiago.
Xerium Technologies Schedules First Quarter 2012 Conference Call
Xerium Technologies, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of industrial textiles and rolls used primarily in the paper production process, today announced that it plans to release financial results for the first quarter 2012, ending March 31, 2012, after the close of regular market trading on Tuesday, May 8, 2012.
The company plans to hold a conference call on the following morning:
| Date: | Wednesday, May 9, 2012 | |||
| Start Time: | 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time | |||
| Domestic Dial-In: | +1-866-783-2143 | |||
| International Dial-In: | +1-857-350-1602 | |||
| Passcode: | 25889241 | |||
| Webcast & Slide Presentation: |
To participate on the call, please dial in at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start. A live audio webcast and replay of the call, in addition to a slide presentation, may be found in the investor relations section of the company's website at www.xerium.com.
SOURCE: Xerium Technologies, Inc.
Nalco Announces Water and Process Services Price Increase
Nalco, an Ecolab company has implemented a price increase for all water and process services industry segments. Pricing for most Nalco Water and Process Services division programs will increase globally between five and 15 percent, varying by country and product. The price increase is effective immediately or as existing contracts allow.
The price adjustments are driven by the significant increase in key raw materials costs, combined with other global inflationary factors such as rising energyand transportation costs. Nalco sales engineers are contacting customers directly to discuss the impact of these increases.
"We continue to take actions to minimize the impact of increasing raw material costs, but it is necessary to appropriately increase prices to help offset these ongoing cost hikes," said David Flitman, executive vice president and president, Water and Process Services.
Source: Ecolab
Wausau Paper and Starboard Reach Agreement
Wausau Paper has announced it has reached an agreement with Starboard Value LP and its affiliates regarding the composition of the Company’s Board of Directors. Under the terms of the agreement, Wausau has agreed to nominate two new directors recommended by Starboard, Mr. Michael Burandt and Mr. Charles Hodges, neither of whom is employed by or affiliated with Wausau or Starboard. The nominations will be included in the Company’s 2012 proxy statement and submitted for stockholder approval at the Company's 2012 Annual Meeting. In addition, the company has also agreed to form a newly-created committee of the Board. The committee will be made up of four individuals including Mr. Burandt and Mr. Hodges. The committee will advise the Board with respect to operations of, and investments and capital spending in, the Company’s business.
In connection with the nominations, Starboard, which beneficially owns approximately 9.7% of the outstanding shares of Wausau’s common stock, has agreed to vote all of its shares in favor of each of the Board's nominees at the 2012 Annual Meeting. A total of four director nominees will stand for election at the 2012 Annual Meeting, including the two Starboard recommended candidates. If all nominees are elected, the Wausau Board will be expanded to eight directors, comprised of six independent directors, Thomas J. Howatt, Non-Executive Chairman of the Board and Henry C. Newell, Wausau’s President and Chief Executive Officer. The Board is presently comprised of six members.
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Starboard, one of our largest shareholders,” said Hank Newell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wausau Paper. “We are delighted to nominate and support Michael Burandt and Charles Hodges for election to Wausau’s Board. We are confident that their significant industry experience will be an asset to Wausau, and we look forward to working productively with the new members of the Board with a shared commitment to enhancing stockholder value.”
Jeff Smith, CEO of Starboard, stated, “We are pleased to have worked constructively with management and the Board of Wausau and are confident that the addition of Michael Burandtand Charles Hodges will bring a fresh perspective to the Board and serve the best interests of Wausau and its stockholders. We look forward to enhanced value for the benefit of all stockholders.”
The complete agreement between Wausau Paper and Starboard will be included as an exhibit to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Further details regarding the 2012 Annual Meeting will be included in the Company's definitive proxy materials, which will be filed with the SEC.
Source: Wausau Paper
Standard & Poor’s revised Metso's rating outlook to positive
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed Metso’s BBB long-term and A-2 short-term corporate credit ratings and changed the outlook from stable to positive.
Metso is a global supplier of technology and services to customers in the process industries, including mining, construction, pulp and paper, power, and oil and gas. Our 30,000 professionals based in over 50 countries deliver sustainability and profitability to customers worldwide. Expect results.
www.metso.com , www.twitter.com/metsogroup
Further information, please contact:
Pekka Hölttä, Senior Vice President, Corporate Treasurer,
Metso, tel. +358 20 484 3195
Metso Corporation
Harri Nikunen
CFO
Juha Rouhiainen
VP, Investor Relations
Scott Naturals Dry Bath Tissue, Paper Towels, and Napkins Earn the Green Good Housekeeping Seal
Just in time for Earth Month, the Scott Naturals brand is proud to announce that its dry bath tissue, paper towels and napkins have earned the Green Good Housekeeping Seal, an emblem given by the Good Housekeeping Research Institute in recognition of a brand's demonstration of environmental responsibility across a wide range of criteria. Scott Naturals dry bath tissue, paper towels and napkins have met the Good Housekeeping Green Seal's environmental standard for paper goods based on recycled content and other factors.
"The Green Good Housekeeping Seal is widely recognized and respected among the industry and consumers alike, and we are proud to achieve this designation," said Alma Alejandro, Brand Manager for Scott Naturals. "With the Green Good Housekeeping Seal's limited warranty, individuals can take a small step toward a greener world by using these products."
The Scott Naturals dry bath tissue, paper towels and napkins are made with a blend of virgin material and at least 20 percent recycled material in products or packaging. This unique combination delivers both quality and environmental benefits. According to the Scott Naturals brand, if everyone in the US tried these Scott Naturals products for just four weeks, "we'd save over 2 million trees."*
"We introduced the Scott Naturals line of products to provide consumers with a green solution that not only benefits our environment, but also provides the quality of product that they have come to expect from the Scott brand," said Alejandro. "We have a proven track record of delivering consumer products that adhere to our stringent sustainability practices to ensure we are not only taking care of our consumers' needs, but also helping address the needs of our environment. This emblem validates our sustainable practices and commitment to our environment."
The Good Housekeeping Research Institute evaluates products for its Green Good Housekeeping Seal based on ingredient and product safety, reduction of water use in manufacturing, energy efficiency in manufacturing and product use, packaging reduction and the brand's corporate social responsibility. If the products that earn this distinction prove defective within two years of purchase, Good Housekeeping will replace the item or provide a refund to the customer.
* Substituting Scott Naturals towels, napkins and bath tissue including recycled fiber over 4 weeks reduces virgin fiber demand. Reduced tree harvesting based on average U.S. household sheet usage and saving 17 trees per ton of recycled fiber.
CelluForce's nanotechnology scientist awarded 2012 Doug Purvis Memorial
Dr. Richard Berry honoured by award from the Society of Chemical Industry
CelluForce’s , Richard Berry PhD, a leader in the development of NanoCrystalline Cellulose (NCC) is honoured today with the 2012 Doug Purvis Memorial award by the Society of Chemical Industry at the SCI Canada Awards Dinner at the Hyatt Regency in Toronto.
Dr. Berry is recognized for his contribution in the industrial development of NanoCrystalline Cellulose, a recyclable, non-toxic and renewable material extracted from trees. ‘’It is an honour to receive this recognition for work that has been done by remarkable teams at FPInnovations, Domtar and now CelluForce’’, says Dr. Berry.While at FP Innovations, he developed significant pulping technology in the elimination of dioxins, high-temperature peroxide bleaching, aldehyde-enhanced bleaching and more recently neutral bleaching.
Dr. Berry’s initiatives in the past four years helped to convince industrial and Government stakeholders of the huge industrial potential of NCC and have allowed Canada to take NCC research in university and industry laboratories to industrial and commercial reality. This has positioned Quebec and Canada as world leaders in the development of this new nanotechnology and emerging industry.
He now has moved to CelluForce – the joint venture of Domtar Inc and FPInnovations, where he is working to ensure the technical and business success of the demonstration plant which has a capacity of 1 tonne per day.
The Purvis Memorial Awards honors Canadians in academia or an industry, based on chemisty, who have significantly strengthened their sector or an institution that industry relies upon. The chemical industry embraces traditional chemical companies focusing on chemical manufacture and distribution, but also industries such as coatings, crop protection, environmental services, food, pharmaceuticals, plastics, synthetic fibres and pulp and paper.
Södra Cell begins commercial production of DuraPulp
"A large number of companies have been in touch and are interested in this material. We are currently working with a number of partners who are testing DuraPulp as part of their production processes," said Henrik Wettergren, Business Area Manager for graphic paper and speciality paper.
Production of the new composite material DuraPulp is now beginning at Södra Cell in Värö. This new biodegradable and renewable material has huge potential as an alternative to plastic.
DuraPulp has been in the spotlight for a couple of years within Södra because of its exciting combination of a renewable, biodegradable material which is also very strong. A lamp and a children's chair have already been made out of DuraPulp attracting huge interest, and commercial production of the new composite has now begun.
"A large number of companies have been in touch and are interested in this material. We are currently working with a number of partners who are testing DuraPulp as part of their production processes," said Henrik Wettergren, Business Area Manager for graphic paper and speciality paper.
DuraPulp is the result of several years of collaboration between Södra and the research company Innventia. The starting point for the work was to create a new, fibre-based material which could be a biodegradable alternative to plastic.
DuraPulp is made up of a specially selected pulp from Södra Cell and a biopolymer. On further processing, these two components take on special properties such as moisture resistance, strength and hardness.
DuraPulp was exhibited for the first time at the Milan Furniture Fair in 2009 as part of the Parupu children's chair developed by design company Claesson Koivisto Rune. The latter has also used DuraPulp to create its award-winning w101 lamp.
Modern Karton benefits from eVenFilm roll covers
The Turkish producer Modern Karton trusts in the consistent performance of the eVenFilm rubber cover on its PM 4. "The excellent performance of the cover convinced us during the last year. Running our film press with this new rubber roll cover from Voith Paper saves us up to 472,800 € per year", says Ali Ihsan Aras, Technical Director of Modern Karton.
eVenFilm for film and size presses is the latest product of the Voith Paper rubber roll covers for most challenging applications. They were developed to achieve consistent application, reliable performance and ultimate running times. The physical characteristics of the new polymer matrix include greater tear resistance, enhanced wear resistance and reduced hysteresis to provide additional benefits to the application quality and machine runability.
The Turkish company Modern Karton is part of the Eren Group and is one of the largest board and packaging paper manufacturers in Europe. At the Corlu location, 120 km west of Istanbul, 700,000 t packaging paper are produced both for the domestic market and export markets each year. This represents approx. 50 % of the Turkish production capacity. The PM 4, which started operation in April 2008, has a width of 8.6 m and produces testliner grades from 100 % recovered paper at 1,350 m/min, with an annual production capacity of 400,000 t.