Ian Melin-Jones

Ian Melin-Jones

Resolute Forest Products Inc. has just announced that it has entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement with ND Paper LLC, a subsidiary of Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Limited ("Nine Dragons"), for the sale of its Fairmont, West Virginia, recycled bleached kraft pulp mill, for $55 million plus certain elements of working capital, payable in cash.

abiti122011Nine Dragons is primarily engaged in the production and sale of a broad variety of packaging paperboard products, including linerboard, high-performance corrugating medium, coated duplex board, as well as recycled printing and writing paper and specialty paper.  In addition to nine paper mills operating in Asia, Nine Dragons, through its wholly-owned subsidiary ND Paper, also operates two U.S.-based facilities in Wisconsin and Maine.

ND Paper has agreed to offer employment to Fairmont mill employees, effective upon closing of the transaction, which is expected within the next two months.   

"We are proud of the progress we have made together with the mill employees over the years to improve the Fairmont operation," said Yves Laflamme, president and chief executive officer of Resolute. "We are pleased that the local community and broader region of the state will continue to benefit from the economic and social impact of the mill's operation."

"Proceeds from this asset sale will enable us to further increase liquidity, and continue to improve our balance sheet and financial flexibility," added Laflamme. "Over the coming days, we will communicate with our customers to discuss the transition of supply as we seek to optimize our recycled bleached kraft pulp business at our Menominee, Michigan facility."

BMO Capital Markets is acting as Resolute's financial advisor on the transaction. Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP and Jackson Kelly PLLC are acting as Resolute's legal counsels.

Commemorating the Largest Business Development Project in Brown County History

Just two months after announcing plans to replace its current, 71-year-old Green Bay Paper Mill, leaders from Green Bay Packaging Inc. formally broke ground on constructing the first new paper mill in the State of Wisconsin in over 30 years. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, City of Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt, and Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach joined the company to mark the beginning of the largest business development project in the history of Brown County, Wisconsin.
 
2018 09 04 091532“We are proud to officially begin construction of our new, state-of-the-art paper mill in the city where our company was founded over 85 years ago,” said Green Bay Packaging President and CEO Will Kress. “This new facility is the result of the continued hard work and success of our dedicated employees and loyal customers.”
 
The $500-plus million investment will have a profound positive impact on Northeast Wisconsin’s economy and the environment. “The new Green Bay Mill will preserve more than 1,100 Green Bay Packaging jobs across Brown County, position the company to grow its local workforce, significantly increase our production and product quality capabilities, and benefit the entire regional supply chain, all while operating as one of the most environmentally sustainable paper mills in the world,” added Matt Szymanski, Vice President of Mill Operations.
 
Green Bay Packaging is not only furthering its commitment to Northeast Wisconsin by making this long-term investment in Green Bay, but by also partnering with local companies to design and construct the facility and install its equipment.
 
Neenah-based Miron Construction has been selected as the general contractor to construct the new mill. The design and construction of the mill will create 1,000 additional construction jobs and require approximately 1.5 million labor hours. Green Bay Packaging has also contracted with Voith, whose North American headquarters is in Appleton, to install a new paper machine showcasing cutting edge technology and to serve as the single full line supplier for all corresponding papermaking equipment.
 
“The deep and talented workforce that Northeast Wisconsin offers across the skilled trades made it an easy decision to partner with local companies to construct this historic project. Our goal throughout this process was to make the best decision for not only Green Bay Packaging, but for Brown County and the entire State of Wisconsin. We wanted to make it clear that Green Bay Packaging is here to stay,” said Bryan Hollenbach, Executive Vice President of Green Bay Packaging. 

The new Green Bay Mill is expected to be fully operational in the spring of 2021. The current mill will continue to operate at full capacity throughout the entire construction process.

Crecia-Kasuga Co., Ltd has successfully started up a new tissue line, jointly delivered by Valmet and Kawanoe Zoki Co., Ltd., at the company's new production facility in Fuji, Japan. The inauguration ceremony was held during summer and the line is now in full operation producing tissue products for the Japanese consumer market.

The project has been very successful and the cooperation between Valmet, Kawanoe Zoki and Crecia-Kasuga has been smooth and efficient.

"We at Valmet appreciate the fruitful cooperation between the three companies. This is the first tissue machine equipped with an Advantage ViscoNip press in Japan. Just like in all previous installations over the world, the result has been excellent in terms of product quality and energy efficiency," says Ingmar Andersson, VP Asia Pacific Sales, Tissue Mills business unit, Valmet.

Valmet Advantage ViscoNip pressValmet Advantage ViscoNip press

"We are very impressed about the new tissue machine which combines the latest technology with joint know-how of three companies. It started successfully on schedule and the performance exceeds our expectations. We appreciate the support from Valmet and Kawanoe Zoki," says Mr. Hirofumi Narita, President, Crecia-Kasuga.

"It is a great pleasure to contribute to the introduction of the latest tissue machine technology in the Japanese market. The Advantage DCT equipped with an Advantage ViscoNip press provides a unique value-adding performance," Mr. Takahiro Shinohara, Executive Managing Director, Kawanoe Zoki, adds.

Valmet's delivery included an Advantage DCT 135HS machine with Valmet's key technologies OptiFlo Headbox, Advantage ViscoNip press, AirCap hood and steel Yankee dryer. Manufacturing of other equipment, site assembly and installation services were performed by Kawanoe Zoki. The new line has an annual production capacity of 36,000 tonnes.

Information about the customer

Crecia-Kasuga Co., Ltd. is a joint venture for household paper products established 2017 by Nippon Paper Crecia Co., Ltd and Kasuga Paper Industry Co., Ltd. By effectively utilizing the premises and facilities at Nippon Paper Industrie's Fuji mill they will produce tissue products sold by Nippon Paper Crecia and Kasuga Paper Industry respectively.

Tuesday, 04 September 2018 09:03

John Holton joins Toscotec North America.

Toscotec North America, Inc. Green Bay, WI and Toscotec S.p.A. Lucca, Italy announced that John Holton has joined the group as Technical Support and Service Coordinator for North America.

logo optHolton comes to Toscotec with over 30 years of Tissue Industry experience and will assist Toscotec’s growing customer base in North America.

Holton is a 30 Year TAPPI Member active at the Committee Level and past presenter and contributor to Tissue World Exhibitions in both the US and Europe.

Toscotec will supply a new MODULO-PLUS tissue line to Celupaper S.A. of the leading South American group Grupo Vual, based in Argentina. The MODULO-PLUS machine - PM5 - is scheduled for delivery in autumn 2019 and it will be installed at Papelera Nicaragua mill.

The MODULO-PLUS has a daily production of 65 tpd and is equipped with TT SuctionPressRoll, TT SYD-3200MM and TT Milltech-MGYH Multigen hoods. The scope of supply also includes the approach flow system, the steam and condensate system and the machine and distribution control system.

PM5 is the fourth repeated order awarded by Celupaper to Toscotec in 4 years. The Italian manufacturer had previously supplied a major rebuild on PM2 in 2015, then a MODULO machine - PM3 - in 2016 and finally PM4, a MODULO-PLUS line, which started up in mid-July 2018.

2018 08 30 085345

Toscotec’s Area Sales Manager Gabriele Romanini said, “The fact that Celupaper chose to work again with us on their PM5 project is an exciting challenge to exceed their expectations on productivity and energy reduction. Our TT DOES (Drying Optimization for Energy Saving) package, in combination with our Multigen Hood in cogeneration mode, is the core of this effort. We are currently working on the engineering, where the design of our system will integrate into the mill’s cogeneration plant with a gas turbine. Back in 2011, our Energy and Environment department won the PPI Efficiency Improvements of the Year Award with the Spanish producer L.C. Paper 1881 SA, for the effective integration of the tissue machine’s hood system with the cogeneration facility. Drawing on that experience, we expect to achieve substantial energy recovery and very interesting cuts on the machine operating costs”.

Mario Speranza, CEO of Celupaper S.A. commented on the order, “We invest in leading-edge technology to step up our growth in the high-quality tissue market in South America. Toscotec’s tailor-made design has once again provided us with the flexibility and competitive advantage we need to succeed. We knew that Toscotec had significant experience with cogeneration plants and therefore we have great expectations for the performance and consumption of PM5”.

Cascades Packaging selected Toscotec for the supply of TTSteelDryers to be installed at its Cabano mill in Canada. This is a repeated order, following a previous order by Cascades Packaging for a major dryer section rebuild at Kingsey Falls mill. Cascades Packaging confirmed its trust in Toscotec, as the right partner to achieve its strategic objectives of paper machine optimization.

On this project, Toscotec will supply seven TTSteelDryers for the first dryer section, specifically designed for an operating steam pressure of up to 11 barg. The new steel drying cylinders will allow a boost of production and an increase in sheet width at the beginning of the dryer section. Thanks to their reduced shell thickness, TTSteelDryers feature a higher heat transfer rate, compared with cast iron dryers. Since the thermal conductivity of steel and cast iron is similar in the range of operating temperatures, steel dryers with thinner shells offer a higher drying capacity. The scope of supply also includes erection supervision, commissioning and start-up assistance.

2018 08 28 072338

Toscotec thus further strengthens its partnership with the Cascades Group in North America. With this new reference, the Italian supplier also reinforces its leadership with respect to the design and upgrade of the dryer section of paper machines.

Delivery is expected for mid-November 2018.

About the Cascades Group

Established in 1964, Cascades produces, converts and markets packaging and tissue products that are composed mainly of recycled fibers. The Company employs 11,000 employees, who work in more than 90 production units located in North America and Europe. With its management philosophy, half a century of experience in recycling, and continuous efforts in research and development as driving forces, Cascades continues to deliver the innovative products that customers have come to rely on.

Valmet will supply an extensive paper machine grade conversion rebuild and a wide scope of automation for Burgo Group S.p.A. at its Verzuolo Mill in Italy. In the project, originally Valmet-supplied paper machine PM 9 and related stock preparation systems currently producing lightweight coated (LWC) paper grades, will be rebuilt to produce recycled containerboard grades.

valmet logoThe order is included in Valmet's third quarter of 2018 orders received. The value of the order will not be disclosed. The total value of an order of this type is typically around EUR 40-60 million.

The project is following Burgo Group's plan to keep the focus on containerboard grades and to continue its diversification strategy, ranging from publishing to packaging, from printing paper to paper for corrugators. The start-up of the rebuilt machine is scheduled for the end of 2019.

"Valmet and Burgo have had a long and successful cooperation over the years at the Verzuolo mill. By having all the process equipment, process automation and mill engineering from one supplier, binds it all into a one. This assures a very good flow of information, a reliable project schedule, short installation time and an energy-efficient operation. Valmet's long expertise on grade conversions is essential for this project. It is also a great asset for Burgo, that this paper machine was originally supplied by Valmet in 2001, so we know it well," says Jari Vähäpesola, President of Paper Business Line, Valmet.

Technical details about the delivery

 

Valmet's delivery includes a completely new Old Corrugated Containers (OCC) line and major modifications in the existing paper machine. The OCC line, which is called an OptiRefiber recycled fiber line, contains two bale handling and vertical pulper systems, extensive cleaning and screening systems with fractionation and disc filters for short and long fiber lines. The scope includes also new reject handling system for OCC rejects. Also, the existing broke system and approach flow system are modified. The delivery in the existing paper machine includes a headbox rebuild, modifications to forming section, press section and pre dryer section, a new after dryer section with a high humidity hood, modifications to the size press, a continuous cooking system for surface size starch, and relocation of the existing reel.

The delivery also includes related air systems, a large Valmet paper machine clothing package, and changes and improvements in the automation including machine control, quality management, and process control and condition monitoring systems. The delivery includes mill engineering for both the OCC line and board machine. All the equipment will be delivered with installation and an additional production support package after start-up.

PM 9 will be producing recycled liner and fluting grades at a trim width of 9,800 mm and with a basis weight range of 70-160 g/m2. The annual capacity will be 600,000 tonnes.

Information about the customer Burgo Group

Burgo Group is one of Europe's leading producers of graphic and specialty paper. The Group is developed around the world of paper: pulp and paper production, distribution, processing of forestry products, factoring and energy. The Group employs 3,663 people and has 11 plants in Italy and 1 in Belgium, and in total 16 continuous machines. In 2017, Burgo Group produced 2,057,000 tons of paper and had a consolidated turnover of EUR 2,008 million.

WestRock Company, a leading provider of differentiated paper and packaging solutions, has just announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Schlüter Print Pharma Packaging, a German-based supplier of a full range of leaflets and booklets.

2015 10 18 094836Schlüter will become part of WestRock’s Multi Packaging Solutions business.

“Schlüter has an excellent reputation as a high-quality supplier to customers in the pharmaceutical and automotive industries, and this acquisition will enable us to build our business in these growing markets,” said Marc Shore, president of WestRock’s Multi Packaging Solutions business. “It will also expand our geographical footprint to better serve customers throughout Europe.”

"We are excited about what becoming part of WestRock means for our customers and employees,” said Andreas Schlüter, owner of Schlüter Print Pharma Packaging. “We firmly believe that WestRock is well positioned to grow the business and continue developing solutions that will help our customers address the challenges they face today and in the future.”

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.

Valmet will supply yet another OptiConcept M containerboard making line for Shanying International Holdings Co., Ltd., in the city of Jingzhou in Hubei province, China. The new production line (PM 23) with a wide automation package is following the delivery of the previous OptiConcept M board machine (PM 21) announced in December 2017 and the three winders announced in February earlier this year. PM 23 is designed to produce high-quality fluting grades. By increasing its fluting and testliner production capacity, Shanying is aiming for bigger market shares. The start-up of PM 23 is scheduled for the end of year 2019.

The order was included in Valmet's second quarter of 2018 orders received. The value of the order will not be disclosed. The total value of an order of this type is typically around EUR 30-40 million.

OptiConcept M boardmaking machineOptiConcept M boardmaking machine

"This is already the seventh Valmet-supplied paper and board making line for Shanying International. The latest ones are the order of the testliner machine PM 21 and the two container board lines in Ma'anshan. This highly-efficient containerboard making line ordered by Shanying will be Valmet's 17th OptiConcept M production line to be supplied globally. Compared to conventional production lines, both of the new production lines will be able to significantly reduce carbon emissions as well as energy consumption," says Timo Saresvuo, Senior Sales Manager at Valmet.

Technical details about the delivery

Valmet's delivery for PM 23 will be quite similar to PM 21 including a high-speed OptiConcept M containerboard making line from broke collection to reel. PM 23 producing fluting grades will include OptiFormer Gap former with shoe blade technology equipped with OptiFlo Gap headbox enabling high capacity at high speed, which is the key feature of efficient lightweight containerboard manufacturing. Former with shoe and blade technology gives good strength properties, uniform CD profiles and excellent board formation.

The headbox and former are followed by OptiPress Center roll based press section, OptiRun Single dryer section, OptiSizer Film sizer, OptiCalender hard nip calender, OptiReel Pope reel and OptiCart Stream parent roll cart with transfer rails. The delivery will also include related ventilation equipment, runnability components, Valmet DNA machine control and process control systems, and Valmet IQ quality measurement system. The machine will be delivered with a Valmet fabrics package and an additional production support after take over.

The 8,600-mm-wide (wire) board machine will produce fluting grades. Design production values are the following: basis weight range 50-110 g/m2, design speed 1,300 m/min and daily capacity approx. 1,200 tonnes.

About the customer Shanying International

Shanying International Holdings Co., Ltd., formerly Anhui Shanying Paper Industry Co., Ltd., is a China-based company, principally engaged in the manufacture and distribution of paper products. The company's main products consist of various packaging paper boards, newsprint paper, corrugated cardboard boxes, culture paper and other paper products, which are marketed under the brand name of Shanying. The company distributes its products within domestic markets, with eastern China as its main market.

Domtar Corporation has just announced leadership transitions for two fluff pulp producing mills, in Plymouth, North Carolina and Ashdown, Arkansas. Both mills are getting new, exceptionally qualified leaders as 40-year pulp and paper industry veteran, Bob Grygotis, prepares to retire as the General Manager at Ashdown on Sept. 1.

dom logoAllan Bohn, manager of Domtar's Plymouth Mill, will move to Ashdown, replacing Gryotis. Everick Spence, who currently works in the Fort Mill headquarters office as director of Continuous Improvement, is being promoted to replace Bohn as Plymouth Mill manager. Both Bohn and Spence will report to Steve Makris, Pulp business vice president, effective Sept. 1.

“It is hard to say goodbye to a leader who is so highly regarded and brings so much experience to the operation of Ashdown, our largest mill. However, after more than 40 years in the pulp and paper industry, Bob deserves the opportunity to return with his family to their home in Kingsport, Tennessee,” said Domtar CEO and President, John D. Williams.

“We have a deep bench of proven manufacturing leaders, so we are well equipped to keep the Ashdown and Plymouth mills competitive in their respective markets today, and prepared to compete in changing markets tomorrow.”

President of Domtar’s Pulp & Paper division, Mike Garcia, is charging Allan with continuing Grygotis' success at ramping up fluff pulp production at the Ashdown Mill and getting the product qualified with customers.

According to Garcia, operations at the Plymouth mill will not miss a beat when Bohn heads to Ashdown, since Spence will be replacing Bohn.

“Everick Spence is going to do a great job as the new General Manager at Plymouth,” Garcia said. “He is both passionate and practical in his approach to driving continuous improvement in manufacturing operations. And he brings an interesting breadth of manufacturing experience to the table, which helps us look at issues in a new light.”

Source: Domtar Corporation Domtar Corporation