Glatfelter (NYSE: GLT) has just announced the promotion of David Dickerhoof to Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Specialty Papers, effective immediately. Mr. Dickerhoof fills the position previously held by Mr. Timothy Hess who was promoted to Senior Vice President and Business Unit President, Specialty Papers. In this role, Mr. Dickerhoof will be responsible for leading the Specialty Paper Business Unit’s commercial strategy, including sales, marketing, customer service, new product development, and new business development. Mr. Dickerhoof will report directly to Mr. Hess.

An experienced sales and marketing leader with twenty-three years of industry experience, Mr. Dickerhoof joined Glatfelter in 2006 as part of the acquisition of the Chillicothe, OH mill. Mr. Dickerhoof has held sales assignments covering territories across the United States, and has earned progressive roles with greater leadership responsibilities in the sales & marketing function. Most recently Mr. Dickerhoof served as Director of Sales, Converting Papers. Mr. Dickerhoof earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Dayton and has earned certificates in Marketing from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, in Finance for Non-Financial Managers from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, and in Managing Change from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

Mr. Hess commented, “Throughout his career at Glatfelter, Dave has built successful relationships inside and outside of Glatfelter by drawing on his strong problem solving skills, customer-centric focus, and his ability to drive results. Under his leadership, Glatfelter has achieved record sales in converting papers and has enabled Glatfelter to win multi-year key contracts. I’m confident that Dave will continue to create sustainable value for all of our customers in 2017 and beyond.”

About Glatfelter

Glatfelter is a global supplier of specialty papers and fiber-based engineered materials, offering innovation, world-class service and over a century and a half of technical expertise. Headquartered in York, PA, the company employs over 4,300 people and serves customers in over 100 countries. U.S. operations include facilities in Pennsylvania and Ohio. International operations include facilities in Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the Philippines, and sales and distribution offices in China and Russia. Glatfelter’s sales approximate $1.6 billion annually and its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol GLT. Additional information may be found at www.glatfelter.com.

Sonoco (NYSE:SON) has just announced it is implementing a $60 per ton price increase for all grades of uncoated recycled paperboard (URB) in the United States and Canada. 

Sonoco previously announced a URB price increase of $40 to $60 per ton in October 2016, and the Company is revising the increase for all grades to $60 per ton, effective with shipments beginning February 6, 2017.

“This increase is necessary to capture higher recycled fiber and other costs so we can continue providing high-quality, value-adding products to our customers,” said Palace Stepps, division vice president of sales and marketing for Sonoco’s U.S. and Canada paper and adhesives.

Sonoco is one of the largest producers of uncoated recycled paperboard in the United States and Canada, producing more than one million tons annually from 11 mills. For more information about Sonoco’s complete line of URB paper products, or to learn more about current pricing, please visit the Company’s website (www.sonoco.com) or contact the Company at 1-800-377-2692.

About Sonoco
Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging and packaging supply chain services. With annualized net sales of approximately $5.0 billion, the Company has 20,000 employees working in more than 300 facilities in 34 countries, serving many of the world’s best known brands in some 85 nations. For more information on the Company, visit our website at www.sonoco.com.

After a comprehensive rebuild supplied by Toscotec the rebuilt PM10 at Lucart Laval sur Vologne mill in France has been successfully started. The rebuild will boost the machine speed from the current 1300 mpm to 1600 mpm for the production of high-quality tissue from virgin or recycled fibers.

Toscotec's turn-key supply included wire and felt section modifications, a new TT SYD-12FT, Yankee steam & condensate, and a TT MachineBrokePulper-MBP75. Complete engineering, erection, commissioning and start-up assistance were also included in the order.

The new TT SYD has replaced the existing cast iron one. The greater evaporation rate increases the production capacity and the Yankee deckle insulations allows an additional saving on steam consumption.

In 2010 Toscotec already supplied a TT SuctionPressRoll (diameter of 1045 mm).

Lucart decided to go ahead with Toscotec finding in the offered technology the right solution to its need of leader tissue producer.

“This investment is a strategic step to strengthen our presence in Central Europe and is part of our integrated strategy of reducing energy consumption in our paper making process” said Massimo Pasquini, Lucart Group CEO.

“We are happy to continue to support Lucart. Our technology is the right partner for its mission which sets continuous innovation, overall product quality, respect for the environment and total client orientation as fundamental values. The same which Toscotec is clearly inspired since its foundation.”  said Marco Dalle Piagge, Sales Director of Toscotec S.p.A..

About Lucart
Lucart Group is Europe’s largest producer of thin MG paper for flexible packaging and is one of the top European manufacturers of paper, airlaid and tissue products. More than 60 years of experience have allowed Lucart to develop the necessary know-how and technology to create quality products that can satisfy customers' requirements.

The production capacity of Lucart Group is 300,000 tons/year with 10 paper machines and 55 converting lines. The consolidated turnover is around 400 million euro and the number of employees is around 1,300.

www.lucartgroup.com

About Toscotec
Toscotec is a turnkey projects supplier to the global paper industry. Since 1948, the company offers complete production lines, plant retrofits, turnkey projects and individual machineries for the tissue, paper and board. Toscotec serves all the leading paper producers with customized solutions, leveraging on the experience gained in more than 60 years of activities.

For more info: www.toscotec.com

Performance Pipe, a division of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP, has launched a new product innovation in polyethylene (PE) pipe and fittings, designed to extend PE pipe capabilities in high temperature applications.

Performance Pipe’s new PlatinumStripe™ 1800 series PE-RT pipe and fittings help customers achieve differentiated performance in a range of demanding, high temperature, industrial and energy applications, including mining, pulp and paper mills, oil and gas gathering, produced water, chemical processes and power plants. Contrary to conventional high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe where resistance is limited to 140°F (60°C) in pressure applications, Performance Pipe’s PlatinumStripe™ 1800 series PE-RT pipe and fittings can withstand temperatures up to 180°F (82°C) for pressure applications. In some applications, the piping system can withstand intermittent temperatures up to 203°F (95°C).

“We’re excited to be able to deliver new opportunities via this breakthrough technology to these industries and our customers,” said Wes Long, Technical Projects Director of Performance Pipe. “The high temperature properties in the PE-RT pipe translate to bigger cost savings to customers. PlatinumStripe™ 1800 series PE-RT pipe and fittings are more economical and can be installed much faster than traditional pipes, and with the same fusion parameters of standard PE4710 materials.”

“Performance Pipe’s PlatinumStripe™ 1800 Series PE-RT pipe changes the game,” said Long. It is produced from the first PE-RT resin to achieve an 800 psi HDB at 180˚F (82°C) and will be listed as such in Plastics Pipes Institute (PPI) TR-4. It also has high oxidative stability as well as the high melt strength required to produce large diameter pipe needed in industrial applications.

On December 8, 2016, Performance Pipe hosted a webinar detailing the advantages of PE-RT pipe and fittings. To learn more about Performance Pipe’s PlatinumStripe™ 1800 series PE-RT pipe and fittings, listen to the archived webinar, or click here to read a case study.

About Performance Pipe

Performance Pipe is a division of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP and is the largest pressure pipe manufacturer in North America, with eight manufacturing facilities located throughout the United States. Performance Pipe’s DriscoPlex™ brand high density polyethylene pipe is sold to more than 400 customers worldwide.

About Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP

Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC, one of the world’s top producers of olefins and polyolefins and a leading supplier of aromatics, alpha olefins, styrenics, specialty chemicals, plastic piping and polymer resins. With approximately 5,000 employees, the LLC and its affiliates own $14 billion in assets, including 34 manufacturing and research facilities in eight countries. Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC is equally owned by Chevron U.S.A. Inc., an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, and by wholly-owned subsidiaries of Phillips 66, and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas.For more information about Chevron Phillips Chemical, visit www.cpchem.com.

Stora Enso is investing a total of EUR 9.1 million into its consumer board mills in Imatra and Ingerois, Finland, and Fors, Sweden, to continue the commercialisation of microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and to accelerate product development. 

With the new investments, Stora Enso will accelerate the product development of new MFC applications, which will include barrier layers for grease and oxygen and biodegradable film as replacement for aluminum in paperboard packaging. Due to its exceptionally high strength properties and 100% renewable raw materials, MFC is designed to outperform current fossil-based materials, such as plastics, in a variety of applications.

In its MFC development, Stora Enso has initially focused on the liquid packaging board segment, being the first company to have successfully launched a commercial paperboard packaging including MFC. Since 2015, MFC has been used for source reduction and to improve board quality in the dairy category. With these new investments, Stora Enso will also further implement source reduction, i.e. make packaging materials lighter by multiplying the capacity for paperboard packaging with MFC to 500 000 tonnes.

“We are now taking the next steps in developing and commercialising products using MFC to meet customer demands for renewable innovations. In the future, MFC has the potential to be used in a variety of entirely new products, including many outside of Stora Enso’s current portfolio,” says Stora Enso’s CEO Karl-Henrik Sundström. 

The plants are scheduled to start production by the end of 2017 and expected to reach full production within 3 to 5 years. Once finalised, the investments will improve Stora Enso’s profitability and expand its current product portfolio.

Stora Enso is a leading provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper on global markets. Our aim is to replace fossil based materials by innovating and developing new products and services based on wood and other renewable materials. We employ some 26 000 people in more than 35 countries, and our sales in 2015 were EUR 10.0 billion. Stora Enso shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki (STEAV, STERV) and Nasdaq Stockholm (STE A, STE R). In addition, the shares are traded in the USA as ADRs (SEOAY). storaenso.com

Kemira will make a multi-million euro investment in the production line expansion of sizing agent (ASA) at its Nanjing site in China. Sizing agents are used for improving water-resistance in middle to high end paper and in packaging board. This investment in the most modern ASA production facility globally and the only major ASA production unit in APAC, will expand Kemira’s ASA production capacity substantially. The new capacity is expected to be available from December 2017 onwards.

“Kemira is the leading producer and supplier of sizing agents (ASA) in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) market. In order to further strengthen our leading position we are expanding our production in Nanjing for the future growth. The Asian pulp and paper market is growing around 3% in a year in total and even faster for consumer board. This is linked to the increased living standards and the growth of online shopping. There are also new investments of printing and writing paper machines in China, India and the rest of South East Asia. ASA is an important product in our TCM (Total Chemistry Management) strategy and we see growth opportunities all over the Asia-Pacific to provide cutting edge ASA technology and replace older sizing technologies” says Nichlas Kavander, Head of regional business unit, Pulp & Paper, APAC.

“Integration of additional capacity is expected to be smooth as the production technology is well proven over the past 3 years at our Nanjing site. It is safe, reliable and robust. In addition, we are already preparing for the next generation ASA-technology to further increase performance and sustainability to our sizing customers” says Hanspeter Enzmann, Head of manufacturing, APAC.

The Nanjing site is located in the Nanjing Chemical Industry Park, Jiangsu Province. It provides a wide range of functional and process chemicals for water-intensive industries such as the pulp and paper industry. The total estimated annual capacity at the site is approximately 100,000 tons. Nanjing site is equipped with cutting-edge facilities offering the highest quality, featuring a high degree of automation and use of sophisticated IT-systems in the production process. The site operations are supported by Kemira’s global expert teams with strong R&D capabilities, the Asia-Pacific R&D Center in Shanghai and local laboratories. The site conforms to the highest EHS (environment, health and safety) standards in the industry, striving to be the leader in the sustainable development of China’s chemical industry.

For more information, please contact

Kemira Oyj

Nichlas Kavander, Head of Regional Business Unit, Pulp & Paper, APAC

Tel.  +86 1852 1319 966

Tero Huovinen, Senior Vice President, Communications & Corporate Responsibility

Tel. +358 10 862 1980

Kemira is a global chemicals company serving customers in water-intensive industries. We provide expertise, application know-how and chemicals that improve our customers’ product quality, process and resource efficiency. Our focus is on pulp & paper, oil & gas, mining and water treatment. In 2015, Kemira had annual revenue of EUR 2.4 billion and around 4,700 employees. Kemira shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd.

www.kemira.com

Kemira announces price increase for its pulp & paper process chemical product line in APAC. The adjustment will be effective January 9, 2017 or as customer contracts allow.

The price increase of polymers, surface sizes, coating chemicals and dispersants will be approximately 5-10%, depending on the specific customer segment and applications, and can differ for specific product types in selected geographies. This adjustment is necessary due to overall increased production and raw material costs.

More information:

Nichlas Kavander

SVP, Pulp & Paper APAC

Tel. +86 185 2131 9966

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ross Howat

VP, Sales & Technical Service, Pulp & Paper, APAC

Tel. +86 185 2101 3311

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Kemira is a global chemicals company serving customers in water intensive industries. We provide expertise, application know-how and chemicals that improve our customers‘ product quality, process and resource efficiency. Our focus is on pulp & paper, oil & gas, mining and water treatment. In 2015, Kemira had annual revenue of EUR 2.4 billion and around 4,700 employees. Kemira shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd.

www.kemira.com

Stora Enso has just divested its 100% shareholding in its Finnish subsidiary Formeca Oy, a provider of high-quality machines for automated packaging lines, to Amitec Oy, a specialised engineering and machine construction company based in Finland.

Following this transaction, Stora Enso will become a reseller of Formeca machines and retain the ability to support and consult customers on packaging automation solutions. Hence Stora Enso will continue to deliver Formeca packaging machines to its customers in its core markets.

“Supported by Amitec’s dedicated competence in this field, Stora Enso will be able to serve customers even more effectively. In addition, Amitec has the necessary strength to further develop Formeca and ensure its business progress,” says Peter Torstensson, SVP and Head of Corrugated Nordics, Division Packaging Solutions.

The transaction is a share deal and will have a limited financial impact. After the divestment, a few employees will transfer to Stora Enso to strengthen packaging automation support for its customers, whilst the rest of the Formeca personnel will remain in Formeca’s employ.

Stora Enso is a leading provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper on global markets. Our aim is to replace fossil based materials by innovating and developing new products and services based on wood and other renewable materials. We employ some 26 000 people in more than 35 countries, and our sales in 2015 were EUR 10.0 billion. Stora Enso shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki (STEAV, STERV) and Nasdaq Stockholm (STE A, STE R). In addition, the shares are traded in the USA as ADRs (SEOAY). storaenso.com  

Valmet will deliver a white liquor pressure disc filter to Daio Paper Co. Ltd's Mishima pulp mill in Japan. The new filter is scheduled to start-up in September, 2017.

The order was included in Valmet's third quarter 2016 orders received. The value of this kind of an order is typically less than EUR 5 million.

"Daio Paper planned for a new white liquor filter to be installed in parallel with the existing two lines of white liquor filters. This investment is done in order to be able to increase the white liquor production, which was limited in the existing lines. Daio selected the Valmet OptiDisc WL filter as the preferred technology for this de-bottlenecking project," says Jiro Nakamura, Product Sales Manager at Valmet.

Technical details about the delivery

White liquor filters are used at pulp mill's chemical recovery process to secure a consistent quality of the white liquor, with an optimal strength suitable for the plant. Modern digesters need a high and consistent quality of white liquor to produce the optimal pulp quality and yield in cooking.

Valmet's delivery includes a new OptiDisc WL filter, pumps piping, valves, platforms, erection and start-up services. The OptiDisc WL filter produces completely clear white liquor and washes the lime mud. The very high white liquor yield increases upstream capacity and eliminates the potential process disturbances that increased amount of dregs, and other non-process elements (NPE's) in the white liquor, can cause in the pulp cooking process.

About the customer Daio Paper Co. Ltd.

Daio Paper Co. Ltd's Mishima mill was established in 1943 and today has a pulp production of 2.3 million tonnes/year and a paper and paperboard production of 2.3 million tonnes/year. In addition the company has a power generation capacity of 500 MW. Daio Paper ranks third in Japan as a full-range paper manufacturer, engaged in manufacture of more than 20,000 kinds of paper, including newsprint, printing and publication paper, communication paper, wrapper paper, corrugated containers, household paper products, and other paper, from pulp.

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers.

Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.

Valmet's net sales in 2015 were approximately EUR 2.9 billion. Our 12,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

In August 2016, PMP (Paper Machinery Producer) signed a contract with Zhe Jiang Huachuan for a delivery of key technological units for PM8, located in Yiwu mill, Zhejiang Province, China.

A new PM8 (operating speed 700 m/min, reel trim 3460 mm) will be equipped with world class new technological items provided by PMP and will produce glassline papers. The project driving force is based on energy saving solutions & quality through application state-of-the-art technology.

PMP will deliver solutions from its Intelli-Paper^® platform concept for papermakers. PMP will provide its first Intelli-Shaker^® ever, which bring excellent formation and at the same time impressive paper quality. It enables PM capacity increase due to higher consistency in the headbox and it is proper to any paper grades.

A scope of delivery includes also a state-of the-art, 3 channel Intelli-Jet V^® hydraulic headbox which will also bring excellent formation and production flexibility for the mill (basis weight range from 28 to 90 g/m²). The headbox will include sophisticated Consistency Profiling System to ensure excellent basis weight control, resulting in uniform paper web structure and better CD basis weight profile. PMP Intelli-Jet V^® Hydraulic Headbox Technology has become iconic – it is today a leading solution in the Pulp & Paper industry. It is a part of PMP Intelli-Paper^® platform for papermakers. There are over 130 units working successfully on 6 continents.

In addition PMP will provide Intelli-Top^® Former - a proved solution which assures the perfect formation and proper dewatering effectiveness as well as a new Intelli-Sizer^® Metering Size Press, which will result with strong paper web & perfect printability.

The delivery, erection and start-up are scheduled for the second half of 2017.

About Zhe Jiang Huachuan:

Zhe Jiang Huachuan - Zhe Jiang Huachuan Industrial Group Co., Ltd. is located in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, China. Company is working in several business areas such as: papermaking, printing and dyeing, chemical, technology, investment and more. Zhe Jiang Huachuan owns 6 wholly-owned and and holding companies in China. At present, the company covers an area of ​​more than 20 million square meters and hires more than 1,600 employees. (learn more: www.huachuangroup.net)

About PMP:

PMP – a global provider of tissue, paper & board technology, has been supporting pulp and paper industry for over 160 years, executing projects on 6 continents, in 34 countries. Company with headquarters in Jelenia Góra, Poland, owns 6 facilities in 4 countries (Poland, USA, China, Italy). PMP is a recognized international player in both paper & tissue industry. At the end of December 2015, PMP introduced new branding initiative including launching a new logo & visual identity. (learn more: www.pmpgroup.com)