Alfa Laval – a world leader in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling – has acquired Ashbrook Simon-Hartley, a leading provider of belt filter presses, which is a complement and alternative to Alfa Laval’s decanter range in the dewatering of municipal and industrial wastewater. Ashbrook Simon-Hartley is headquartered in Houston, Texas, USA, with offices in the UK, Chile and Brazil, and has an installed base in many countries around the world.

Lars Renström, President and CEO of the Alfa Laval Group, comments on the acquisition: “I’m very pleased that we have been able to acquire Ashbrook Simon-Hartley. With this acquisition we are adding a complementary and expanded range of products and solutions further strengthening our offer for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment applications.”

The intention is to integrate Ashbrook Simon-Hartley into Alfa Laval. The company will be consolidated into Alfa Laval from August 1, 2012.

Did you know that… Ashbrook Simon-Hartley was founded more than 100 years ago, had sales of approximately SEK 500 million in 2011 and has about 250 employees?

The Board of Directors of Vacon Plc has decided to utilize the authorization given by the Annual General Meeting held on 27 March 2012 to repurchase the company's shares.

The maximum number of shares to be acquired is 60,000 corresponding to about 0.39% of the total number of Vacon's shares and votes. The repurchases will decrease the distributable capital and reserves of the company. Vacon currently holds a total of 23,227 own shares, corresponding to approximately 0.15% of the total number of the shares and votes.

The share repurchases will start on 8 August 2012 at the earliest, and end by the end of 2012 at the latest. The shares shall be acquired through public trading on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki exchange at the market price prevailing at the time of repurchase.

Vacon's Board of Directors has an authorization to acquire 1,450,000 of the company's own shares, which is valid until 30 June 2013.

First to achieve validation for a CarbonFix project in North America

The Rainforest Alliance has validated an afforestation project of CO2 Environment to the standards of CarbonFix, making the Quebec-based project the first in North America to meet the rigorous requirements for worldwide climate forest projects. CO2 Environment projects aim to reforest degraded lands in order to obtain carbon credits.

Located in the greater metropolitan area of Montreal, Canada, this project covers a total area of 109.6 hectares (270.8 acres) and has the potential to sequester a total of 41,890 tCO2_e, equal to the annual emissions of 8000 compact cars. The project focuses on the reforestation of degraded and unused lands in urban areas, in addition to the regeneration of ecosystems and the creation of green spaces.

As the first CarbonFix validated project in North America, the developers of CO2 Environment pioneered the concept of an urban afforestation project that has the goal of selling carbon credits to finance the project’s cost.  

"CO2 Environment has a simple, common sense approach to afforestation that makes you wonder why nobody did this before,” said Alex Boursier, Canadian regional forestry manager at the Rainforest Alliance. “We hope to see more projects like this in the near future -- that's good news for the planet, for biodiversity and for those who support the voluntary carbon market." 

CarbonFix is a leading climate forest standard developed by the non-profit organization CarbonFix along with more than 60 different forestry and development aid organizations worldwide The  standard developers aim to increase the amount of sustainably managed forests and decrease global carbon dioxide levels. Projects that meet the CarbonFix Standard are socially and ecologically responsible.

“We are proud to have achieved validation as the first CarbonFix project in North America,” said Pierre-Luc Lamontagne, vice president and founder of CO2 Environment. “Choosing a high quality standard is one thing, but having it validated by the Rainforest Alliance is a proud accomplishment and a significant step for the future of our company.”

According to Boursier, the validation demonstrates how small scale afforestation projects can be feasible and highlights the ability to forge public and private partnerships to create environmentally beneficial projects. Independent, third-party assessments of forest carbon projects are essential to establishing the value of carbon credits and ensuring the credibility of individual projects and the overall market. The Rainforest Alliance conducts rigorous, transparent and high-quality audits of forestry and agroforestry projects against a wide range of voluntary standards and is accredited by the American National Standards Institute to ISO 14065:2007, the international standard for greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies.

AkzoNobel has reached an agreement to sell its 75.81 percent shareholding in ICI Pakistan Limited to the Yunus Brothers Group for $152.5 million (€124.4 million). The price represents a premium of 30 percent on the market price when the local stock exchange closed on Friday, July 27. The price is subject to adjustments for cash/debt as at the date competition clearance is obtained and for interest from that date until closing.

The transaction is expected to be completed towards the end of this year, once regulatory approvals have been obtained and the purchaser has completed a legally required tender offer for at least 50 percent of the shares in ICI Pakistan held by the other shareholders. 

"We are pleased to have reached an agreement to sell our shares in ICI Pakistan," explained Keith Nichols, CFO AkzoNobel. "We are convinced that the Yunus Brothers Group is better suited to achieving its obvious potential, while the deal includes conditions to safeguard the terms and conditions of our dedicated employees there." 

Commenting on the agreement, Sohail Tabba, Group Director at Yunus Brothers Group, said: "We are delighted with the agreement to acquire ICI Pakistan Limited. The Yunus Brothers Group is keen to further develop the business of the company, working closely with the existing management and employees." 

The agreement follows the successfully completed restructuring of AkzoNobel's activities in Pakistan last month, which entailed the demerger of ICI Pakistan's paints and coatings businesses into the new listed company, AkzoNobel Pakistan Limited. The newly formed company is 75.81 percent owned by AkzoNobel and continues to focus on Decorative Paints, Performance Coatings and Specialty Chemicals. 

ICI Pakistan Limited has been a subsidiary of AkzoNobel since 2008, when the company acquired Imperial Chemical Industries PLC. It is listed on the Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad Stock Exchanges. ICI Pakistan's business now comprises polyester fiber, soda ash, life sciences and chemicals. 

The Yunus Brothers Group is a leading conglomerate in Pakistan with interest in the cement and textile industries, power and real estate. It had revenues of €775 million in 2011.

Ahlstrom will publish its January-June 2012 interim report on Thursday, August 9, 2012 approximately at 9.00 a.m. Finnish time (CET +1).

Ahlstrom's President & CEO Jan Lång and CFO Seppo Parvi will present the report in Finnish at an analyst and press conference in Helsinki on Thursday, August 9 at 10.00 a.m. Finnish time. The conference will take place at event arena Bank, Unioninkatu 20. The name of the meeting room will be displayed on the board in the lobby.

In addition, CEO Lång and CFO Parvi will hold a conference call in English on the same day at 2.00 p.m. Finnish time. To participate in the teleconference, please dial +358 (0)9 6937 9590 in Finland or +44 (0)20 3364 5381 outside Finland a few minutes before the conference begins. The confirmation code is 5451119.

The event can also be viewed as a live audio webcast at www.ahlstrom.com. Registration is required. It is possible to participate in the Q & A session via online.

An on-demand audio webcast of the conference will be available on Ahlstrom's website for twelve months after the call.

The presentation material will be available at www.ahlstrom.com > Investors > Reports and presentations > 2012 after the January-June 2012 interim report has been published.

Metso will rebuild an off-machine coater of the coated woodfree paper production line at the Changhang mill of Hansol Paper Co., Ltd. in South Korea. The rebuilt production line will be fully operational during 2013. The value of the order will not be disclosed.

“The main target of the rebuild is to convert the production line to produce also thermal paper grades. As a result of the rebuild, the mill will be capable of flexibly changing production between coated woodfree grades and thermal paper grades,” says Metso’s Senior Sales Manager Pekka Turtinen.

The order is included in Metso’s Pulp, Paper and Power second quarter 2012 orders received.

Technical information

Metso’s delivery will comprise a curtain coating unit, a soft calender, a reel and a moisturizer for curl control. The new curtain coating unit applies a thin thermal coating layer on the web economically in a non-contacting operation.

Hansol Paper Co., Ltd. is a leading South Korean paper producer. The company manufactures printing papers, industrial papers and special papers, including thermal papers, pressure sensitive papers, fancy papers and inkjet papers. The company’s headquarter is located in Seoul.

NewPage Corporation today announced that it has created a shift in the premium paper value equation with the introduction of Sterling® Premium, Sterling® Premium Digital™ and Sterling® Premium Digital™ for HP Indigo.

 The company's legendary Sterling brand has been reengineered to provide enhanced optics, an extremely smooth surface and premium shade – all at a No. 2 price.

"This is an exciting day as we mark the next chapter for our flagship Sterling brand," said Tanya Pipo, commercial product manager, premium sheet and C1S grades. "We have been listening to our customers and found that they want a premium product at a price that reflects today's reality. Sterling Premium delivers all the features customers look for in a premium grade – premium optics, print performance and an elevated level of service – all at an affordable price."

With the introduction of the new product line, NewPage will be retiring Centura® sheets and web, Productolith® sheets and web and Sterling® Ultra sheets. Sterling Ultra web products will remain.

Seeing is Believing

The new Sterling Premium draws on decades of papermaking experience and technology. The result is a world-class surface with superior on-press performance. "When agencies, marketers or printers are looking to upgrade their printed materials, Sterling Premium delivers a game-changing solution," said Steven DeVoe, vice president, Marketing and Customer Service for NewPage. "Feedback from our customers has been that this product out-performs premium sheets in the market and it delivers all of these qualities without the premium price tag. We are incredibly excited about the potential Sterling Premium offers to our customers."

Beyond budget-friendly pricing, the new Sterling Premium offers strong value propositions for all stakeholders in the supply chain. Designers, marketers and corporate end users get a brand-building premium paper that delivers worry-free consistency. Printers get a superior substrate to showcase their work combined with the runnability they've come to expect from Sterling. A streamlined offering allows NewPage to stock more deeply, ensuring that merchants, printers and end users have what they need, when they need it, including press-ready mini skids and quick turn custom cut sheets. 

NewPage will continue to offer matching digital products – Sterling Premium Digital and Sterling Premium Digital for HP Indigo. The new product lines replace the current Sterling® Ultra Digital™ and Sterling® Ultra Digital™ for HP Indigo offering with improved optics and print surface while maintaining the great runnability and press performance the market has come to know and expect from Sterling. Both product lines will include a new 120 lb. gloss and dull cover offering.

Both the sheetfed and digital line ups are earth friendly; carrying three chain-of-custody certifications and containing 10 percent post-consumer recycled fiber and 100 percent of our products are made in the USA by NewPage, an American-operated manufacturer.

To learn more about Sterling Premium, visit www.NewPageCorp.com.

SOURCE NewPage Corporation

Clariants ecological and economical solutions to the performance demands of China's paper industry will take center stage at Booth 3300 during China Paper 2012, September 10 - 12, in Shanghai.

 Under the theme “Sustainability meets Performance”, the specialty chemicals expert will demonstrate its commitment to support Papermakers’ efforts to be both more efficient and environmentally-compatible in their production of high quality finished paper.

Clariant will showcase process materials which lower costs and simplify production through reduced machine maintenance, improved efficiency and lower energy consumption. Highlights will include new Cartaspers® deposit control solutions, Cartabond® crosslinkers for improved quality in offset printing and converting, and Clariant’s pioneering yellow dye for packaging and newsprint.

Cartaspers® PSM and Cartaspers® SCH: the latest additions to Clariant’s deposit control range reduce the build-up of stickies and pitch deposits on machine wires and felts extending the time between clean-ups, maintaining better drainage and reducing downtime. The use of cleaning solvents (VOCs) is minimized or even eliminated resulting in a cleaner work environment for the mill personnel along with a reduced environmental impact. Both Cartaspers PSM and SCH are FDA compliant and fulfill the criteria for NORDIC SWAN and EU Eco-label (EU Flower). 

Cartabond® crosslinkers: Clariant offers a full range of cross-linkers which improve surface strength, offering improved converting and offset printability through reduced dusting and better water hold-out. 

Cartasol® Yellow M-GLC: the brand new Cartasol® Yellow M-GLC liq. combines superior technical performance with an improved health, safety and environmental profile. Designed to work on all fiber types Cartasol Yellow MGLC offers high bleed and light fastness combined with near-neutral pH and low COD. Clear backwaters are achieved due to its high substantivity. Cartasol Yellow MGLC is certified for use in food contact papers.

“Clariant’s innovative paper solutions fulfill ecological and performance demands, making them an attractive option for Papermakers in China focused on raising their productivity potential and environmental profile, and the overall quality of their finished paper materials,” comments Damrong Roonkaseam, Head of Sales Asia Pacific, Clariant.