Mr. Arun Maira, Member, Planning Commission, Government of India has chaired the first Advisory Council Meeting of IPX India 2012 at Le-Meridian Hotel, New Delhi. The meeting was attended by various industry professionals from the paper & pulp industry. 

In his opening address Mr. Maira commented that IPX India is a new international paper exhibition and conference scheduled during 13-15 December 2012 in Mumbai with an objective to connect paper industries across the globe on one platform to discuss and deliver the best business practices in paper industry.

The Advisory Council chaired by Mr. Maira selected “Paper Industry – A World of Opportunities” as a theme of the conference after long deliberations on various aspects of the paper industry. Members further recommended for holding a dedicated CEO Meet to conceive a strong future plan for strengthening the paper industry. IPX India 2012 will hold a two day conference alongside the exhibition in the financial capital of India, Mumbai.

The Advisory Council has scheduled another meeting in the coming months to discuss in detail to structure a detailed conference programme involving various need of the hour sessions in the conference.

The Indian Paper industry is amongst the fastest growing pulp and paper markets in the world today and it presents an exciting scenario. Paper consumption is poised for a big leap forward in sync with the economic growth and is estimated to touch 13.95 million tonnes by 2015-16.

The Indian Paper Industry accounts for about 1.6% of the world's production of paper and paperboard. The estimated turnover of the industry is Rs.25,000 crore (USD 5.95 billion) approximately. The industry provides employment to more than 0.12 million people directly and 0.34 million people indirectly.

The demand for newsprint and writing & printing paper is expected to grow with 9% per year and the total Indian paper production is expected to grow from 9 million tonnes in 2010 to 14 million tonnes by 2014. According to many industry experts, India will definitely be one of the most interesting markets for the global pulp and paper industry in the coming years.

IPX India 2012 will attract large groups of national and international companies at the exhibition, and the conference is expected to address various opportunities created by paper industry by eminent speakers from India and abroad.

As an alternative to diesel, Södra is introducing the fossil-free fuel RME, rapeseed methyl ester, for its own timber trucks, loaders and fork lift trucks in Sweden at five of its fuelling stations. At the same time, transport companies which have agreements with Södra are being offered the opportunity to fill up with RME at the stations.

"The objective is to reduce overall fuel costs for Södra and at the same time provide a more eco-friendly fuel," said Henrik Brodin, project manager for Södra's RME initiative.

The introduction of RME is very much in line with the Södra business model, where the use of fossil-free and renewable products is a key issue," said Klara Helstad, Sustainability manager at Södra.

Södra has entered into agreements concerning the supply of RME manufactured in Sweden with BioFuel Express in Landskrona and Ecobränsle in Karlshamn. "We are seeing greater demand for RME, and so Södra's RME initiative is very timely. Being a selected supplier and helping to develop RME provides us with great impetus," said Clemen Rasmussen, CEO of BioFuel Express.

"Thanks to this agreement, we provide Södra with an excellent product in terms of both quality and the environment, and thanks to our close proximity to Södra's fuelling stations we are also able to provide an excellent service and fast, secure supplies," said Claes Ramel, CEO of Ecobränsle.

From June, RME will be available alongside diesel at Södra's five biggest fuelling stations in Mönsterås, Mörrum, Värö, Kinda and Långasjö.

"Fuelling stations supplying RME have been available in just a few locations throughout the country to date, but Södra is working on changing that now. By offering RME at our fuelling stations in various geographical locations throughout southern Sweden, we will allow this renewable fuel to be used just as much as diesel," said Henrik Brodin.

Södra's aim is for RME to account for at least half of all the fuel used by Södra in Sweden within a year.

Global AC drive manufacturer Vacon strengthens its position as an industry leader in the AC drives market with the announcement of three new products at the Vacon Drives Conference: VACON^® 100, VACON^® 100 X and VACON^® 20 X. All three new products are designed to improve Vacon's wide product offering in a manner that benefits customers and continues to help them optimize efficiency in application processes throughout all industries.

The flagship AC drive VACON 100 is one of the most important new products in the company's history. "The VACON 100 is a multipurpose drive that can be adapted for hundreds of different applications. It offers the lowest cost of ownership and the best usability. That's why we're really excited about it," says Heikki Hiltunen, Executive Vice President, Market Operations.

"With the features VACON 100 offers such as an easy-to-use fully graphical multilingual display and extended built-in block programming for drive customization, we're expecting it to be the AC drive of choice throughout a whole range of industries. Pumps, compressors, fans, conveyors - all these are applications which benefit massively from energy efficiency and improved productivity, and this product is ideal for these purposes," Hiltunen continues.

Among its versatile features for easy system integration are a Safe Torque Off (STO) function, on-board Ethernet-based communication protocols such as EtherNet/IP, PROFINET IO and Modbus TCP as well as ATEX-certified motor over-temperature protection.

The VACON 100 X and VACON 20 X are part of Vacon's new range of decentralized AC drives for situations where space comes at a premium. These drives also bring cost savings as no additional enclosures are needed.

"With IP66/Type 4X enclosures, the VACON 100 X and 20 X are ready to be used in harsh conditions," says Hans Carlsson, Product Marketing Director, Motor Drives at Vacon. "By placing the drive as close to the motor as possible or in the most appropriate location allows considerable savings to be achieved as no separate electrical rooms, long shielded motor cables nor drive cabinets are required. This is one of the ways for our customers to achieve the optimum total cost for their drive solution," concludes Carlsson.

Mercer International Inc. has announced it has established a C$1 million partnership with The University of British Columbia's (UBC) Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and The Pulp and Paper Centre, both in the Faculty of Applied Science, in the creation of an industrial research chair in Advanced Forest Bio-Products Engineering.

"Mercer is very pleased to be partnering with the Department and the Centre, both of which have well respected reputations for strong commitments to education and research excellence," said Jimmy Lee, President and CEO.

"Mercer's five year commitment to support this new research chair at UBC underscores our belief in the future of the forest products industry and the opportunities and resulting value potentially available to the industry in the emerging bio-economy," says Mr. Lee. Mr. Lee also noted that, "Mercer is committed to being a global leader in sustainable forest practices, which includes maximizing the value of our forest resources through sound forestry management and investing in research and development that will generate tomorrow's transformative technologies. Partnering with UBC is a natural extension of our desire to be at the forefront of the industry's transformation."

The chairholder, who will be appointed in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and who will work closely with the Pulp and Paper Centre, will focus specifically on establishing the scientific and engineering breakthroughs needed to create commercially viable opportunities for sustainably converting forest fibre resources into new high-value bio-products.

"Our strategy of continuously striving for world-class performance, and of implementing new and innovative technologies which improve our social, environmental and economic sustainability, is at the core of why Mercer is proud to support this research chair in Advanced Forest Bio-Products Engineering at UBC," said David Gandossi, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary.

Kemira Oyj's and Rockwood Holdings Inc.'s titanium dioxide (TiO2) joint venture Sachtleben GmbH has reached an agreement to acquire the TiO2 production assets and inventory of crenox GmbH, based in Krefeld, Germany, from the insolvency administrator. The acquisition is expected to close by mid-July, subject to completion of due diligence, government approvals and other conditions.

Sachtleben will acquire the crenox Krefeld-Uerdingen plant and all inventory of the facility. The acquisition will add over 100,000 metric tons of TiO2 production, increasing total capacity to approximately 340,000 metric tons, further enhancing Sachtleben's position as a leading global supplier of high quality TiO2 pigments.

The joint venture Sachtleben (Kemira ownership 39% in the joint venture), which was formed in August 2008 by combining Kemira Oyj's and Rockwood's TiO2 businesses, is a leading producer of specialty TiO2 pigments for the synthetic fiber, packaging inks, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and food industries.

Verso Paper Corp. has announced that it has completed a preliminary assessment of the damage resulting from the recent explosion and fire at its paper mill in Sartell, Minnesota. The incident at the Sartell mill on May 28, 2012, which claimed the life of one Verso employee and injured four others, caused substantial damage to the mill's paper warehouse and important infrastructure including the electrical system. While a visual inspection of the mill's paper machine indicates that it was not damaged, the operability of the paper machine has not yet been confirmed. Based on the preliminary damage assessment, Verso has concluded that a period of several months would be required to complete the necessary repairs to the mill. Verso intends to continue the damage assessment and will make a decision on the mill's future once the assessment is completed.

Verso has determined that over 5,000 tons of finished paper and work-in-process inventory were destroyed by the explosion and fire at the Sartell mill. Verso is working closely with its customers to provide alternative paper supplies in an effort to meet their needs in a timely manner. "Verso is appreciative of the cooperation and flexibility that our customers have demonstrated as we work together to resolve the production, supply and logistical issues resulting from this unfortunate, unforeseen event," said Mike Weinhold, Verso's Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Product Development.

"The tragic loss of our employee, Jon Maus, makes this an especially difficult time for Verso and our employees," said Dave Paterson, Verso's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our collective thoughts and prayers continue for Jon's wife Lucy, their children, and the rest of the Maus family." Verso also continues to offer counseling services for all employees affected by the Sartell incident.

Parallel with the damage assessment, Verso has begun an investigation into the origin and cause of the explosion and fire at the Sartell mill. "Our top priority is to determine why this unfortunate event happened and to make sure that nothing like it ever happens again," said Paterson. The Sartell mill has consistently achieved "Star" status in the Voluntary Protection Program sponsored by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which recognizes employers and employees who have demonstrated exemplary achievement in the prevention and control of occupational safety and health hazards.

The State Fire Marshal Division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and Verso's insurer also are investigating the explosion and fire at the Sartell mill. Verso is voluntarily and fully cooperating with these investigations.

Verso is grateful for the tremendous assistance provided by many organizations and individuals in response to the Sartell incident. "We want to thank everyone — including the mill's first responders, fire departments, law enforcement agencies, emergency response organizations, emergency relief agencies, governmental officials, and concerned businesses and citizens — for their outpouring of support for Verso and the Sartell mill," said Lyle Fellows, Verso's Senior Vice President of Manufacturing and Energy.

Source: Verso Paper Corp.

Xerium Technologies, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of industrial textiles and rolls used primarily in the paper production process, today commented on a recent media report suggesting that the Company has finalized plans regarding possible restructuring opportunities and further that the Company will fund any such projects through an amendment to its credit facility. The Company wishes to clarify, however, that as of today and consistent with remarks made on its conference call on May 9, 2012, regarding its financial results for the first quarter, the Company has not finalized or committed to any such restructuring plans.

During the call held on May 9, 2012, the Company made reference to possible restructuring opportunities currently under review that are aimed at reducing the Company's fixed costs, restoring historical gross margins and simplifying its business processes. The specific projects under consideration include, among other things, asset rationalizations, redeployment of assets across the Company's platform and reductions in selling, general and administrative expenses.

The Company has preliminarily identified projects that, if implemented, would be expected to result in approximately $50 million of restructuring expenses over their period of implementation, of which net cash costs would be anticipated to be approximately $35 million. In addition, the Company would expect capital expenditures related to these initiatives of approximately $10 million, which would be incurred within its regular capital expenditure budget. The Company generally anticipates that it would fund the cash requirements of these restructurings from the free cash flow of its business as incurred, with specific funding arrangements to be determined as plans are finalized. Internal planning estimates suggest these initiatives, if fully implemented, could improve gross margins by approximately 200 to 300 basis points and operating income by up to $20 million annually.

The Company continues to explore fixed cost reduction opportunities, but the nature, magnitude and timing of any final plans may vary and will be subject to various factors including, but not limited to, global and regional market conditions in the paper industry, the projected costs and relative payback periods at the time of implementation, the potential impact on the Company's highly trained workforce, compliance with all employee and governmental notice regulations and periods, and continued compliance with the Company's credit facility. Should the Company decide to implement any such plans, management's desire would be to conduct the projects in the most expeditious and orderly manner possible so as to deliver the bottom line improvements most rapidly while minimizing any potential disruptions to our global customers. In furtherance of this goal, the Company may consider, among other things, whether any amendment to its credit facility may facilitate the implementation of any proposed restructurings. Should the Company pursue any such amendment, the terms, timing and structure of any amendment will naturally depend on market conditions, and the amounts involved may or may not be material. Further, there can be no assurance that any restructuring will ultimately be pursued, that any amendment will be sought or obtained on terms acceptable to the Company, or that any restructuring, if pursued, will be successful.

Source: Xerium Technologies, Inc.