On May 2, 2018, BASF and Solenis have signed an agreement to join forces by combining BASF’s paper wet-end and water chemicals business with Solenis. The combined entity with pro-forma sales of around €2.4 billion and around 5,000 employees in 2017 aims to deliver additional value for paper and water treatment customers. The goal is to create a customer-focused global solutions provider for the industry. For the paper industry, the product portfolio of the combined enterprise will cover the entire range of functional and process wet-end chemicals, solutions for the water cycle for paper mills, as well as comprehensive service capabilities. For the water treatment industry, the customers of the joint organization will benefit from Solenis’ high-quality service capabilities and BASF’s broad water treatment chemicals platform. Pending approval by the relevant authorities, closing is anticipated for the end of 2018 at the earliest. Financial terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.

BASF will hold a 49% share of the combined entity that will operate under the Solenis name and be headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. BASF will nominate three out of seven shareholder representatives of the joint entity that will continue to be led by current President and Chief Executive Officer John E. Panichella of Solenis. 51% of the shares will be held by funds managed by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.

“The transaction underlines BASF’s active portfolio management and enables us to share in the future success of this promising joint entity,” says Dr. Markus Kamieth, member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE and responsible for the Performance Products segment.

The transaction comprises BASF’s global paper wet-end and water chemicals business with 2017 sales of around €800 million and around 1,300 employees globally. The transfer includes production sites and plants of the paper wet-end and water chemicals business in Bradford and Grimsby, UK; Suffolk, Virginia, USA; Altamira, Mexico; Ankleshwar, India, and Kwinana, Australia. BASF’s paper and water chemicals production plants strongly embedded in the Verbund in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Nanjing, China, are not transferred, and will deliver products and raw materials to the combined entity under mid- to long-term supply agreements.

BASF’s paper coating chemicals portfolio is not part of the transaction.  

Strategic fit for future growth
“We will remain committed to the paper and water treatment industries through our 49% ownership of the combined entity and bring our excellent technologies, products, and production processes. Combined with Solenis’ service capabilities, we will create additional value for our customers. They will benefit from our joint innovation activities, complementary state-of-the-art product portfolios, and dedicated service and application support,” says Anup Kothari, President of BASF’s Performance Chemicals division.

“Together, we have a unique opportunity to create a customer-focused global specialty chemical company with an enhanced focus and expanded offerings. I am pleased that our cultures are closely aligned and that our companies share a strong common desire to create value for our customers. Together, as one team of experts, we will continue to strive towards excellence in innovation, sustainability and safety,” underlines John E. Panichella, CEO of Solenis.

Customers to benefit from complementary range of products and services
Solenis is a global producer of specialty chemicals for water intensive industries, including the pulp, paper, oil and gas, chemical processing, mining, biorefining, power and municipal markets. The company’s product portfolio includes a broad array of process, functional and water treatment chemistries as well as state-of-the-art monitoring and control systems. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, the company has 35 manufacturing facilities strategically located around the globe with approximately 3,700 employees in 118 countries.

BASF offers a comprehensive range of chemicals for the paper and water industry. Its paper chemicals portfolio comprises dry strength agents, fixing agents, retention and drainage aids, flocculants and coagulants for water management. Furthermore, BASF offers basic dyes, direct dyes, sizing agents, pigment preparations, wet strength agents and color developers for thermal paper. The water chemicals portfolio includes products used in the key processes of industrial and municipal water treatment. BASF’s paper and water chemicals business supplies chemicals to purify the raw water used to produce drinking water, to treat waste water streams and industrial process water, to protect cooling towers, boilers and desalination plants. The paper and water chemicals business is part of BASF’s Performance Chemicals division reported in the Performance Products segment.

BASF and Solenis will continue to operate as strictly independent companies until the completion of the transaction.

SCA increases prices on coated publication paper, CMR , and improved uncoated publication paper by 40 Euro per tonne.

“ We see a substantially stronger demand for publication paper, “ says Ulf Edman Vice President Sales and Marketing Publication Paper.

The new prices are valid for all deliveries from July 1 this year.

Due to continuing rises in costs for pulp and other raw materials, especially leuco dye (ODB2), Mitsubishi HiTec Paper is increasing its prices for thermal paper for deliveries from 1 July 2018. Prices for the whole THERMOSCRIPT® thermal paper range will be increased by up to 10 % worldwide.

Customers will be contacted directly by a representative of the Mitsubishi sales team.

Resolute Forest Products Inc. has just announced major investments totaling $12,956,700 in its La Doré wood products facilities, located in the Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec. The announcement was made during a press conference attended by Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, as well as dignitaries and company employees.

The investments will be used to integrate new technologies into the manufacturing processes in order to sustain the facilities' continuously enhanced performance in an ever-changing competitive environment. Also through these investments, energy efficiency will be improved as operational processes are modernized.

"This is a significant investment for the future of our La Doré facilities," said Yves Laflamme, president and chief executive officer. "We can count on innovation, regional solidarity and the pride our people have in their work to overcome the challenges facing our industry."

Mr. Laflamme also mentioned the efforts of workers, elected representatives and governments, as well as regional economic, education and development organizations, to improve future prospects in the forest products industry.

Resolute employs close to 250 people at the La Doré sawmill, planer mill and finger-jointing facility, and more than 2,000 in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region.

The investments announced today involve upgrades to several areas of the operations:

"We will rebuild the infeed section of the sawmill and add multiple programmable logic controllers, allowing the potential of each log to be better identified, used appropriately and optimally cut," explained Gilbert Demers, division vice president, Wood Products – Sawmills and Engineering. "We are also initiating the launch of a new lumber packaging system in the planer mill, using prototypes developed by manufacturers from the region. Finally, we are completing the project by adding two new electric boilers in order to generate the quantity of steam required for drying."

Metsä Board is delighted to announce it has won the 2018 Luxe Pack Shanghai ’in green’ Award with its SkinCare 2.0 gift box Design. Created by Metsä Board’s packaging design team, the new SkinCare 2.0 gift box uses fibre based materials to replace plastic. The outer rigid box is made with a new pulp molding process. Each of three cartons are made of lightweight paperboard and offer a unique opening and reclosing experience combined with maximum runnability performance on automated packaging lines.

Cyril Drouet, Design and Innovation Director at Metsä Board, comments; “We are extremely pleased with the recognition that the SkinCare 2.0 gift box design is currently getting globally. It is a great example of how we want to inspire packaging designers and brand owners with new innovative solutions in packaging design and using renewable materials.”

Metsä Board's Packaging Services team develops, together its customers, lighter, more environmentally friendly and more efficient packaging and helps to use the potential of lightweight fresh fibre paperboards in innovative way.

SkinCare 2.0 also received recognition at the 29th Hong Kong Print Awards where it was named ‘Champion of Packaging Printing, Paper Packaging’ as well as winning a Merit Award for ‘Best Creative Printing’ and a further Merit Award for ‘Best Crafted Book’.

The Luxe Pack ‘in green’ Award recognises new eco-friendly designed products which demonstrate a specific positive environmental and sustainable impact.

Resolute Forest Products Inc. (NYSE: RFP) (TSX: RFP) announced that a tentative four-year agreement has been reached with Unifor, subject to ratification by their members. Unifor represents the majority of hourly employees working across the company's Canadian pulp and paper operations.

The master agreement covers eight of Resolute's Canadian pulp and paper mills. The agreement applies to the Amos, Baie-Comeau, Dolbeau, Gatineau, Kénogami and Saint-Félicien facilities in Quebec, as well as the Thunder Bay mill and currently indefinitely idled Thorold operation in Ontario.

"We are pleased that we have reached a tentative agreement with Unifor national and local leadership that recognizes the contribution of employees to the success of the business and provides stability for our customers, shareholders, communities and other company partners," said Yves Laflamme, president and chief executive officer. "Once ratified, this agreement will support long-term investments in our Canadian operations."

The collective agreement covers approximately 1,100 employees represented by Unifor. The agreement builds on the cooperative relationship that has been established between Resolute and Unifor.

Details will not be discussed publicly until the union leadership has had an opportunity to present the agreement to its members.

About Resolute Forest Products

Resolute Forest Products is a global leader in the forest products industry with a diverse range of products, including market pulp, tissue, wood products, newsprint and specialty papers, which are marketed in close to 70 countries. The company owns or operates some 40 manufacturing facilities, as well as power generation assets, in the United States and Canada. Resolute has third-party certified 100% of its managed woodlands to internationally recognized sustainable forest management standards. The shares of Resolute Forest Products trade under the stock symbol RFP on both the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Resolute has received regional, North American and global recognition for its leadership in corporate social responsibility and sustainable development, as well as for its business practices. Visit www.resolutefp.com for more information.

SOURCE Resolute Forest Products Inc.

The agreement has been signed for IMA to take an important stake in TMC (Tissue Machinery Company).

TMC (Tissue Machinery Company), the Italian leader in the manufacture of machines for the packaging and management of Tissue and Personal Care products, consolidates and strongly reasserts its leadership position thanks to its entry in the IMA Group, world leader in the design and production of automatic machines for the processing and packaging of pharmaceutical products, cosmetics, food products, tea & coffee, listed on the Italian stock exchange since 1995 in the STAR index.
TMC, the IMA Group’s choice for entering the field of packaging of Tissue and Personal Care products, is ready to place its experience at the disposal of the Group and to enhance its knowhow to create what will become a true hub and reference point in the field.

TMC’s undisputed international leadership in market niches such as primary and secondary packaging of kitchen towel rolls and toilet rolls and secondary packaging of personal care products, together with the strength of the IMA Group – 5,600 employees (2,800 of whom abroad), 42 production facilities in Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, UK, USA, India, Malaysia, China and Argentina, 29 branch offices with sales and assistance services and 50 agencies, covering 80 countries worldwide – will allow the TMC Group to accelerate its projects for growth, the development of innovation and the creation of superior-level partnerships.
The agreement entails an 82.5% stake by IMA in Tissue Machinery Company.
The TMC Group, with its subsidiaries, has a forecast turnover of about 80 million euro and an EBITDA of over 10 million euro with positive growth prospects, enhanced by the overall support it can provide thanks to its entry into the IMA Group.

Matteo Gentili President of TMC, commented:
This agreement is one of great satisfaction for us. In IMA we have found the best partner for the further development of our company to attain additional technological and commercial objectives in the field of Tissue and Personal Care products. Entering the IMA Group will enable a strong acceleration of our innovation, product development and geographical expansion projects. Personally, I will continue to play a leading role in the strategic management of the TMC group, with interests fully aligned with IMA, with the goal of consolidating and developing TMC as a global reference for technological innovation and customer service.”

Alberto Vacchi President and CEO of IMA, commented:
“The agreement is strategic for the IMA Group and the partnership with Matteo Gentili, with TMC as a platform for the development of the project, will allow us to create an international hub that is the undisputed leader in the field of Tissue and Personal Care products.  
With this operation, IMA continues along its path of enhancing and growing the leading market bands, further strengthening its industrial presence in Italy.”

Industrial Assets Corp. dba BIDITUP Auctions Worldwide, a global leader in asset conversion is announcing that the assets from a leading manufacturer of corrugated paper boxes will soon be coming to auction. This significant global webcast auction of some of the most sought-after equipment in the manufacturing of paper boxes will commence on Wednesday May 23, 2018 at 9AM PDT. This online only auction is being conducted in conjunction with Maynard Industries, nationally known experts in the assets auction business.

Featured assets in this sale include:

98”/87” Corrugator • 50”x 110” Martin Transline 4-Color Flexo Folder Gluer • 37”x 96” Martin Midline 5-Color Flexo Folder Gluer • 37”x 96” Martin Midline 4-Color Flexo Folder Gluer • Martin DRO 3-Color Rotary Die Cutter • Bobst 6-Color Flexo Printer • Complete Sprout Bauer Starch System • Bloapco Shredder • Balemaster Auto Tie Baler • Conveyors • Wrappers • Machine Shop • Plant Support Equipment & Much More...

For a catalog and complete listing of the assets for sale, please visit us on the web at www.biditup.com.

“These are high quality assets from a major manufacturer, so a sale of this magnitude is really a very important opportunity for the any customers in the corrugated paper box manufacturing business,” said Steven Mattes, CEO of Industrial Assets Corp. dba BIDITUP Auctions Worldwide. “This auction also includes plant support equipment that would be of interest to any manufacturing facility,” Mattes added.

This global webcast auction will start at 9AM PDT on Thursday May 23, 2018. Assets will be available for inspection Thursday, May 17^th and Friday May 18^th and again on Monday May 21^st and Tuesday May 22^nd from 9am - 4pm each day or by appointment.  For more information please call 818-508-7034 or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Industrial Assets Corp. dba BIDITUP Auctions Worldwide (www.biditup.com) was established in 1977 and is a global leader in asset conversion and provides auction, real estate, and appraisal services to a comprehensive array of markets. The company is recognized as one of the world's leaders in the auction industry.

Maynards (www.maynards.com) manages auctions and valuation projects from eight offices in Canada, the United States, Europe, Japan and China. As auctioneers with an established global presence, they conduct over 100 asset auctions and liquidations each year worldwide.

From June 6-8, 2018 the Asian Paper & Tissue World Bangkok 2018, the first pan-Asian event of its kind will bring together paper, packaging and tissue product makers and suppliers from around the world under one roof in the Thai capital. The event’s overarching theme will be Shaping Success: Strategies for Sustainable Growth in Paper, Packaging and Tissue and aims to address the key factors influencing the industry’s direction.

Held at BITEC Bangkok, the Asian Paper and Tissue World 2018 exhibition and conference will attract some of the world’s largest and most esteemed manufacturers from over twenty different countries. This year, they will include Valmet Co., Ltd. (Thailand), Xiamen C&D Paper & Pulp Co., Ltd. (China) and AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals (Sweden) among others.

Apart from the participation in the exhibition, these companies’ senior representatives will also join in this year’s Senior Management Symposium on 6 June. During these high-level seminars, key performance variables which define success in the industry will be analyzed. They will include topics such as sustainable growth and innovations, fiber resources, trends and outlooks in the corrugated carton industry, machine conversions, IoT, as well as cutting-edge paper and board multi-client studies. Featured speakers on these subjects are Mr. Wichan Jitpukdee, President of TPPIA, Thailand; Mr. Haidong Wang, Head of Strategy at Xiamen C&D Paper & Pulp Co., Ltd., China and Mr. Jukka Luoto, Paper Technology Manager - Asia Pacific Area for Valmet Co., Ltd., Thailand.

Following the symposium, the New Applied Technology Sessions on 8 – 9 June will take place. Key industry players will discuss matters such as practical solutions to save costs on the newest fiber trends, reduction of water usage in ECF bleaching, nanotechnology as well as Industry 4.0 to increase production efficiency and product quality. Speakers include Mr. Mikko Jalava, Sales Director at ABB Oy, Finland, Ms. Eva Wackerberg, Applications RD&I Manager at AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals, Sweden and Dr. Mahendra Patel, Technical Adviser with Indian Agro and Recycled Paper Mills Association, India.

“Today, tissue is ascendant and the need for innovative packaging is boosted by evolving consumer habits. Graphics and other specialty areas will continue to gain importance. The Asian Paper and Tissue World 2018 will explore the factors which will determine the industry’s trajectory and how to optimize manufacturing processes and the use of resources to achieve sustainable growth, create high-quality products and save costs. By bringing together the industry’s top players, the conference offers attendees an exclusive platform for learning and business exchange in this fast-changing and growing industry,” says Agnes Gehot, deputy event director of Asian Paper & Tissue World, UBM Exhibition Singapore.

Asian Paper & Tissue World Bangkok 2018 is supported by the following associations:

• The Thai Pulp and Paper Industries Association (TPPIA)
• Australian and New Zealand Pulp and Paper Industry Technical Association (APPITA)
• The Association of Indonesia Pulp and Paper Industries (APKI)
• Chinese Taipei Paper Industry Association (CTPIA)
• Indian Agro & Recycled Paper Mills Association (IARPMA)
• Japan Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (JTAPPI)
• Myanmar Pulp and Paper Industry Association (MPPIA)
• Malaysia Pulp and Paper Manufacturers Association (MPPMA)

• Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry of Southern Africa (TAPPSA)

Visitor and conference registration is now open. For more details, visit www.asianpapershow.com

About Asian Paper - Established since 1992

Asian Paper is the largest ASEAN event serving the global pulp, paper, packaging and related industries. It gathers key industry players to meet face to face and discuss the latest innovation, industry trends and offerings of cutting-edge products and services through its exhibition and conference. The Asian Paper exhibition focuses on the Paper industry, covering the entire value chain, from pulp, chemical, adhesive, machinery, parts, converters to paper and packaging products and services across the three-day event.

About Tissue World - Established since 1993

Tissue World is the leading global event serving the tissue industry worldwide. With trade shows in Istanbul, Milan, Miami, São Paulo and Bangkok, it offers an integrated platform consisting of exhibitors, conferences and a magazine providing an unmatched offline and online place to do business, exchange ideas and learn, all year around.

About UBM

UBM Plc. is the largest pure-play B2B Events organizer in the world.  In an increasingly digital world, the value of connecting on a meaningful, human level has never been more important. At UBM, our deep knowledge and passion for the industry sectors we serve allow us to create valuable experiences where people can succeed. At our events, people build relationships, close deals and grow their businesses. Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors – from fashion to pharmaceutical ingredients. These global networks, skilled, passionate people and market-leading events provide exciting opportunities for business people to achieve their ambitions.

PulPaper is the leading exhibition and conference event in the forest industry’s calendar. It will be held in Helsinki, Finland on 29–31 May 2018. The forest industry is experiencing a transition period as the environmental impact of the sector is known better than before. The event programme takes this into consideration with a strong environmental perspective.

The umbrella theme of the event is “Visit tomorrow today.” This refers to new innovations and technologies that the forest industry can harness to evolve in the digitalising world, while respecting the environment.

PulPaper will feature a varied seminar programme on all three days of the event. Business Forum is a seminar for company management, focusing on themes ranging from consumer habits to sustainable development and from innovations to changes in management.

PulPaper Conference, targeted at forest industry experts and researchers, will be held from 30 to 31 May. Forty experts, researchers and company representatives from the Nordic countries, Japan, North America, and other parts of the world will speak at the seminar.  The themes include the circular economy, biomass use, climate change, and biorefinery development.

Environmental friendliness as competitive advantage

Environmental standards are often seen as a burden on industry. However, PulPaper approaches this topic through opportunities. As environmental friendliness and responsible production are increasingly guiding the purchasing behaviour of consumers, innovations that cater to consumers’ wishes in terms of ecology, functionality, aesthetics and price level are emerging as competitive advantages for companies.

PulPaper Conference swings the spotlight on many innovations that are revolutionising the whole industry. These include data-based sensors used in pulp industry wastewater treatment, a new catalytic bleaching method and the utilisation of industrial waste as an agricultural fertiliser. In addition, the conference will present a research project that seeks a breakthrough technology for chemical pulp production.

Wooden future of packaging materials

Plastic is the dominant packaging material the world over. Due to its long decomposition period, plastic waste places a great burden on the environment. Almost all fields of industry have started using bioplastic: electronics, agriculture, textiles and healthcare. Wood is envisioned as the renewable raw material of the future, which will be used in both packaging materials and textiles.

PulPaper Conference will present solutions based on renewable wood materials to replace fossil-based materials. The Swedish startup Cellutech will reveal what new materials the company is currently developing from wood. The current development of bioplastics will also be reviewed. The Finnish packaging startup Sulapac will be presented as a business case that provides a great example of ingenious packaging design. Its packaging materials are made from wood and intended for cosmetics products. They turn ecology into a luxury. Sulapac has a competitive edge because it can compete in terms of price with comparable packaging materials made from plastic, and the material can be mass produced with the same equipment as plastic.

PulPaper Conference will also deal with the use of forest biomass and the management of climate change. Speakers will address regulations related to the industry at the EU level and ponder the availability of biomass and related policies.

3D printing of biomaterials

The 3D Printing of Biomaterials seminar will also be held at PulPaper. When it comes to printing materials, the development of biomaterials opens up plenty of opportunities for new value-added uses of cellulose. 3D printing of biomaterials provides companies with a way to make cost-efficient customised products that save on materials and are environmentally sustainable. The seminar will present promising examples of cellulose-based insulation materials, for example.

Admission to the PulPaper exhibition is free of charge. You can now register for the paid programmes - PulPaper Conference, Business Forum and 3D Printing of Biomaterials - at www.pulpaper.fi. In addition, you can sign up for two excursions to visit pioneering companies in the field. Visits to Metsä Group’s new Äänekoski bioproduct mill and Kotkamills’ board mill will be organised on 31 May and 1 June.

Facts and figures

Forest industry products account for about 20 per cent of Finnish exports, and the industry is important to the country’s success. The forest industry is a major employer, particularly in rural regions – it employs about 41,000 people directly and around 140,000 indirectly. Finland has 49 paper and pulp mills, and more than 200 industrial sawmills, panel factories and other companies manufacturing wood products. The current products will serve as the basis of business in the years ahead, too, as next-generation paper, packaging and wood products are developed continuously. In addition, new bioeconomy products and business functions are being developed alongside the current products. The bioeconomy will create new companies, jobs and prosperity.

PulPaper, PacTec and Wood & Bioenergy are events with a wide-ranging focus on the forest industry. They will be held at Messukeskus in Helsinki on 29–31 May 2018. The event was last held in 2014, when it attracted visitors from 70 countries. About 400 companies will participate in the exhibition and around 10,000 visitors are expected.

www.pulpaper.fi  #pulpaper2018