Fibria lays the cornerstone of the Horizonte 2 Project, which will more than double the capacity of its Três Lagoas unit in Mato Grosso do Sul

• Construction already underway in the R$ 7.7 billion project
• Project will create 40,000 direct and indirect jobs
• New production line slated for startup in the fourth quarter of 2017
• Três Lagoas Unit’s total pulp production capacity will be 3.05 million tons p.a.

Fibria, a Brazilian forestry company and the world’s leading eucalyptus pulp producer, today lays the cornerstone of the Horizonte 2 Project, which will expand production capacity of its Três Lagoas Unit located in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. The ceremony celebrates the official start of construction work, which is already in progress.

The Horizonte 2 Project, approved by the Board of Directors of Fibria on May 14^th, is backed by an investment of R$ 7.7 billion (equivalent to about US$ 2.5 billion). Over its two years of construction, the project will create around 40,000 direct and indirect jobs. At the height of construction, the project will employ around 10,000 workers. Once commissioned, in the last quarter of 2017, Fibria's new pulp line will employ 3,000 direct and indirect workers.

Considered one of Brazil's largest private investments focused on exports, Fibria's expansion project is expected to begin operations in the fourth quarter of 2017. With this, the annual pulp production capacity of the Três Lagoas unit will increase from 1.75 million tons to 3.05 million tons.

“Expansion of the Três Lagoas unit is a milestone in the history of Fibria, which rekindles its vocation for growth combined with responsibility. The start of construction follows a very well planned project, with the main supply contracts already signed. It is with tremendous pride that we are making this huge investment in Brazil, bringing jobs, better quality of life and development to Três Lagoas, Mato Grosso do Sul and Brazil,” said Fibria CEO, Marcelo Castelli.

The pulp produced by Fibria at Três Lagoas will be sold in the domestic market and transported by rail to the Port of Santos in São Paulo, from where it will be exported to Europe, North America and Asia. Considering all of the Company’s units, Fibria's total annual pulp production capacity will increase from the current 5.3 million tons to over 7 million tons, consolidating the company’s position as the world’s largest eucalyptus pulp producer.

Investment history

The execution of the Horizonte 2 Project will rely on around 60 local suppliers and will positively affect public finances by contributing an estimated R$ 450 million in taxes during construction.

“Investments of more than R$ 7 billion, creation of thousands of jobs and opportunities for the people of Mato Grosso do Sul and Brazil, who will have in Fibria  - one of the largest and most important companies in this sector on the planet - their chance to lead a prosperous and dignified life. This new unit not only expands the company’s huge and enviable production capacity, but also strengthens Mato Grosso do Sul’s position as a reliable and safe destination for private investments from both Brazil and abroad," said the Governor of Mato Grosso do Sul, Reinaldo Azambuja.

In July, Fibria signed contracts for important service packages, such as infrastructure, construction management, wood chip yard, fiber line, drying machine, recovery boiler, evaporation, causticizing, lime kiln, valves, turbogenerators and the entire power transmission and distribution system. In September, the company signed contracts for water treatment stations, the chemical plant, temporary facilities and management of the Administrative Services Center.

The Horizonte 2 Project financing structure involves export credit agencies (ECA), the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) and the Midwest Development Fund (FDCO). Fibria also contracted a US$ 400 million Export Prepayment Facility Agreement from financial institutions and issued R$ 675 million in Agribusiness Receivables Certificates (CRA). Furthermore, around 40% of the investments in the project will come from the company's own funds.

Competitiveness and Sustainability

As with all Fibria projects, Horizonte 2 will have sustainability as a business principle. The new industrial complex will have even cleaner production processes, with all the energy consumed generated by the facility itself using the biomass resulting from the industrial process. Apart from generating and consuming its own energy, the Horizonte 2 Project will generate surplus energy of 120 MWh, which will contribute to Brazil's energy matrix.

The project's industrial process also features efficient use of water resources, with around 80% of the water withdrawn recycled and recirculated between 3.5 and 5 times in the production process before being treated and returned to the environment.

Another major source of competitiveness of the Horizonte 2 Project is its access to wood. With the new unit, the average distance from the forest to supply the current production line and the new line at the Três Lagoas Unit will be just 95 kilometers.

Concern for people

Fibria has contracted health insurance from Hospital Auxiliadora in Três Lagoas for the service providers who will work on the Horizonte 2 Project. The health insurance will provide medical and outpatient care to nearly 8,000 outsourced employees who will work on the project. Fibria will also maintain a first aid station at the construction site, staffed by doctors and nurses to avoid overloading the health care system of Três Lagoas.

“Since beginning its operations in our city, Fibria has contributed to local development by generating employment opportunities, training our professionals, improving our services and our capacity for progress. I am very happy to know that Três Lagoas is performing well amidst the country's current crisis. We believe in the great company that is Fibria, which is here to stay and make Três Lagoas one of Brazil’s great cities. Congratulations Fibria. We are proud of the whole history of this company and are happy to receive the Horizonte 2 Project, which is coming to reaffirm the progress our city has made in 100 years,” said the mayor of Três Lagoas, Márcia Moura.

Watch the video with more information on the Horizonte 2 Project at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmpUQVSnPQo

About Fibria

A world leader in eucalyptus pulp production, Fibria is a company that strives to meet the growing global demand for forestry products in a sustainable manner. With annual pulp production capacity of 5.3 million tons, the company has industrial units in the cities of Aracruz (Espírito Santo), Jacareí (São Paulo) and Três Lagoas (Mato Grosso do Sul), and in Eunápolis (Bahia), where it operates the Veracel plant through a joint-operation with Stora Enso. In May 2015, Fibria announced the expansion of its Três Lagoas unit in Mato Grosso do Sul, which will receive a new line with the capacity to produce 1.75 million tons of pulp per year. The new line, which will receive investment of US$2.5 billion, is slated to start operations in the fourth quarter of 2017. Fibria has 967,000 hectares of forests, with 563,000 hectares of planted forests and 343,000 hectares of environmental preservation and conservation areas. The pulp manufactured by Fibria is exported to more than 40 countries.

BASF has closed the previously announced transaction to divest its global paper hydrous kaolin (PHK) business to Imerys, a producer of mineral-based specialty solutions for industry, based in Paris, France. Under a tolling agreement of limited duration, BASF will continue to manufacture and supply PHK products to Imerys to enable a smooth transition for customers. Included in the transaction is a kaolin milling facility in Wilkinson County, Georgia referred to as the “Gibraltar mill”.

BASF will continue to own and operate its other assets in Georgia, USA including kaolin reserves, mining and production facilities as well as a slurry facility in Ghent, Belgium.

“We have taken action to make our business fit for the future,” said Dr. Shane Porzio, Vice President, Global Business Management Kaolin. BASF is committed to providing customers with the highest quality kaolin products, solutions and service.

About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry – and have been doing so for 150 years. Our portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. As the world’s leading chemical company, we combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of over €74 billion in 2014 and around 113,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at  www.basf.com.

Sonoco-Alcore S.a.r.l. today announced it will raise prices for coreboard tubes and cores in the range of 6 percent to 8 percent throughout Europe, including the United Kingdom, effective with shipments on or after 16th November 2015.

"The tube and core industry has faced significant cost increases in the past few years, which we have not been able to fully cover through operational productivity improvements," said Karsten Kemmerling, director of sales and marketing - Tubes and Cores, Europe. "Rising compliance costs across our entire supply chain, along with changing demand patterns across our customer base, have impacted us to the point that we can no longer absorb these higher operating costs."

Sonoco-Alcore S.a.r.l. is wholly owned by Sonoco (NYSE:SON) and operates 29 tubes and cores plants and five paperboard mills in Europe.

Contact: Roger Schrum

+843/339-6018

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Sonoco Products Company

The Toscotec-supplied AHEAD-1.5M tissue machine has started up at Yuen Foong Yu’s Chingshui mill in Taiwan. Yuen Foong Yu Paper, with its famous brand Mayflower, is currently the largest paper manufacturer in Taiwan and it ranks 49th  in the world. The start-up has been welcomed by the Taiwanese producer as the positive outcome of a strong cooperation between the two teams: “We are pleased with the qualified teamwork and Toscotec’s support all the way from the engineering phase to the commissioning field work. We look forward to seeing the outstanding performances and energy saving results that we expect from Toscotec’s technological solution” says Mr. Ming Fa Tang, YFY’s Deputy General Manager.

The scope of supply of the Italian supplier included one AHEAD-1.5M machine, installing Toscotec’s second generation Steel Yankee Dryer TT SYD-18FT, a 1425 mm diameter suction press roll and steam-heated hoods, as well as the stock preparation system. The machine has a working speed of 1650 m/min and it will increase the mill’s production capacity by 40k t/y.

The Taiwanese producer has chosen Toscotec’s cutting-edge technology and customized design as the winning solution that strikes the perfect balance between machine performance and the lowest possible total energy consumptions. The masterly combination of a large diameter Steel Yankee Dryer, a single jumbo press roll and steam hoods delivers key advantages in terms of energy savings. TT DOES (Drying Optimization for Energy Saving) is now widely acknowledged as Toscotec’s signature design solution, especially on the Asian market, where energy savings are a major concern for tissue producers.

About Toscotec S.p.A.
Toscotec is a turnkey technology supplier to the global paper industry, offering a complete suite of solutions for tissue, paper and board manufacture, as well as maintenance services for rolls and cylinders. Based in Lucca, Italy, and with subsidiaries in China and the USA, Toscotec’s tradition of innovation, energy saving and partnership with customers dates back to its foundation in 1948. Since 2013 Toscotec has been the market leader in tissue machines sales.

After extensive development the Swedish pulp manufacturer Rottneros Group now launches its new, improved High Yield Pulp, Opacity Extreme, for thin packaging and printing paper, as well as special applications. In addition to an extremely high opacity the product, produced at the mill Rottneros Bruk, also has excellent strength properties and high purity.

When it comes to thin packaging and printing papers, as well as a number of special applications, the opacity is critical. Low light transmission is required, for example, to ensure that prints will not be seen through the paper sheet. Similarly, the purity of the pulp, the so-called low shives content, is important in the manufacturing of thin paper.
 
The development of Opacity Extreme has been a team effort within Rottneros Bruk, where Fredrik Danielsson, technical sales manager, has been responsible for the development. Danielsson says Opacity Extreme with its combination of excellent strength properties, high purity and superior opacity is the leading product in the market for thin paper.
 
Olle Dahlin, CEO of Rottneros Bruk, says that the company now, with the launch of Opacity Extreme, has a very complete and competitive product range for High Yield Pulp, which includes everything from board and tissue to thin packaging and printing paper.
 
This launch further strengthens the Rottneros Group’s offer. It is another step within the framework of the Group’s strategy to position the two mills, Vallviks Bruk and Rottneros Bruk, towards a high share of specialized pulp.
 
For further information, please contact: Olle Dahlin, CEO Rottneros Bruk AB +46 70 366 73 00

Metsä Fibre has awarded Pöyry with an EPC agreement to deliver a tall oil plant for a bioproduct mill being built in Äänekoski, Finland. The assignment covers the total delivery of a tall oil plant, consisting of the design, procurement and delivery of main and auxiliary equipment. The approximately two-year project has started in October 2015.

The tall oil plant is the largest single-line plant delivered by Pöyry, with a capacity of 10 t/h of tall oil. The plant is based on Pöyry's patented HDS^® technology. Pöyry has delivered more than 20 plants based on the same technology in Europe, China, the United States and Canada, with two projects currently in progress in Finland. The plant combines high yields and usability with low operating costs. It produces a high-quality crude tall oil which, after processing, can be used in various applications. 

"The crude tall oil is an important product in the bioproduct mill. We have good experiences of HDS^® technology in other Metsä Fibre mills and we believe that we can maximise the tall oil production in a cost effective way with the solution chosen," says Timo Merikallio, director of the bioproduct mill project. Metsä Fibre is a part of the Metsä Group.

"We are proud that Metsä Fibre selected Pöyry as the tall oil plant supplier for its next-generation bioproduct mill. This shows the trust in Pöyry's ability to tailor its technology according to customers' requirements," says Ilkka Heikkilä, regional director of Pöyry's Energy business group in Finland.

The value of the assignment will not be disclosed. The order will be recognised within the Energy business group's order stock for Q4 in 2015.

Additional information from:

Ilkka Heikkilä

Regional director, Energy business group, Finland

Tel. +358 1033 24268

Anja Silvennoinen

President, Energy business group

Tel. +358 1033 49018

Pöyry is an international consulting and engineering company. We serve clients globally across the energy and industrial sectors and provide local services in our core markets. We deliver management consulting and engineering services, underpinned by strong project implementation capability and expertise. Our focus sectors are power generation, transmission & distribution, forest industry, chemicals & biorefining, mining & metals, transportation and water. Pöyry has an extensive local office network employing about 6,000 experts. Pöyry's net sales in 2014 were EUR 571 million and the company's shares are quoted on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki (Pöyry PLC: POY1V).

IKEA, the DIY furniture giant, awarded the prestigious Tulip Award 201 5 to the Burgo Group this year. Very popular among the countless suppliers of the Swedish multi national, the Tulip Award confirms Burgo’s outstanding performance in the field of environmental sustainability and safety.

An important recognition, obtained thanks to the success of the unanno unced audit conducted at the  paper mill in Verzuolo (Cuneo), which showed a significant upward  trend in Burgo’s performance, full compliance with the strict standards imposed by Ike a, and great eagerness to welcome the inspectors in charge of the audit, providing them with all the necessary assistance.

Burgo Group is among the suppliers of the paper used to print the popul ar IKEA catalogue, paper that is produced in Italy at the factories in Verzuolo, Villorba, Duino and Sora, and in Belgium by Burgo Ardennes. All of these manufacturing plants are subjected to routine inspections, in order to ensure compliance with environmental and safety standards. In the ca se of Verzuolo though, as pointed out in the caption of the award, it was the first audit carried out at a paper manufacturer without notice, precisely to verify the environmental conditions and ge neral safety of the plant, with a surprise visit.

"Customer audits are a strong motivation for us to pursue a path of continued improvement", says Raffaele Marinucci, General Manager of the paper mill in Verzuolo ( Cuneo). "The Ikea Tulip Award is proof that the perseverance and efforts of the mill in Verzuolo to comply with the strict parameters imposed by the customer have led us to remarkable achieve ments, thanks also to the fruitful cooperation between workers Division".

Burgo Group is one of the leading European manufacturers of graphic and special paper, and adopts a responsible approach in its manufacturing strategies. For this reason, it is actively committed to implementing Quality, Environmental and Health & Safety Polices, and its achievements have led it to obtain important recognition for its products and manufacturing processes. In fact, Burgo is certified with ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:200 4, EMAS, FSC®, PEFC™ and Ecolabel.

www.burgogroup.com

Paper Consumption to Rise 4.9% to 2020

Latest research and analysis by IndustryEdge demonstrates that Australia's consumption of paper and paperboard will increase by a total 4.9% over the five years to 2020. The 157,000 tonne increase in consumption is reported in the 24th annual edition of the Pulp & Paper Strategic Review, which has just been published by IndustryEdge.

However, that aggregate consumption increase is not uniform across the major grades of paper and paperboard. Indeed, almost all forecast growth will be provided by increased consumption of packaging and industrial papers and printing and communication papers.

For the first time, the Strategic Review includes forecasts for consumption and demand in New Zealand, as well as Australia and also includes new 'snapshot' graphics for each major sector for both Australia and New Zealand (see below).

Over the same five year period, New Zealand's aggregate consumption will grow 4.3%. As with Australia, consumption growth will not be uniform across the paper grades, with Packaging and industrial papers again set to dominate.

To examine a sample of the Strategic Review, as well as the full Table of Contents and Lists of Charts and Tables, click here

The Strategic Review includes, for the first time, 'key point' graphics to give you a rapid snapshot of all major sectors for both Australia and New Zealand.

Beijing: Voith has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Shandong Huatai Paper Co., Ltd., one of the largest paper manufacturers in China.

The signing of the agreement was witnessed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during her visit to China. Under the framework agreement, Huatai Paper and Voith will strengthen their cooperation in a number of areas in the next five years, including the upgrade of existing production lines, the expansion of R&D activities, and the implementation of Industrie 4.0, which will be supported by a total investment of RMB 840 million from Huatai (approx. €120 million).

Huatai Paper is the world’s largest newsprint manufacturer, operating six newsprint production lines with a total annual output of 1.8 million tons. The five-year partnership with Voith will involve improvement of five newsprint production lines and an increased capacity for the production of graphic paper and packaging paper, as well as the establishment of a joint R&D center focused on papermaking. Huatai will also work with Voith to adopt “Papermaking 4.0”, a concept modeled on Industrie 4.0 to achieve smart manufacturing in the papermaking process. Introduced by Voith, Papermaking 4.0 is well aligned with China’s efforts to upgrade and transform key manufacturing sectors, including paper, steel, and nonferrous metal, as outlined by the recently released “Made in China 2025” plan.

“Voith has long been a reliable supplier and partner for Huatai Paper. We are pleased to expand our partnership, which will facilitate our long-term development by addressing our top priorities, including transformation, R&D, the smart manufacturing,” said Jianhua Li, Chairman of the Board of Huatai Group, at the signing ceremony.

“As a global provider of technology and industrial services, the Voith Group is committed to suppporting our customers around the world to achieve sustainable business growth. The strategic partnership aims to capitalize on the emerging opportunities in China’s paper market with our combined energies,” said Hubert Lienhard, President and CEO of Voith Group, and Chairman of the Asia Pacific Committee of German Business (APA). He is heading the business delegation led by Chancellor Merkel during her China visit.

For Voith, this contract is another milestone in the Chinese paper market. In the last decade, Voith has delivered the worldwide largest, most modern and most efficient paper machines to Chinese customers. Today, Voith Paper City, located in Kunshan, is the largest production site for paper machines in the Voith Group. From here, Voith serves paper customers all over China and the Asia Pacific Region. Over the last five years, Voith has been investing over €200 million in this location.

Huatai Paper is a flagship company of Huatai Group, which recorded RMB 52.1 billion in annual sales in 2014. Huatai Group has been among China’s top 500 companies for six consecutive years, according to an annual list compiled by Fortune Magazine’s China Edition. It is also among the world’s top 100 pulp and paper manufacturers, according to RISI, a leading provider of information for the global pulp and paper industry. In 2014, Huatai Group was ranked No 10 among the top 100 companies in China’s light industry and No 1 in the category of papermaking.

Voith Paper is a division of the Voith Group and the leading partner to and pioneer in the paper industry. Through constant innovations, Voith Paper is optimizing the paper manufacturing process, focusing on developing resource-saving products to reduce the use of energy, water, and fibers. Furthermore, Voith Paper offers a broad service portfolio for all sections of the paper manufacturing process.

Voith sets standards in the markets energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, Voith employs more than 39,000 people, generates € 5.3 billion in sales, operates in about 50 countries around the world and is today one of the largest family-owned companies in Europe.

Valmet will deliver a pulp cooking plant to Siam Cellulose Co., Ltd's Ban Pong pulp mill in Ratchaburi, Thailand. The mill will produce 70,000 ton per year of eucalyptus pulp, and the start-up of the new cooking plant is scheduled to be in December 2016.

The order is included in Valmet's fourth quarter 2015 orders received. The value of the order will not be disclosed.

"This will be our third cooking system from Valmet within 5 years, and after this Ban Pong installation, all our pulp production units in Thailand will have the same CompactCooking G2 system. The efficient utilization of raw material is vital from sustainability perspective and the pulp properties are excellent for our paper and packaging products," says Surasak Amawat, Managing Director, at Siam Cellulose Co., Ltd.

"We are very pleased to continue our successful cooperation with Siam Cellulose. The new cooking plant will replace the existing tube digesters and will utilize the raw material more efficiently, improve pulp quality, save chemicals and all in all improve the environmental performance of the mill", says Patrik Lidbäck, Sales Manager at Valmet.

Details about the delivery

The Valmet developed two-vessel CompactCooking G2 system has several benefits. It mainly consists of an ImpBin for impregnation and a digester for cooking of chips and is characterized by its simple, yet sophisticated design, a flexible system that is easy to operate. The ImpBin technology with its unique features enables higher kappa level still with low reject content. Using a 2-vessel design ensure well defined impregnation as well as cooking zones. Effective impregnation in combination with the benefits of the CompactCooking process produce pulps with high yield and excellent pulp quality.

Valmet has a long standing customer relationship with Siam Cellulose. This is the third CompactCooking system delivered to Siam Cellulose's mills in Thailand.

About the customer Siam Cellulose Co., Ltd. (SCL)

Siam Cellulose is a subsidiary of SCG Packaging and a leading producer of eucalyptus based pulp. SCG Packaging is the largest integrated paper and corrugated containers producer in ASEAN.

For further information, please contact:

Patrik Lidbäck, Sales Manager, Pulp and Energy Business Line, Valmet tel. +46 70 715 47 16.

Anil Purankar, Vice President, Pulp & Energy Business Line, Asia Pacific, Valmet tel. +66 81 723 6085.

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. Valmet's vision is to become the global champion in serving its customers.

Valmet's services cover everything from maintenance outsourcing to mill and plant improvements and spare parts. The strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bio-energy production. Valmet's advanced automation solutions range from single measurements to mill wide turnkey automation projects.

Valmet's net sales in 2014 were approximately EUR 2.5 billion. Our 12,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd.