Week of 19 November 2018: Strategic Politics

I have been saying for some time that major capital projects often have a large political component to them. Throughout my career, this has been true to a certain extent, in the modern age with animation and graphical availability available to everyone, it is become even more the norm rather than the exception...

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Patent Applications and Patents

Cleaning and Conditioning of Dryer Fabrics

Dryer fabric contamination can affect sheet handling, threading, and drying rate -- as well as creating sheet defects and/or sheet breaks.

Deflection analysis for optimum creping performance

The limitations of tissue production at the doctor blade are determined by the weakest point of the sheet blade interface. This is the point where the sheet will break, corrugate, pick or tear causing the machine slow down to run. To optimize your tissue machine, periodic doctor blade alignment is usually made, however, very few machines have also performed a Deflection Analysis.

Watch this humanoid robot install drywall

Free Pumpkin Carving Patterns and Stencils

[Adv.] CR Meyer & Sons

MIT expert: Carbon-neutral biomass 'accounting fraud'

It takes more than 30 tractor-trailer loads of wood a day to feed Nova Scotia Power's Port Hawkesbury biomass plant when it's running.

Smurfit Kappa's Van Mierlo plant celebrates centenary

Smurfit Kappa's Van Mierlo plant in Belgium is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

Where is Jim this week?

As I travel, I am always looking for someone to go to dinner with, share a barbeque sandwich lunch and so forth.

Kimberly-Clark to call off European tissue sale

Sale attracted some private equity interest but offers were well below $1.2bn target.

Orchids raises going-concern doubt, Chapter 11 option

he leaders of struggling Orchids Paper Products say they have substantial doubts about their ability to restructure the company's debts or strike a sale agreement that would satisfy their bankers. As a result, a bankruptcy filing is now a real possibility for the maker of paper towels, tissues and napkins.

Georgia-Pacific Completes $100-Million Facility in Talladega, Alabama

Georgia‐Pacific celebrated the official start of production at its newest lumber facility in Talladega, Alabama.

Canfor to Acquire Majority Interest in VIDA Group of Sweden

Canfor Corporation announces that it has entered into an agreement to purchase 70% of the VIDA Group of Sweden.

Natural gas shortage in B.C. could last all winter

Catalyst Paper, which operates pulp and paper mills in Crofton, Port Alberni and Powell River, is preparing for the worst. The company already uses biomass to supply over 90 per cent of the mills' steam needs, but uses natural gas in its kilns and as a backup in its boilers.

Wisconsin GOP lawmakers hold hearing on $70 million deal for Kimberly-Clark but are short of votes

Republican lawmakers acknowledged Wednesday they remain short of votes for a $70 million incentive package for Kimberly-Clark Corp. as incoming Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said legislators should have resolved the issue long ago.

DS Smith wins conditional EU approval for $2.2 billion Europac buy

DS Smith gained EU antitrust approval on Wednesday for its 1.9-billion-euro ($2.2 billion) purchase of Spanish rival Europac after agreeing to sell production plants in Portugal and France.

Huhtamaki invests Euro 7 million in operations in Russia

Huhtamaki is investing approximately EUR 7 million in its fiber packaging operations in Russia to facilitate further growth.

Södra to acquire Bergvik Skog's forest holding in Latvia

Södra is acquiring Bergvik Skog AB's forest holding in Latvia. The total area is 111,100 hectares, of which 80,300 comprise forest land.

Canfor to Acquire Elliott Sawmilling Co., Inc.

Canfor Corporation announces it has entered into an agreement to purchase Elliott Sawmilling Co., Inc. located in Estill, South Carolina.

Kimberly-Clark tax break bill to get hearing, vote uncertain

A $100 million tax break bill designed to keep paper products giant Kimberly-Clark Corp. from closing an Appleton-area plant will get a public hearing in the Legislature, but approval remains uncertain.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö inaugurates new parchment paper production line in Saint-Séverin, France

Ahlstrom-Munksjö is increasing parchment paper production capacity and is inaugurating a new production line in Saint-Séverin in France.

DS Smith named UK Packaging Company of the Year

DS Smith has been awarded the title of UK Packaging Company of the Year at the UK Packaging Awards.

Are you struggling to fill Maintenance Technician roles?

According to the BLS, "Overall employment of industrial machinery mechanics, machinery maintenance workers, and millwrights is projected to grow 7 percent from 2016 to 2026." If you're like most U.S. manufacturers today, these resources are extremely challenging to find, hire, and retain. What is your strategy?

Essity awarded for innovation and sustainability

Essity has won the awards 'Technical Innovation of the Year' for Tork EasyCube® and 'Best Practice - Sustainability' at the 2018 European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards.

Northern Pulp admits it is likely to miss 2020 effluent deadline

'We are at risk of missing the timelines by a few months,' Paper Excellence executive says.

Smurfit Kappa Listed on Ethibel Sustainability Index for 5th Consecutive Year

Smurfit Kappa has been reconfirmed as a member of the Ethibel Sustainability Index for the 5th year in a row, demonstrating its continued best-in-class approach to sustainability.

USG Corporation Recognized as Top Workplace by the Detroit Free Press and the San Diego Union-Tribune

USG received these awards as a result of its employees' responses to a survey about company leadership, communication, career opportunities, working environment, managerial skills, pay and benefits.

West Fraser announces production reduction at Fraser Lake and Quesnel sawmills in British Columbia

West Fraser says it will permanently curtail approximately 300 million board feet of combined lumber production at its Fraser Lake and Quesnel sawmills in British Columbia, Canada.

P&G Thinks Inside the Box with New Tide Eco-Box

New bag-in-box designed for eCommerce ships Liquid Tide more efficiently.

Smurfit Kappa receives top listing for global CSR activity for fifth consecutive year

Smurfit Kappa has been named European Supplier of the Year by 3M, the global science and innovation company behind leading brands including Scotch, Command and Post-it.

2018 AF&PA Sustainability Award Winners Announced at Annual Meeting

Five member companies recognized for outstanding sustainability projects.

Stora Enso introduces new sustainable RFID tag technology ECO for intelligent packaging

Stora Enso launches a new sustainable RFID tag technology called ECO™ by Stora Enso, designed for intelligent packaging functionalities in supply chain, retail and e-commerce applications.

WestRock Honored for Design Excellence by Paperboard Packaging Council

Company Receives 12 Awards at Annual Paperboard Packaging Competition, Including Inaugural Digital Application of the Year Award.

Catching up with University of Washington BSE Senior Daaniya Iyaz

Paperitalo Publications was able to catch up with Daaniya Iyaz, a senior in the program. Miss Iyaz is from Sammamish, Washington, and we asked her a few questions about her experiences at UW.

Catching up with UWSP Paper Science and Engineering Senior Katie Ebelt

Paperitalo Publications was able to catch up with Katie Ebelt, a senior in the program. Miss Elbelt is from Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and we asked her a few questions about her experiences at UWSP.

Catching up with N.C. State Paper Science and Engineering Senior Kat Santoro

Close to 200 students are enrolled in the N.C. State Paper Science and Engineering program, and Paperitalo Publications was able to catch up with Kat Santoro, a senior in the program who is also pursuing the Process Control certificate.

The Light Green Machine Institute

Ideas you can use now.

A passion for cars

I'm convinced kids should learn to drive as early as possible in order to develop the muscle memory for routine tasks behind the wheel. Also, we should put our kids in the safest vehicles we can afford. These may or may not be the coolest ones on the road. Probably not.

Capital Arguments for November 2018

Check out TALOtech groups on LinkedIn

The purpose of the TALOtech groups on LinkedIn is to provide a convenient forum for people working within the manufacturing part of this industry to share technical and operating related dialog to promote safe and competitive operations.

Five Reasons Why Your Estate Plan Needs Paper

No one likes to think about death, but everyone should. We're all going to die someday. So why not greet the end of life with peace of mind, knowing that your estate plan is well organized and easy to find by those you leave behind?

Paper and Wood Products Make Modern Life Possible

Our modern society is one that increasingly relies on technology for everyday life, work and study, yet the desire and benefits of paper and wood-based products remains consistent.

Hard-Working Employees Drive Forest Product Industry Success

The forest product industry directly employs approximately 950,000 men and women and supports more than twice that many derivative jobs in supplier industries and local communities. While the industry lost jobs during the Great Recession, our manufacturers have been adding jobs in recent years as the economy expands.

Free and Fair Trade Critical to U.S. Pulp and Paper Industry

During National Forest Products Week, we underscore the importance of free and fair trade to our industry.

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September 2018

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August 2018

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Energy & the Environment News

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