Displaying items by tag: Twin Rivers Paper Company

Twin Rivers Paper Company LLC has just announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the paper mill located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas owned by Mondi Group. Twin Rivers, headquartered in Madawaska, Maine, produces specialty packaging, label, publishing, and technical specialty papers as well as dimensional lumber. It is owned jointly by Atlas Holdings LLC and Blue Wolf Capital. The acquisition is anticipated to be completed in Q2 2018. Terms were not disclosed.

The mill to be acquired under this agreement produces Multiwall, Converting and Grocery Bag grade unbleached kraft papers serving a variety of food, agricultural, and industrial applications. With basis weights between 40# and 78#, the mill has a capacity in excess of 140,000 US short tons.

“Twin Rivers is a nimble, high quality, integrated forest products company that is well positioned as a market leader in the packaging, publishing, label and technical specialties markets,” said Bob Snyder, Chief Executive Officer of Twin Rivers. “The addition of the Pine Bluff mill is consistent with the evolution of our company and fully complements our overall mill system, product offerings and strategic direction.”

“We are very pleased with the opportunity to add this facility and its valued associates to our company,” said Ken Winterhalter, President of Twin Rivers. “The proposed transaction will provide a logical grade-line extension to our current offerings and is

evidence of our ongoing commitment to enhance the value we provide to our customers.”

“With this agreement and its recent acquisition of Burrows Paper, Twin Rivers continues to strengthen its hold atop the marketplace,” said Tim Fazio, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Atlas Holdings. “This is an exciting step for the business and we look forward to welcoming the team in Pine Bluff to the Twin Rivers family.”

“We are excited to add Pine Bluff to the Twin Rivers portfolio,” said Adam Blumenthal, Managing Partner of Blue Wolf Capital. “The strategic acquisition positions the company well to grow with and better serve its customers and other stakeholders.”

Clemens Willee, CEO Packaging Paper, Mondi Group, said, “We believe that the interests of the mill and its employees are better served by the new owners where there is a closer long-term strategic alignment.”

About Twin Rivers Paper Company

Twin Rivers Paper Company, headquartered in Madawaska, Maine, is an integrated specialty paper company that produces specialty packaging, label, publishing, and technical specialty papers as well as dimensional lumber. Targeting its manufacturing capabilities to specific market segments, Twin Rivers creates competitive advantages through nimble innovation

and product development, service excellence and an unfailing commitment to quality. The company’s brands include Acadia® packaging products, Alliance® label products, and Pharmopaque® pharmaceutical papers. Twin Rivers is owned jointly by Atlas Holdings LLC and Blue Wolf Capital. For more information, visit

About Mondi Group

Mondi is a global leader in packaging and paper, employing around 26,000 people in over 30 countries. We are fully integrated across the packaging and paper value chain - from managing forests and producing pulp, paper and plastic films, to developing and manufacturing effective industrial and consumer packaging solutions. Sustainability is embedded in everything we do, with clearly defined commitments across 10 action areas. We delight our customers with our innovative and sustainable packaging and paper solutions.

Our major operations are in central Europe, Russia, North America and South Africa. In 2017,

Mondi had revenues of €7.1 billion and a return on capital employed of 19.7%.

Mondi has a dual listed company structure, with a primary listing on the JSE Limited for

Mondi Limited under the ticker MND and a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange for Mondi plc, under the ticker MNDI. We are a FTSE 100 constituent, and have been included in the FTSE4Good Index Series since 2008 and the JSE's Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Index since 2007.

Twin Rivers Paper Company is pleased to announce the company has achieved PEFC™ (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification™) Chain of Custody certification.

“The addition of PEFC certification is important both domestically and for its international reach. The standard enables our customers to have confidence the products they use from Twin Rivers are produced using practices that are consistent with their global procurement and sustainability initiatives,” said Dave Deger, Vice President, Strategy and Marketing.

This rigorous international third-party standard ensures the wood and fiber used to make the Company’s lightweight specialty paper and dimensional lumber products originate from sustainable, well-managed forests.

In addition to PEFC, Twin Rivers holds Sustainable Forestry Initiative^® (SFI^®) and the Forest Stewardship Council^® (FSC^®) chain of custody certifications enabling the company to offer its industry leading packaging, publishing and label papers under all of the three certification programs.

Chain of custody certification requires robust systems and accurate traceability procedures to track the path of fiber-based raw materials from the forest through finished product. The PEFC standard requires that wood and fiber source use globally recognized principles of forest management intended to prevent deforestation and safeguard forests while respecting the highest ecological, social and ethical standards.

As the largest forest certification system in the world, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification is comprised of 38 endorsed national certification systems and more than 670 million acres of certified forests. In North America, the more well-known certification systems endorsed by PEFC include Sustainable Forestry Initiative^® (SFI^®), American Tree Farm System (ATFS) and Canadian Sustainable Forest Management Standard (CAN/CSA-Z809-08).

Twin Rivers Paper Company is an integrated forest products company that manufactures packaging, label and publishing paper products and dimensional lumber for targeted markets and applications. Lumber and pulp operations are located in New Brunswick, and the paper operation is based in Maine. For more information, visit the website at twinriverspaper.com.

Twin Rivers Paper Company has just announced that following the completion of his three-year term as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, Tim Lowe will be succeeded in the role by Robert ("Bob") Snyder, effective June 24, 2016.

“We undertook a comprehensive search to find the kind of leader needed to take this strong organization into the future, and ensure we continue to execute our vision of a nimble, high quality, integrated forest products company,” says Lowe. “Bob is that leader. He knows our industry like the back of his hand, and has worked his way up from the shop floor to running large public companies that contain some of North America's top paper assets. His accomplishments at Orchids and in his many other roles give us great confidence in his ability to help write the next great chapter in this business.”

Over the past three years, Twin Rivers has been transformed into one of North America’s most nimble, high quality producers of innovative solutions for premium niche markets in the forest products sector. The company is an acknowledged leader in the publishing sector, and has a deserved reputation for excellence in the lightweight paper, packaging and label sectors.

“Twin Rivers is a company built for tomorrow – one that knows its markets, that has done the heavy lifting to engage its customers, innovate its product mix and invest strategically for the future – I’m excited to get down to work,” says Snyder. “Our loyal customers and dedicated associates will remain at the forefront of everything we do as we work to continue to grow this market-leading position.”

Snyder brings a wealth of experience to the CEO role, including Executive and Board roles in coated paper, newsprint and tissue mills in various parts of the U.S. and Canada.

“With the recently-announced $12 million upgrade to PM8 – which will make it one of the largest, most efficient lightweight packaging and publishing machines in North America, we are very pleased to have someone of Bob’s caliber step into the CEO role for the next phase of Twin Rivers’ growth,” says Adam Blumenthal, Managing Partner of Blue Wolf Capital. “This company is positioned to continue to lead in key markets, develop and deliver high quality products to its customers, and innovate its way to the top of the market.”

Lowe has agreed to transition into the role of Chairman of the specialty lightweight paper and dimensional lumber manufacturer, to continue to provide strategic guidance into the future.

“Since taking ownership in 2013 we knew that with a strong team and a solid plan, the business would be put back on solid financial footing and become one of the leading forest products companies in North America - and it has,” said Tim Fazio, Managing Partner of Atlas Holdings. “Tim agreed to give us three years to help craft and implement this turnaround, and his record of accomplishment is long. We are grateful that he has now agreed to continue to offer strategic guidance to this company as Chairman, as we are re-defining what it means to be a leading integrated producer of high quality forest products.”

About Twin Rivers Paper Company

Twin Rivers Paper Companyis an integrated forest products company that manufactures packaging, label and publishing paper products and dimensional lumber for targeted markets and applications. Lumber and pulp operations are located in New Brunswick and the paper operation is based in Maine. For more information, visit the website at www.twinriverspaper.com.

Twin Rivers Paper Company Limited has just announced that it will invest approximately $12 million at its Madawaska facility as part of a strategic realignment to focus on growth-oriented market segments and maximize productivity.

“Our industry has undergone a great deal of change in the past decade, and we must continue to innovate and position Twin Rivers for the future,” said Chief Operating Officer John Reichert. “As part of our strategic repositioning, we have reviewed our papermaking assets and have initiated a substantial upgrade to the largest machine in the system, PM8, which will be completed in 2017. Additionally, this repositioning will result in the permanent closure of PM3 at the end of July, improving productivity across our operations.”

Twin Rivers plans to invest approximately $12 million in PM8 to dramatically enhance the machine’s capabilities and broaden the markets served by the largest asset in the Twin Rivers paper mill system. The rebuild will establish PM8 as one of the largest producers of lightweight technical specialties in North America, ideally positioned to support strategic growth initiatives while strengthening the company’s industry-leading lineup of hybrid and freesheet lightweight publishing grades. The machine to be shut down, PM3, is one of the mill’s higher-cost machines – an older, slower and smaller machine that produces a variety of coated and uncoated grades.

“Twin Rivers does not take these decisions lightly, and we recognize they will impact employment for approximately 49 of our valued associates. We will work closely with these individuals and the unions to facilitate this transition, and provide whatever resources are available to assist them,” says Reichert. “At the same time, we have a responsibility to make strategic decisions for the future of the Company, our approximately 1000 associates and the 5,800 people who rely on Twin Rivers’ operations across the regions in which we operate.”

The proposed capital investment announced today brings to over $47 million the level of strategic capital investments to date since the transition of mill ownership in 2013. Twin Rivers operates three additional paper machines that manufacture a range of specialty packaging, label and publishing papers with options in fiber content, functional characteristics, aesthetics and sustainability. The company is known for rapid innovation and its commitment to co-development.

Twin Rivers is a vital part of the region’s economy. An economic impact study conducted in 2014 by Gardiner Pinfold Consultants Inc. (of Sackville, NB) showed that Twin Rivers is responsible for $268 million (CAD) in economic output at its New Brunswick operations each year, and app. $344 million (USD) at its operations in Maine.

Twin Rivers Paper Company Limited
Canada:
Paul Black, 506-737-2602
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or
U.S.:
Dave Deger, 207-523-2355
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Lightweight specialty paper and dimensional lumber manufacturer, Twin Rivers Paper Company, announces the appointment of John Reichert to the position of Chief Operating Officer.  

Effective immediately Reichert assumes responsibility for Manufacturing, Maintenance & Engineering, Environment, Human Resources and Procurement & Logistics for all three Twin Rivers’ operations including the Madawaska Paper Mill, Edmundston Pulp Mill and Plaster Rock Lumber Mill.

“John is known for his vast operational expertise and delivering results,” said Tim Lowe, Chief Executive Officer. “I am confident his leadership combined with our strong balance sheet, differentiated technical capability and dedicated workforce will create an even stronger organization while accelerating future growth.”

 “I am excited about taking on this new role at Twin Rivers,” added Reichert. “The business has come a long way since the ownership change in 2013 and continues to make the investments needed to ensure future success as a nimble, high quality, integrated forest products company.”

Reichert brings more than 30 years of operational experience to Twin Rivers in the areas of specialty paper production, supply chain, commercial and brand management, P&L responsibility, grade development, change management, strategic planning and labor union relations.  He has held leadership positions for several large forest products companies, including Stora Enso and mostly recently NewPage (now Verso) where he served as the Mill Manager of Stevens Point. Reichert holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Paper Science & Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Twin Rivers Paper Company is an integrated forest products company that manufactures packaging, label and publishing paper products and dimensional lumber for targeted markets and applications. Lumber and pulp operations are located in New Brunswick and the paper operation is based in Maine. For more information, visit the website at www.twinriverspaper.com.

Twin Rivers Paper Company shows its community support for the Four Seasons Trail Association (FSTA) by pledging up to $45,000 for land acquisition. The organization is looking to purchase the land on which their trails and lodge are located to make the multi-use trails permanent.

“We are lucky to have a resource like FSTA that is committed to providing the recreational facilities that foster appreciation of the natural beauty in the St John Valley and encourage residents to be active. Supporting this organization and its world class trail system is a win, win for everyone”

“After seeing the work & dedication the volunteers put in to create the lodge in 2007, we knew that the trails, primarily on private land, had to become a permanent part of the facility. After the lodge was completed, the directors embarked on a multi-year initiative to ensure the trails would be permanently available for public use,” said John Ezzy, Executive Director of FSTA.

FTSA President Colin Jandreau added, “Ownership of the land gives us the opportunity to make much needed changes to the trail footprint, accommodating an even greater number of people from serious athletes in training, to recreational users looking to enjoy the outdoors and maintain their fitness.”

Over the past 8 years, the organization has been buying land from the owners, raising over $250,000 in local contributions and grant money to acquire more than 150 out of the approximately 240 acres of land.

Twin Rivers pledged to help with the final two parcels of land which total 90 acres through a program that matches funds raised by FSTA between 2015 and 2018. To date, FSTA has raised approximately $20,000.00 toward the goal.

“We are lucky to have a resource like FSTA that is committed to providing the recreational facilities that foster appreciation of the natural beauty in the St John Valley and encourage residents to be active. Supporting this organization and its world class trail system is a win, win for everyone,” commented Tim Lowe, CEO of Twin Rivers Paper Company.

To make a donation, visit www.fourseasonstrail.org. Donations of any amount are appreciated and will be used to purchase the final parcel of land.

Twin Rivers Paper Company is an integrated specialty paper company that manufactures packaging, label and publishing products for targeted markets and applications. The company has operations in Maine and New Brunswick. For more information, visit the website at twinriverspaper.com.

Four Seasons Trail Association (FSTA) is a non-profit, volunteer organization that fundraised, designed and built a world class Nordic ski, snowshoe, mountain bike and hiking facility that is accessible to the public. The lodge is surrounded by a network of trails historically privately owned but publicly accessible with landowner permission. The organization has been purchasing the trail land to continue creating a world-class outdoor recreation center accessible to the community. For more information, visit the website at fourseasonstrail.org.

Twin Rivers Paper Company recently completed a series of upgrades to its No. 7 Paper Machine, enhancing the overall quality, efficiency and capabilities of a machine instrumental to manufacturing products supporting the specialty packaging, publishing, and label markets.

“PM7 is a workhorse for Twin Rivers, serving deadline driven and technically challenging markets. It produces many of our hallmark grades and the work completed brings both enhanced capacity for strategic grades and critical redundancy of supply.”

“PM7 is a critical machine that supports our leadership positions in all segments of our business. The upgrade is evidence of the ongoing commitment to invest capital that aligns with our strategic direction and to ensure the long term viability of the operation. Since our new ownership took the helm over $25MM has been invested throughout the Twin Rivers system,” commented Dave Deger, Vice President of Strategy and Marketing. “We recognize this is a particularly challenging time for the industry so it is great to be a part of a team that values continuous improvement of the operations.”

Key enhancements include an upgraded size press, improved coating flexibility, installation of a dandy roll, and slitter/rewinder modifications. The end result is a more capable asset that is well positioned to produce a diverse range of products including grease resistant packaging papers; lightweight opaque papers used for pharmaceutical, financial and religious publishing; and base papers used in a variety of label applications.

Deger added, “PM7 is a workhorse for Twin Rivers, serving deadline driven and technically challenging markets. It produces many of our hallmark grades and the work completed brings both enhanced capacity for strategic grades and critical redundancy of supply.”

Aside from the No. 7 Paper Machine, Twin Rivers operates four additional paper machines that manufacture a range of coated and uncoated papers with options in fiber content, functional characteristics, aesthetics and sustainability. The company is known for rapid innovation and its commitment to co-development.

Twin Rivers Paper Company is an integrated specialty paper company that manufactures packaging, label and publishing products for targeted markets and applications. The company has operations in Maine and New Brunswick. For more information, visit the website at www.twinriverspaper.com.

Twin Rivers Paper Company, a leader in lightweightspecialty packaging, label and publishing papers, expands its portfolio with a fluorochemical-free, oil and grease-resistant paper. Used in food service and quick serve restaurant (QSR) packaging,Acadia® EcoBarrier offers the same functionality and performance benefits of the Acadia brand with oil and grease resistance achieved without the use of fluorochemicals.

“The QSR and food service industry are increasingly seeking fluorochemical-free alternatives for their packaging designs. Acadia® EcoBarrier answers this need,” says Dave Deger, Director of Business Development and Marketing. “We believe this product will play an important role in the future as part of our comprehensive and growing portfolio of packaging papers.”

Twin Rivers’ packaging papers are known for their excellent printability and convertability, with high performance in secondary processes such as coating, waxing, foil and film laminating, and metallizing. Acadia®, an uncoated machine-finished paper, is available in a basis weight range of 15-75 lbs. and Bladepak C1S coated paper is available in a basis weight range of 35-73 lbs. All are FDA-compliant, meeting the requirements for direct food contact.