International technology Group ANDRITZ received an order from Jeonju Paper Corporation to supply a FibreFlow drum pulper for its Cheongwon mill, South Korea. By installing the new system, the quality of the newsprint pulp produced will be improved, fiber losses will be minimized, and power consumption further reduced. Start-up is scheduled for the end of 2012.

ANDRITZ PULP & PAPER will deliver the FibreFlow drum (type FFD350) to replace an existing pulper in the deinking system. The FibreFlow drum will slush a mixture of old newsprint and old magazines at a maximum feed capacity of 750 t/d.

Tissue World Americas attracts nearly 1,000 tissue people to Miami; 36% more than 2010

Visitor attendance totals 961 at leading tissue event for the Americas

Full range of tissue business attending, from CEOs and company owners to technicians and machine operators

Show floor space was 17% larger and number of exhibiting companies rose 36% to 129

73 countries represented

Miami Beach, Florida . . . The Tissue World Americas 2012 event which was successfully held here over four days on March 20-23 attracted visitors from an impressive 73 countries. The 961 individual visitors, including conference delegates and show-only visitors but excluding exhibitor personnel, increased by a very significant 36% from the last show in 2010.

Mainly aimed at the North and South American tissue markets, the show was held under the timely theme of Boosting Performance for Better Quality, Sustainability and Profitability. The conference sessions were very well received by the delegates, including the Senior Management panel on Sustainability, the Supply and Demand outlook session, the in-depth Technical Solutions Sessions and the new Yankee Dryer Reliability Workshop. Attendance at the conference sessions rose sharply by 48% to 415 total participants.

Attendees at the show included many of the established players in the tissue market as well as a large number of newcomers to the tissue business.

As is typical for the event in Miami, the show did not feel overly crowded but instead was extremely focused and business-like, with everyone who walked in the door being truly targeted on the tissue industry.

The visitors profile included a very wide range of tissue makers and converters, from CEOs and company owners to middle management, technicians, engineers and operators. Visitors came mainly from the USA and Canada, accounting for 70%, and Latin America at 22%, with the remaining 8% from the rest of the world.

The number of exhibiting companies increased markedly, to 129, with a noticeable increase in North America-based companies exhibiting at Tissue World Americas for the first time.

Tissue World Americas Show statistics      2012         2010         Increase
Total visitors, excl. exhibitor personnel           961            706            +36%
of which conference delegates                       415            280            +48%
Gross floorspace, sq. ft.                               40,000        34,200       +17%
Exhibiting companies                                   129            95             +36%
of which for 1st time                                     44              29             +52%

Future events: The next Tissue World Americas event will be held in Miami Beach on March 18-21, 2014. Also upcoming is Tissue World Asia in Shanghai, China, on 14-16 November this year.

Barcelona next year - The BIG ONE! The biggest news of all is the move of Tissue World - the BIG ONE. The largest and original Tissue World event, which started in Europe in 1993 and has traditionally been held in Nice, France, is moving to Barcelona, Spain, for 2013. The dates are 18-21 March 2013 at the Fira de Barcelona - Gran Via. The move has been very well received with more than 100 companies already reserving their space to exhibit at the world’s largest event for the dynamic tissue business.

Catalent Pharma Solutions and BASF have entered into a broad collaboration and Open Alliance to provide solutions to overcome bioavailability challenges of new molecular entities with solubility or permeability challenges.

The companies aim to combine their world-leading expertise to provide pharmaceutical customers with a unique range of seamless solutions to address pipeline challenges with a large majority of BCS Class II and IV poorly bioavailable compounds. From feasibility studies across multiple technologies, solid state chemistry, consulting and training, expert formulation services, excipients and optimal dose form development, to scale-up and supply, BASF and Catalent provide a full solution to one of the most important pipeline challenges in the industry – getting better treatments to market faster.

BASF has extensive ingredient formulation and material science expertise, as well as world-class excipient products and has been a leader in developing hot melt extrusion technology solutions. Catalent is the #1 global partner in drug formulation and development as well as in finished oral dose manufacturing, with more than 75 years of experience in providing bioavailability solutions.

Ian Muir, President of Catalent’s Modified Release Technology business unit, stated, “We are very pleased to collaborate with BASF to bring this unique and impactful solution to our customers. BASF brings significant strengths and expertise that match very well with Catalent’s expertise in offering multiple solutions for poorly soluble compounds; including our Softgel platform and OptiMelt™ hot melt extrusion technologies. Our proven track record of developing, scaling up and manufacturing pharmaceutical products globally also provides for an important seamless integration from development to commercialization and ongoing supply.”

"We are glad to bring our in depth knowledge of polymeric excipients, including innovations like SOLUPLUS ® into this open alliance", says Ralf Fink, VP Global Marketing at BASF Pharma Ingredients & Services business unit. "With our broadest portfolio of solubilizers and excipients for hot-melt extrusion, coupled with Catalent’s strengths in development, formulation and manufacturing, we are in a unique position to solve the solubility challenge. With this open alliance, we help our customers in the development and commercialization of drugs with poor bioavailability."

Catalent has made significant investments in OptiMeltTM hot melt extrusion and fluid bed lab, pilot, and commercial scale equipment at its Schorndorf, Germany facility, OptiMeltTM hot melt extrusion at its Somerset, NJ facility, training and seamless method development to operationalize this open alliance. BASF is continuously investing in new excipients to provide advanced solutions for the pharmaceutical industry.

Stora Enso Renewable Packaging plans to improve competitiveness and respond to customer needs through restructuring its converting operations at Páty in Hungary and efficiency measures in the consumer board mill at Barcelona in Spain.

“Demand for corrugated board consumer packaging has significantly weakened in Hungary, so we plan to centralise our operations in Hungary to Komarom Mill and close down Páty Mill. As a part of the plans, Komarom Mill would be enhanced with asset transfers and recruitment so it can better meet customer and market needs. The efficiency measures planned in Barcelona are intended to improve the mill’s profitability. The plans announced today, in combination with earlier announcements, would improve Renewable Packaging’s cost competitiveness,” says Mats Nordlander, EVP, Renewable Packaging.

According to the plans, converting operations at Páty Mill in Hungary would be permanently closed down by the end of the third quarter of 2012. The planned closure would affect 79 employees at Páty. The proposed restructuring measures would reduce the number of employees at Barcelona in Spain by 15. No decisions will be taken until after the local co-determination negotiations have concluded. Stora Enso would make every effort in co-operation with local communities to help the affected personnel find new employment opportunities, and all job openings in other Stora Enso units would be available to those affected.

These restructuring measure plans, together with ongoing efficiency plans at Skoghall and Fors mills in Sweden and at Imatra in Finland, would reduce annual costs by approximately EUR 7 million, starting gradually from the fourth quarter of 2012 onwards. Stora Enso will record a restructuring provision and a fixed asset write-down as non-recurring items of approximately EUR 9 million related to the restructuring plans in the Renewable Packaging Business Area in the first quarter 2012 operating profit.

International technology Group ANDRITZ has received an order from EcoPaper JP to supply a flotation system for its Nagoya mill, Japan. By installing the new system, the power consumption will be significantly reduced, the quality of the pulp produced will be improved, and the fiber losses will be minimized. Start-up is scheduled for the end of 2012.

ANDRITZ PULP & PAPER will deliver a SelectaFlot flotation system (type SFL1D), including piping, pumps, and installation work. The new flotation system will replace old flotation cells in a deinking plant for graphic papers operating at a capacity of 150 t/d.

ANDRITZ PULP & PAPER is one of the leading global suppliers of turnkey systems and services for the production of all types of pulp, paper, tissue paper, board, fiber-board (MDF), nonwovens, as well as of biomass boilers and gasifiers for energy production and of systems for the production of plastic films.

The technologies available are employed for the processing of logs and annual fibers, the production of chemical and mechanical pulps as well as recycled paper fibers, recovery and reuse of chemicals, generation of energy from biomass, preparation of paper machine furnish from virgin or recycled fibers, production of paper, tissue paper and board, calendering and coating of paper, and the handling of reject materials and sludges.

Services include complete mill maintenance, equipment upgrades and rebuilds, engineered wear products, and spare parts.

Verso Paper Corp. (NYSE: VRS) has announced the completion of the tender offer (the "Tender Offer") of two of its subsidiaries, Verso Paper Holdings LLC and Verso Paper Inc. (together, the "Issuers") to purchase any and all of the Issuers' outstanding 11.5% senior secured notes due 2014 (the "Notes").

The Tender Offer expired at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on April 3, 2012 (the "Expiration Date"). As previously announced, the Issuers received tenders from the holders of $270,573,000 aggregate principal amount of the Notes prior to the early tender payment deadline of March 20, 2012, at 5:00 p.m.,New York City time (the "Early Tender Date"), which represented approximately 85.9% of the outstanding Notes. On March 21, 2012, the Issuers accepted for early payment, and paid for, the Notes tendered prior to the Early Tender Date. After the Early Tender Date and prior to the Expiration Date, the Issuers received no additional tenders. The tenders for all Notes received by the Issuers prior to the Expiration Date represented approximately 85.9% of the outstanding Notes. The Issuers intend to redeem the Notes that remain outstanding after completion of the Tender Offer at the applicable redemption price, plus accrued and unpaid interest, on April 30, 2012.

Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Barclays Capital Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Goldman, Sachs & Co. acted as the Dealer Managers for the Tender Offer.

Source: Verso Paper Corp.

Performance-based maintenance agreement will ensure increased mill equipment reliability and energy efficiency

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has been awarded a five-year Maintenance Improvement Agreement by Sappi to manage and improve all maintenance activities at their Nijmegen fine paper mill in the Netherlands.

Under the performance-based agreement, ABB will manage all maintenance operations to improve overall productivity and equipment reliability at the mill, and retain and further develop all existing maintenance staff and management. ABB will also help the mill to reduce its energy consumption while achieving these production efficiencies.

“This Maintenance Improvement Agreement highlights ABB’s capabilities in providing comprehensive service solutions for the industrial sector. Our innovative approach to performance-based services ensures improved production and equipment performance, energy efficiency and reliability for the entire facility,”said Veli-Matti Reinikkala, head of ABB’s Process Automation division. 

Sappi’s Nijmegen mill is a producer of coated fine paper located in the middle of its core market. At the Nijmegen Mill, Sappi aims to generate the economic returns necessary to maintain a sustainable business while they minimize their impact on the environment, encourage the development of people and contribute to the communities in which they operate.

“We are confident that together with ABB we will achieve an improvement in paper machine performance reliability and efficiency that, in turn, enables us to better and predictably serve our customers with great product. Equally important, we aim to provide a work environment that allows growth and achievement for our people.” says Wayne Thomas, Mill Director at Sappi Nijmegen.

Under the agreement, ABB also will focus on process optimization and equipment lifecycle management at the site, as well as manage all maintenance related third-party subcontractors and suppliers. 

With more than 100 Full Service® agreements with customers in Pulp & Paper, Mining, Metals, Chemicals and other industries globally, ABB best practices and expertise improves the performance, reliability and energy efficiency of production assets, increasing plant efficiency and optimizing total maintenance cost while reducing environmental impact.

Pöyry's Industry Business Group has been awarded a services contract by Klabin S.A. for Environmental Study, Basic Engineering and Detailed Engineering for site infrastructure for a new pulp mill to be implemented in the state of Parana, southern Brazil. The parties have agreed that the value of the assignment will not be disclosed. The order has been booked into the first quarter 2012 order stock.

Pöyry has earlier also conducted the conceptual and pre-feasibility studies for the project.

The capacity of the new state-of-the-art pulp mill is 1.5 million tonnes per annum and the start up of the mill is planned for the third quarter of 2014. The final investment decision is expected later this year. The raw material will be eucalyptus and pine from Klabin's own plantations.

The concept of the mill is based on the use of the best available technologies and the best environmental practices, which constitute a state-of-the-art pulp mill.

The contract strengthens Pöyry's position as the leading engineering solutions provider for the pulp and paper sector in the world.

Honors for Imerys scientist

Phil Jones, Director, New Ventures & Disruptive Technologies for Imerys, has been named recipient of TAPPI’s 2012 Herman Joachim Distinguished Service Award.

The Award is the highest honor the Association can bestow upon an individual for exemplary leadership that has significantly contributed to the advancement of the Association. It will be presented at the PaperCon 2012 Conference Awards Dinner, in New Orleans, April 24, 2012.

“Phil Jones has served TAPPI in a range of leadership roles in many areas over his long distinguished career. He’s served with unusual distinction and integrity and I am pleased to be able to honor his service with this prestigious award,” according to Larry N. Montague, president and CEO of TAPPI. “He’s a leader by example who inspires all of us with his hard work, integrity and dedication to service.”

More information www.tappi.org

Clearwater Paper Corporation  has announced that it will host its first quarter 2012 financial results conference call on Wednesday, April 25, 2012, at 2 p.m. Pacific Time (5 p.m. Eastern Time). The company will issue its financial results after market close the same day.

Investors may access the conference call by dialing 877-303-9241 (for US/Canada investors) or 760-666-3575 (for international investors). The audio webcast may be accessed on the company's website at http://ir.clearwaterpaper.com/events.cfm.

An accompanying presentation will be available for downloading from http://ir.clearwaterpaper.com/events.cfm after the market closes. The webcast will be audio only. Investors are recommended to download the accompanying presentation prior to the call.

For those unable to participate in the call, an archived recording will be available through Clearwater Paper's website at www.clearwaterpaper.comunder "Investor Relations" following the conference call.

Source: Clearwater Paper Corporation