WACKER POLYMERS is to raise its prices in Europe for VINNAPAS® and VINNOL®  dispersions. Effective July 1st, 2010, prices for these dispersions will be increased by up to 80 € per ton, or as customer contracts allow.

This measure has been necessitated by the rise in raw material costs. The price adjustments will enable WACKER POLYMERS to continue providing excellent quality and comprehensive technical service and to boost the development of innovative product and process technologies for the benefit of customers. VINNAPAS® and VINNOL® dispersions are applied in a broad variety of industries, ranging from modern building products to adhesives, nonwovens, paints and coatings, paper, carpet and textiles.

About WACKER POLYMERS
WACKER POLYMERS is a leading producer of state-of-the-art binders and polymer additives in the form of dispersible polymer powders and dispersions, polyvinyl acetates, surface coating resins and polyvinyl alcohol solutions. These products are used by companies in the construction, automotive, paper and adhesives sectors, as well as by manufacturers of printing inks and surface coatings. WACKER POLYMERS has production sites in Germany, China, South Korea and the USA, as well as a global sales network and technology centers in all major regions.

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Wacker Chemie AG
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Italian tissue producer Sofidel has agreed to buy UK-based LPC Group, it was announced in late May. Completion of the deal will create Europe's second biggest tissue producer with a combined annual turnover of €1.3 billion, the companies stated in a joint statement. "The enlarged group will be able to serve its customers with a broader range of products from its reinforced manufacturing base in Northern and Southern Europe."

The announcement of the takeover came just days after Sofidel said its Polish subsidiary Delitissue Sp. Zo. had acquired 30% of the share capital of Comceh SA, a Romanian company with its head office at Calarasi, in South Romania with annual sales of around €35 million.

Sofidel is headquartered in Lucca, Italy, and has 17 manufacturing operations in eight countries across Europe. It employs 3200 people, makes more than 700,000 tons/yr of tissue, and last year generated sales of more than €1 billion.

LPC Group is based in Leicester, UK. It has manufacturing bases in four countries and makes nearly 190,000 tons/yr of tissue. It employs 1120 people and in the year to 30 September 2009 generated sales of £236 million, though it made a loss of almost £5 million for the period.

Late last year LPC said that it was planning a £40 million expansion at its Hamilton plant. In early 2010 it announced a move into converting at Roanne in France and said it was looking for further acquisitions. Demand for its products in the UK was booming, it said, and it was having to import paper from Germany to meet it.

And in a press statement issued in mid-May, the group added: "Following continued expansion LPC Group are celebrating their most successful year to date and also their 30th anniversary. From modest beginnings LPC group has grown to become one of the biggest suppliers of private label tissue products in Europe."

"The cornerstone of the groups success to date has been a deep rooted commitment to customer service and innovative product development. By working with their customers to develop class leading new products or simply developing current products and packaging to meet market needs LPC have maintained their positive growth."

This dedication to innovation and development is matched with investment in state of the art equipment that enables LPC to maintain the most efficient production levels and highest quality standards while meeting increased customer demand.

"Within the investment the company has developed the capability to manufacture tissue with Conventional, Tissueflex and Through-Air-Dried processes. This technical lead has enabled LPC to produce innovative tissue products that out-perform the leading brands in each sector."

Completion of the LPC deal is subject to receipt of the required regulatory approval in Germany, the companies' statement notes.

Comceh strengthens Eastern European position
Established in 1962 and privatised in 2000, Comceh is one of the key businesses in the Romanian paper industry, with a 31% share in the toilet tissue sector, (22% branded products and 9% private label products) and a 27% share in the kitchen towel sector (9% branded products and 18% private label).

Such an operation is considered part of a strategy which by means of achievable synergies between the two companies reinforces the internationalisation within, both from a commercial and a production aspect. It also gives the company a presence in the target markets of the group over the forthcoming years.

Current production capacity is around 35,000 tons/yr, with a total of 260 employees.

Comceh is located in a strategic position between Bucharest and Costanza, near the Bulgarian border, ideal for supplying the countries of South East Europe, Sofidel said in a statement.

The plant is situated on the Borcea canal, which is a branch of the Danube, the most important waterway in Europe, which, linked by the Meno and Reno rivers joins Rotterdam and Costanza. The site also has a rail link and loading  platforms. (See Tissue World November 2009 for fuller details on Comceh).

The new acquisitions are the latest in a long line over the past year for Sofidel. At the end of 2009 it bought Greek company Papyros, which has capacity of 25,000 tons/yr on a single modern Recard machine. Earlier in 2010 it created Sofidel Papir, a new company in Croatia to extend its coverage of the Balkan markets.

Sofidel submits environmental impact material for new French mill (News from RISI)
Sofidel is moving forward with plans to build a new integrated paper mill in France. The company's French subsidiary, Delipapier, has prepared materials for an environmental impact study for the new plant which it submitted to French authorities last week, according to Delipapier's Jean-Paul Cussenot. The company expects a response at the beginning of next year, he said.

The facility, which will be located in Ingrandes, western France, will house a tissue machine and a number of converting lines and will have a capacity of some 50,000 tons/yr.

Once the green light is given, work on the first phase of the project will begin immediately, with the converting facility to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2011. The second stage of the project will involve the construction of the tissue mill itself. That should begin in 2012, with paper production to launch in 2014.

Suppliers for the €120 million project have not been selected yet.

Delipapier plans to shut down its nearby converting facility in Buxeuil once converting operations start at Ingrandes. The 60 employees there will be transferred to the Ingrandes operation along with the old facility's converting lines, according to Cussenot.

With the new plant, Sofidel aims to increase capacity in the west and southwest of France, particularly in the away-from-home sector.

Delipapier owns another mill in France, in Frouard, in the northeast of the country. That facilty houses two 60,000 ton/yr tissue machines.

source: www.ubmasia.com

PEFC International is pleased to invite all stakeholders to comment on the enquiry drafts of its Tropical Natural Forest Management Standard by 10 August 2010.

The consultation is part of PEFC's ongoing Standards Revision process, with the enquiry drafts of the Boreal and Temperate Forest Management Standard and the Standards for Group Certification and Standards Setting already available for public consultation (deadline: 30 June 2010).

"The sustainable management of the world's forest concerns all of us. Forests have a vast potential to contribute to tackling climate change, they are the most biodiverse terrestrial ecosystem, and they directly or indirectly support the livelihoods of millions of people." said Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General of PEFC International, at the start of the consultation of the previously released enquiry drafts.

"With PEFC's Sustainability Benchmarks defining the management of more than 220 million hectares of forests globally, it is our collective responsibility as forest stakeholders to integrate best practice, new scientific knowledge, societal expectations, as well as practical experiences on the ground, into standards that are globally relevant and locally applicable."

Mr. Gunneberg encouraged all stakeholders to share their knowledge and expertise in this public consultation to ensure that the standard is well aligned with global and local expectations and provides an optimal framework for tropical forest management practices delivering on all three pillars of sustainability – environmental, social and economic.

"With the vast majority of the world's certified forests located in the Global North, there is a real need to revisit forest certification requirements in detail and ensure their applicability in countries with less favourable structures, especially in the tropics, in Asia, South America and Africa – regions in which arguably the most vulnerable forests are located, and in which the potential of forest management to lift people out of poverty is greatest."

More Information

Stakeholders are encouraged to focus their comments on the content of the draft standard and its requirements rather than its structure as the Standards Revision working group is considering the possibility to merge both the Boreal and Temperate Forest Management Standard and the Tropical Natural Forest Management Standard into one document.

• PEFC ST 1003:20xx, Part 2 - Requirements for Sustainable Forest Management Standards (view document, download document 211 kb or access consultation)

Other Ongoing Consultations

• Access PEFC's Online Consultation Tool
• PEFC ST 1003:200x Part 1 – Requirements for SFM in boreal and temperate forests and forest plantations (view document, download document 187 kb or access consultation)
• PEFC ST 1001:200x – Standard setting (view document, download document 120 kb or access consultation)
• PEFC ST 1002:200x – Group forest management certification (view document, download document 101 kb or access consultation)
• Social Requirements in Chain of Custody Certification (Appendix 4: Social, health and safety requirements in chain of custody) (view document, download document 37 kb, or access consultation)

Sonoco, one of the largest diversified global packaging companies, will speak to the investment community on Monday, June 14, 2010, at the Wells Fargo Securities 2010 Industrials Conference to be held at The Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.

Harris E. DeLoach, Jr., chairman, president and chief executive officer, and Charles J. Hupfer, senior vice president and chief financial officer, are scheduled to speak at 11:45 a.m. Eastern Time. The audio presentation will be Webcast and can be accessed via the Internet at http://www.sonoco.com, under the "Latest News" section.

About Sonoco

Sonoco, founded in 1899, is a $3.6 billion global manufacturer of consumer and industrial packaging products and provider of packaging services, with more than 300 operations in 35 countries serving customers in some 85 nations. The Company is a proud member of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. For more information on Sonoco, visit our Web site at http://www.sonoco.com.

SOURCE: Sonoco

Sonoco
Roger Schrum, 843-339-6018
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The approval of the two national standards marks a major achievement for FSC Chile and the outcome of years of effort. Based on extensive public consultation and agreed by consensus, the two standards are supported by environmental, social and economic groups in the country. The FSC national standards are based on the international FSC Principles and Criteria but adapt these to national conditions by adding country-specific indicators.  

The Certification Bodies are required to inform all of their clients in Chile that they shall be assessed against the revised standard from 1 September 2010.The intervening 3 month period between the approval and implementation of the standards is in place for Certification Bodies and forest managers to adapt their systems and management practices respectively to the new standards.

For further information, please contact Richard Robertson, the FSC Policy Manager in charge of coordinating the development of FSC national standards.

The conditions set on the original approval ensured that the standard includes appropriate indicators for small, medium and low intensity operations (SLIMFs) and that SLIMFs are clearly defined.

Based on extensive public consultation and agreed by consensus, the standard is supported by environmental, social and economic groups in the country. The FSC national standards are based on the international FSC Principles and Criteria but adapt these to national conditions by adding country-specific indicators.  

The Certification Bodies are required to inform all of their clients in Papua New Guinea that they shall be assessed against the revised standard from 1 September 2010.The intervening 3 month period between the approval and implementation of the standards is in place for Certification Bodies and forest managers to adapt their systems and management practices respectively to the new standards.

For further information, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., the FSC Policy Manager in charge of coordinating the development of FSC national standards.

At a ceremony today in North Carolina, Gov. Bev Perdue announced that Clearwater Paper Corporation (NYSE:CLW) has chosen Shelby as the location to build its newest tissue facility. The company had previously announced the project, which includes a Through-Air-Dried (TAD) paper machine and seven converting lines capable of producing ultra grades of private label tissue products.

"Clearwater Paper's decision to locate in North Carolina is certainly great news and we welcome them to our state," said Gov. Bev Perdue. "Companies know that our state's skilled workforce, nationally recognized education programs and top-rated business climate provide the perfect formula for businesses to succeed and grow."

"After nearly a year of analysis--looking at important aspects such as current customer base and growth opportunities, logistics and transportation infrastructure, available workforce skills and abilities, tax structure, incentives and quality of life, and subject to local and state incentives being granted, Clearwater Paper has chosen Shelby to be the home of our newest tissue facility," said Gordon Jones, chairman, president and CEO of Clearwater Paper. "From the Governor to the Department of Commerce to Cleveland County's economic development team, we found North Carolina to be not only very responsive to our company's business needs, but endowed with a dedicated, positive group of people who are a pleasure to work with."

Clearwater Paper intends to move forward as soon as possible with construction of the facility, which will include a 200-inch TAD tissue machine together with a total of seven converting lines, and has estimated the project will cost $260 to $280 million. Over the next 12 years, state and local incentives associated with the project are expected to be worth nearly $50 million in the aggregate.

"The Shelby facility will increase our ultra and premium offerings to our existing Southern and East Coast customers," said Bob DeVleming, vice president, consumer products division. "We believe it will also create new opportunities to expand our private label consumer tissue business to other retail grocery chains in the region, and we are very pleased with the initial work by North Carolina officials. We are ready to get started."

The company intends to break ground during the third quarter of this year. Build-out and start-up for the converting lines will come in phases, with the first two lines expected to begin production during the second half of 2011. The paper machine is expected to take two years to build from completion of engineering, and the company anticipates beginning production on the machine in the second half of 2012. At full production capacity the facility will produce approximately 10 million cases or 70,000 tons of bathroom tissue and household towels annually.

ABOUT CLEARWATER PAPER

Clearwater Paper manufactures quality consumer tissue, bleached paperboard and wood products at six facilities across the country. The company is a premier supplier of private label tissue to major retail grocery chains, and also produces bleached paperboard used by quality-conscious printers and packaging converters. Clearwater Paper's 2,500 employees build shareholder value by developing strong customer partnerships through quality and service.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENT

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 as amended, including statements regarding the company's growth strategy and expansion plans, capital costs associated with the expansion, initiation and completion of new operating facilities, tax incentives, production capacity, and customer base. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections that are subject to change, and actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to execute on its strategies; unanticipated construction and manufacturing disruptions; customers' product preferences, changes in the United States and international economies; changes in raw material and energy costs; cyclical industry conditions; loss of a large customer; competitive pricing pressure for the company's products; changes in freight costs and disruptions in transportation services; changes in general and industry-specific laws and regulations; unforeseen environmental liabilities or expenditures; labor disruptions; and other risks and uncertainties described from time to time in the company's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and the company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements.

For additional information on Clearwater Paper, please visit our website at www.clearwaterpaper.com.

SOURCE: Clearwater Paper Corporation

Clearwater Paper Corporation
(News media)
Matt Van Vleet, 509-344-5912
or
(CFO)
Linda Massman, 509-344-5905
or
(Investors)
IR Sense
Sean Butson, 509-344-5906

On June 1st, 23,000 Mondi employees worldwide were invited to take a special interest in their safety, health, environment and neighbouring communities.

To mark the Day of the Earth, Mondi inaugurated a "Making a Difference Day“ initiative, its first unified employee day aimed at further strengthening its culture of Zero Harm by focusing on people’s safety, environmental protection and community (CSR) engagement.

"Mondi's Making a Difference Day focuses on Zero Harm, which galvanises us to shift the way we think about safety and sustainability and, therefore, the way in which we manage our business. The day is about all of us taking personal responsibility for re-energising our operations in our drive towards an injury-free and accident-free workplace," commented Peter Oswald, CEO Mondi Europe & International..

In some 80 operations worldwide, including the Vienna headquarters of the Mondi Europe & International Division, employees at all levels of the organisation were invited to make a personal pledge, committing to do at least one small thing in 2010 to help make Mondi a place to work where Zero Harm has become a reality. Mondi already serves as a health & safety benchmark in the industry, but there is always room for improvement. Already on the day, commitments for the future including the involvement of more than 5,800 employees were registered.

Worldwide on Mondi’s sites, numerous initiatives were organised for Making a Difference Day. These included offering medical checks and professional advice, non-smoking action, tree planting, waste reduction programmes, machine safety assessments, blood donations, safe driving training, as well as the distribution of dedicated material in the local language on health, safety and environment-related concerns. Some of the largest actions within the Group took place in Mondi Syktyvkar, Russia, where an alley devoted to safety, health and environmental protection was founded in the grounds of the 5,000-employee site, and in Ruzomberok, Slovakia, where multiple activities during an open day were broadcast on national television.

In the Vienna headquarters, some 2,000 brochures dedicated to the health and safety of office employees were distributed, prizes such as bikes, safe driving training and public transport tickets were distributed, an electric car was showcased in the building lobby for employees to register for test drives, and all employees were invited by the management to share a special healthy breakfast and discuss Zero Harm.

"We acknowledge that we need a common Zero Harm mindset to have the culture right. It describes what we want to achieve: zero deaths, zero injuries, zero incidents and zero accidents. Such a culture is rooted in our values; a culture of trust and collaboration, flexibility and diversity, a culture in which people genuinely try to bring out the very best in others, " commented Uwe Fölster, Mondi Group Head of Sustainability.

High-quality kraft paper from the heart of Europe

Mondi* has made investments at its Štetí paper mill in the Czech Republic to provide top-quality packaging paper from the heart of the European market. The new machine-glazed paper machine supplied by Voith Paper is run by Vacon common DC bus modules and AC drives.

Mondi is a leading international paper and packaging group with operations across 31 countries. Mondi Štetí’s start-up of the PM6 in autumn 2009 was very successful. The new MG (machine-glazed) paper machine is designed to produce annually 55,000 tonnes of white kraft paper in the basis weight of 30-90 g/m2.

This investment was a logical step forward after the PM3 rebuild for white MG grades during 2002. With the new PM6, Mondi Štetí, Czech Republic, now owns two world-class MG machines side by side, strategically located in Central Europe to ensure outstanding delivery service and optimized supply-chain management. The PM6 further reinforces Mondi's position as a leading supplier of bleached, machine-glazed paper for the high-end packaging paper segment.


Vacon products - important tools for improving process and machine control

The new MG paper machine from Voith Paper was started up successfully in August 2009. Voith Paper’s scope of supply included a state-of-the-art head box, wire section, NipcoFlex press, MG cylinder, EcoSoft Calender, MasterReel and leading automation technology. The drive system application and drive control system were supplied by Voith Paper Automation.

Vacon supplied Voith Paper Automation with common DC bus modules and AC drives with a total power of 3.6 MW, providing seamless integration to Voith Paper’s ODC DriveSystem. The common DC bus modules, including non-generative front-end units, active front-end units and inverter units, control the motors of the PM6 and improve process control in terms of runnability, efficiency and quality. The auxiliary drives around the PM6 have also been integrated into machine control, and are controlled by the Vacon AC drives, thus enabling accurate motor controls.

Voith Paper provides solutions that improve the productivity and efficiency of the papermaking process. In a global cooperation agreement signed in May 2008, Voith Paper Automation chose Vacon as their preferred AC drives supplier for paper machine deliveries worldwide. “Reliable and versatile AC drives are an integral part of our solutions, and that is why we chose a supplier with an independent position and a large number of references in the pulp and paper industry,” says Antti Kaunonen, President, Voith Paper Automation. “The Mondi Štetí project demonstrated clearly that the integration of paper machine, automation and drives knowhow provides clear benefits for paper machine performance. This successful project shows that our chosen strategy is the correct one, and we shall continue with this strategy in the future,” Mr Kaunonen concludes.

Positive impact on the environment

Since cleaner production plays a key role in Mondi's sustainability commitments, the new investment was planned with the environment in mind. Despite increasing the volume of paper production in Štetí, the new PM6 machine will actually improve the environmental performance of the mill, with significant reductions in both water consumption and noise emissions.

The PM6 investment also has a positive influence on the surrounding communities by creating new jobs at the mill for highly qualified engineers, lab technicians and machine operators.

Vacon’s scope of supply to PM6

* Common DC bus modules in the power range 6 to 500 kW and with a total power of 3.6 MW
o 4 x Vacon non-regenerative front-end (NFE) power supply
o 1 x Vacon active front-end (AFE) power supply
o 22 x inverter units
* 40 auxiliary drives with a total power of 1750 kW and in the power range 0.3 to 630 kW

The NFE units are connected to a transformer with a 12-pulse supply system to achieve a low THD level.

Vacon’s common DC bus product portfolio meets all the requirements with a flexible architecture, comprising a selection of active front-ends, non-regenerative front-ends, fundamental front-ends, inverters and brake choppers in the entire power range up to 5300 kW at 380 VAC to 690 VAC. The drive components are based on Vacon NX technology. Common DC bus components are used in a wide range of combinations. In a typical DC bus configuration, drives that are braking can transfer the energy directly to drives in motoring mode.

The NFE (non-regenerative front-end) unit is a unidirectional (motoring) power converter for the front-end of a common DC bus drive line-up. The NFE is a device that operates as a diode bridge using diode/thyristor components. A dedicated choke is used at the input.

The AFE (active front-end) unit is a bidirectional (regenerative) power converter for the front-end of a common DC bus drive line-up. An LCL filter is used at the input. This unit is suitable for applications where low mains harmonics are required. AFE is able to boost DC link voltage (default +10%) higher than nominal DC link voltage (1.35x UN).

The INU (Inverter unit) is a bidirectional DC-fed power inverter for the supply and control of AC motors. The INU is supplied from a common DC bus drive line-up. A charging circuit is needed if the possibility of connecting to a live DC bus is required. The DC charging circuit is integrated up to 75 kW (FR4-FR8) and external for higher power ratings (FI9-FI14).

* Mondi is a leading international paper and packaging group with operations across 31 countries and an average of 33,400 employees.

Located in Štetí, on the banks of the Elbe River, 40 kilometres north of Prague in the Czech Republic, Mondi Štetí a.s. is a leading manufacturer of high grade sack kraft and kraft papers, as well as a major European supplier of corrugated case materials and market pulp.

The production of pulp at the site began in 1949, when the mill was called “Sepap”. Over the following decades the name and ownership of the mill changed several times. Today, Mondi Štetí a.s. annually produces 500,000 metric tonnes of pulp, paper and board of world-class quality that is sold on all continents.