M-real Corporation, part of Metsäliitto Group, plans to increase the annual folding boxboard capacity of Äänekoski and Kyröskoski mills in total by about 70 000 tonnes. The combined value of the planned investments in Äänekoski and Kyröskoski is approximately EUR 30 million. The Kyroskoski investment is planned to be completed in late 2011 and the Äänekoski investment in spring 2012.

Related to the planned investment M-real will start statutory negotiations at the Äänekoski board mill on 18 February 2011 covering the mill workers in total of about 130 people. The maximum personnel reduction need is estimated to be 10 people. Kyröskoski investment is expected to have no personnel impact.

Following the planned investments the annual folding boxboard production capacity at Äänekoski mill would be approximately 240 000 tonnes and approximately 190 000 at Kyröskoski mill. The new production volumes are planned to be sold to food packaging purposes. In addition to these planned investments M-real has good potential to further increase the capacity of Kyroskoski and Äänekoski mills if the market situation so requires.

“Demand growth for M-real’s ecological and safe virgin fibre board has in food packaging been faster than expected and the expansion of Simpele mill’s capacity that will be implemented in spring 2011 is not enough to satisfy the demand. The best way to increase our production is to debottleneck the current board machines in moderate steps. Our target is to continue the profitable growth of our cartonboard business,” says CEO Mikko Helander.

M-real has announced plans to increase the annual folding boxboard capacity in total by about 150 000 tonnes during 2011-2012 including the investments at Simpele, Äänekoski and Kyröskoski mills. Thus, M-real’s total folding boxboard capacity would increase to about 935 000 tonnes per annum.

Metso Paper Ltd, St-Laurent, Quebec and Usinage Bertrem, QC have signed an agreement naming Usinage Bertrem as an authorized Canadian service center for roll repairs.

The agreement will complement Metso's current services to the pulp industry in North America, and is in line with Metso's strategy to increase the level of business in the services sector. The 22,000 sq ft workshop located in Sorel, Quebec is currently owned by Pierre Cardin, an ex-Beloit employee with over 30 years experience in paper machine and roll manufacturing. Mr. Cardin was a key player in establishing Beloit Manhattan's roll service shop in Renfrew, Ontario.

Metso's partnership with Pierre Cardin and Usinage Bertam will give our Eastern Canada customers access to the highest quality repairs and upgrades from a knowledgeable provider of quality repair services. The services offered at the Sorel location will mainly focus on mechanical roll repairs, but because of existing links to the other Metso roll repair and covering facilities in the US, this location will act as a true one-stop roll service center.

SOURCE: Metso Paper Ltd

Birgitta Sundblad has been appointed the new President of Innventia AB, a research and innovation company. She will take up her position on 1 July 2011, when the current President, Professor Gunnar Svedberg, is retiring.

At present, Birgitta Sundblad is the Global Director of AFH (Away from Home) Tissue Product Development and Innovation at SCA, where she has had various appointments for a little more than 12 years. Throughout her career, Birgitta has worked with research and development, in which she has had several leading positions in the chemical and forest industries.

“Birgitta Sundblad’s experience in research and development work, with its emphasis on the customer and consumer, will strengthen the development of Innventia in being a world-leading innovation partner,” states Director Mats Nordlander, Chairman of the Innventia Board.

Birgitta Sundblad comments, “I feel both proud and honoured to be given this challenge. I believe that my experience as manager of interdisciplinary teams will be a very good foundation for building a strong, well structured company, together with everyone at Innventia, not only to meet the challenges of today but also of the future.”

Birgitta, 53 years old and a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering since 1981, has divided her professional life between SCA and Eka Chemicals (Akzo Nobel). During these years, she has mainly worked with research and development matters, but she has also worked in the fields of production, sales and marketing. She was on the Board of EIRMA (European Industrial Research Management Association) from 2007 to 2010 and was consequently the first woman to be a Vice Chairperson of the EIRMA Board.

Ahlstrom's Louveira plant in Brazil has resumed full production after the facility was hit by floods last month.

During the shutdown Ahlstrom was able to supply its customers from Louveira's inventory, which was not damaged in the floods. Ahlstrom also started to import filtration material from its plants in North America and Europe to ensure most urgent deliveries to its South American customers.

The Louveira plant is located approximately 100 kilometers from Sao Paolo in southeastern Brazil and is part of Ahlstrom's Filtration Business Area. It produces transportation filtration material.

Ahlstrom anticipates that damages related to the flooding will be mostly recovered by insurance coverage.

The Board of Directors of Sonoco (NYSE: SON) today declared a $.28 per share quarterly common stock dividend. The dividend will be payable on March 10, 2011, to shareholders of record as of February 18, 2011.

According to Harris E. DeLoach, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer, this is the 343^rd consecutive quarter, dating back to 1925, that the Company has paid cash dividends to shareholders.

Global trade of wood chips was up in 2010 after a sharp decline in 2009 with China becoming a major importer, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly

Global trade of wood chips was up 25 percent in 2010 because of increased production of pulp and paper products worldwide. China showed the greatest growth in chip imports with an increase over 400 percent in the past two years, as reported in the Wood Resource Quarterly. Australia continues to be the major exporter and shipped 11 percent more in 2010 than in the previous year.

The full article can be found in the attached PDF file.....

Pöyry's Industry business group has been awarded an assignment by MWV Rigesa Ltda., Brazil for the expansion of its paperboard mill in Três Barras, Santa Catarina State, Brazil. The assignment consists of contracts for EPC Open Book of the Balance of Plant (BOP) together with the associated EPCM services, and Project Management services for the overall project management support to the client. The total value of Pöyry's contracts is about BRL 325 million (about EUR 144 million) of which a majority consists of the EPC Open Book BOP contract. The contracts have been signed on 7 February 2011. A notice to proceed for the EPC Open Book contract is expected to be received during the first quarter of 2011 after which the value will be booked into the order stock. The new machine is expected to be completed in mid-2012. Due to the nature of the contracts, profit recognition will occur towards the latter part of the project.

MWV Rigesa is expanding its operations at the Três Barras mill including the installation of a new, state-of-the-art paperboard machine that will double the capacity of the existing mill. The new machine will produce 300,000 metric tons per year of kraft linerboard for use in the company's packaging converting operations throughout Brazil. A water management system will enable water efficiency improvements, reducing water consumption per ton of paper produced by 65%. The Rigesa expansion project will support MWV's rapidly growing, integrated corrugated packaging business in Brazil.

"Based on our experience accumulated over many decades in this region, our Brazilian operations have participated in the development of the project throughout all phases from conceptual to basic engineering. We are very pleased to jointly implement this project within a differentiated concept, which further strengthens our relationship with MWV Rigesa. This whole project confirms Pöyry's position as market leader in South America," says Martin Kuzaj, Executive Vice President and President of the Industry business group, Pöyry.

"This expansion project is a testament to MWV's growth strategy in Brazil, and underscores our commitment to lead this growing market with cost-effective and innovative corrugated packaging solutions", said Bob Beckler, President, MWV Rigesa. "It is an investment that creates tremendous value for our customers, consumers, and shareholders of MWV. We have a well designed plan, and look forward to the partnership with Poyry as we execute the project."

"The complexity and opportunities to improve sustainability of the MWV Rigesa expansion project are most exiting for Pöyry. Through close co-operation in our EPC Open Book partnership model MWV Rigesa and Pöyry can jointly realise sustainability improvement objectives. This project is well aligned with Pöyry's vision of Engineering Balanced Sustainability(TM) in large complex projects," says Richard Pinnock, Executive Vice President, Group Strategic Growth, Pöyry.

This assignment reinforces Pöyry's global leadership position in the pulp and paper sector for consulting engineering services.

In 2010, SCA’s Ortviken and Laakirchen paper mills delivered more than a quarter of a million tonnes of FSC-certified publication papers. Deliveries of FSC paper grew by 35% last year. Although magazine-grade paper is most in demand, deliveries of FSC-certified newsprint are now also on the rise. Demand for FSC-certified solid-wood products and pulp remains high.

Interest among customers in FSC-certified publication papers continued to grow. In 2010, 19% of deliveries of publication papers from SCA’s paper mill in Ortviken, Sweden, and Laakirchen, Austria, were FSC certified, meaning that they met the Forest Stewardship Council’s standard for timber raw materials sourced from responsibly managed forests. Demand is growing for paper for magazines and catalogues – LWC and SC paper – and for newsprint.

“Demand for FSC-certified publication papers is greatest in Sweden, the UK and Germany, although growth was also noted in France during the year,” says Jan Knuts, Product Area Manager, LWC paper at SCA Ortviken.

Deliveries of FSC-certified LWC paper rose from 125,000 tonnes in 2009 to nearly 137,000 tonnes in 2010. Deliveries of FSC-certified SC paper from the Laakirchen paper mill increased from 60,000 tonnes to nearly 68,000 tonnes and newsprint deliveries tripled from 17,000 to 58,000 tonnes of FSC-certified paper.

Demand for PEFC-certified paper also increased in 2010. Laakirchen paper mill sold 47,000 tonnes of PEFC-certified SC paper compared with 29,000 tonnes in 2009. Demand for GraphoVerde, a high-quality SC paper with a recovered fibre content of at least 50%, remained high. GraphoVerde accounted for 18% of paper deliveries from the paper mill in Laakirchen, meaning that the full production capacity for this eco-friendly paper grade was utilised.

Demand for FSC-certified pulp from Östrand pulp mill remained high and – as in 2009 – deliveries of FSC pulp exceeded 50%. A total of 35% of SCA Timber’s deliveries of solid-wood products and processed timber products were FSC-certified.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, international member organisation that promotes environmentally appropriate, socially responsible and economically viable management of the world’s forests. SCA’s two and a half million hectares of forest in northern Sweden have been managed in accordance with the FSC’s standard for responsible forestry since 1999.