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06.21.2012
The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) welcomes the government’s acceptance into negotiations to reach a Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) aimed at reaching a free trade deal with a group of important markets including Australia, Vietnam and Peru. Canadian forest companies recognize the need to deepen trade relations with these lucrative and growing consumer markets.
Increased exports are also essential for the forest products industry to reach its Vision2020 goal of generating an additional $20 billion in economic activity from new innovations and growing markets
“Growing our exports to overseas markets is vital to our Vision and the future prospects of Canada’s forest products sector,” says Catherine Cobden, the President and CEO of FPAC. “We applaud the government’s commitment to freeing up trade with this wide range of countries.”
Exports of forest products from Canada are now worth $26.4 billion. Canada has a trade surplus in forest products of $17.2 billion, second only to oil and gas.
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06.21.2012
Holmen TRND is an uncoated, matt paper with high bulk and stability. The raw, tough surface gives magazines attitude, while text and images get a boost from the excellent printability of the paper.
We are very happy to be introducing this product today. Holmen TRND is an exciting paper for those who dare to challenge the traditional paper selection and stick out. With the introduction of Holmen TRND, we fill a need in the market for magazine paper with a bit more attitude, says Tommy Wiksand, Sales and Development Director at Holmen Paper.
Holmen TRND comes in the base weights 60, 70 and 80 grams and in the colours white and vintage- a warm nuance that gives another exciting dimension to the expression of the magazine.
TRND is suitable for offset printing and can be delivered in widths up to 2 750 mm.
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06.21.2012
Metsä Group will invest EUR 15 million in developing the production process at the Joutseno pulp mill. With Metsä Group’s product and process development work, the world’s largest single-line softwood pulp mill, located in Joutseno, Finland, will adopt a new pulp manufacturing process – polysulphide cooking. Polysulphide technology has never been applied on such a large scale before.
With the investment, Metsä Group will launch a new kind of softwood pulp on the market, which will improve customers’ cost-efficiency and the technical properties of the final products: paper and board.
”The investment will strengthen Metsä Group's position in the global softwood pulp market further, as we will be launching a unique product that improves the competitiveness of our customers. At the same time, we will increase the production capacity of our mill by almost 10 per cent and improve the efficiency of production. The investment is proof of the vitality of the Finnish forest industry,” says Ismo Nousiainen, Senior Vice President, Production at Metsä Fibre.
The main equipment will be supplied by Andritz Oy. Construction will begin in the autumn 2012, and the process will be commissioned in the summer 2013.
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06.21.2012
Citing strong response to is debut May issue of Design Hunting, New York magazine says it will publish March and September 2013 issues. The launch issue included 74 ad pages, and the overwhelming majority (74%) represented clients that were new to the New York brands.
The company says that the issue’s mix of aspirational design examples and practical resource guides fill a need in the shelter category. The advertising in the debut issue was a blend of domestic and global brands as well as local resources, showrooms and merchants.
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06.21.2012
Norske Skog will invest NOK 220 million in an expansion and renewal of the thermo-mechanical pulp plant at Norske Skog Saugbrugs in Halden. The old pulp plant will be replaced by a modern facility, which will supply pulp to the paper machines at a much lower cost than today.
The cost savings consist mainly of lower energy and pulp consumption and lower maintenance costs. Increased use of wood pulp in the paper will also result in improved quality. Enova has pledged support of NOK 50 million, because of the considerable energy savings from the project. Start-up of the pulp plant will take place during spring 2014.
Investments in the new pulp plant will give increased competitiveness. We do this in order to be able to maintain operations at Saugbrugs, says President and CEO in Norske Skog, Sven Ombudstvedt.
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06.21.2012
The first Rio Earth Summit in 1992 challenged business to follow a more sustainable path; to create more value using less raw materials and with less environmental impact. UPM picked up that gauntlet and today our paper is more than it used to be. Our Economist case study shows why.
“Now, 20 years on from Rio, we decided to look back and ask ourselves the question just how much have we achieved in that time,” says Jyrki Ovaska, President of UPM Paper.
UPM chose The Economist, an internationally renowned news and business publication, as a real life example to illustrate the progress. The Economist has, almost exclusively, been produced on UPM paper for those 20 years.
The study showed that in the production of paper used for The Economist 90 percent less fossil carbon emissions are now released, 35 percent less water is used and the amount of production waste to landfill has declined by an incredible 90 percent compared to 1992. These impressive results are complemented by the share of PEFC certified fibre used in that paper rising from zero to 100 percent and the producing mills being awarded the EU Ecolabel in 2007.
“Using this example allowed us to paint an accurate picture of how much the environmental footprint of the paper used for that particular publication has changed since the first Rio Earth Summit. We even surprised ourselves with the impressive results,” Päivi Salpakivi-Salomaa, UPM’s Vice President, Environment continues.
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06.21.2012
Cox Target Media has completed its acquisition of Savings.com, including its sister site, London-based Savoo.co.uk as a wholly owned subsidiary. Savings.com joins Valpak as a Cox Target Media company.
Savings.com is a leading online source for savings, personalized deals and the most knowledgeable money-savings experts online through its DealPro community. Valpak offers localized print and digital savings fueled by a network of franchisees in communities across North America. Through this acquisition, Cox Target Media substantially expands its business across traditional, digital, social and mobile platforms to solve unmet marketing industry needs.
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06.21.2012
Kohl’s Department Stores today announced that the company will expand its solar program by nearly 25 percent in 2012, installing solar panels at approximately 30 additional Kohl’s locations. While some of the new solar sites will be in states such as California, Connecticut and Maryland where Kohl’s already has a solar presence, additional sites will be located in new solar states for Kohl’s, including Massachusetts, New York and Ohio. On average, the solar panels will supply 20 to 50 percent of each store’s energy. Construction of the solar panel arrays on the first phase of stores began this spring. Once the installations are complete by the end of 2012, Kohl’s expects to have more than 150 solar locations across 13 states.
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06.20.2012
MeadWestvaco Corp., a global leader in packaging and packaging solutions, introduced Shellpak®Renew, a new package designed to meet patient and pharmacist needs. The package, which will launch at more than 3,600 Walmart pharmacies this summer, features a tear-resistant, recyclable outer carton, an easy-slide blister and an integrated calendar for patients to easily track their medications.
“Medications prepackaged in Shellpak Renew make dispensing medications quicker and easier so that our pharmacists can spend more time counseling our patients, including providing instructions on how to take their medications,” said Sandy Kinsey, vice president, Pharmacy Merchandising at Walmart Stores. “In addition, the calendarized packaging helps reinforce to our customers how to take their medications safely and effectively for the best outcome.”
The development of Shellpak Renew is part of MWV’s long-standing commitment to further awareness and solutions for poor medication adherence. Research shows that half of all patients in the U.S. today do not take their medicines as prescribed. Poor medication adherence can lead to worsening of disease, serious and avoidable health risks, increased hospitalizations and even death. The annual cost of non-adherence in the U.S. is estimated to be $290 billion, representing 13% of total healthcare expenditures.1
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06.20.2012
FetterGroup (Louisville, KY) is the first U.S. company to purchase a new Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 75 Anicolor press in a seven-color configuration with aqueous coater. The press will be used in the production of uniquely sized decorative labels for FetterGroup’s growing list of clients in several highly regulated markets. The company also provides services to the distilled spirits, wine, healthcare and specialty consumer packaged goods industries.
Fetter’s decision to purchase the Speedmaster XL 75 Anicolor machine bespeaks its long habit of investing in state-of-the art technology for the benefit of its customers. In terms of the company’s production metrics, for example,
“Labels are a significant part of FetterGroup’s overall business,” said Ted Hagler, executive vp, operations. “Over time, we’ve seen our average sheet count fall and our waste increase. It wasn’t a sustainable proposition. Existing alternative production platforms don’t favor the full scope of the work we do, and when we factored in all of the product requirements, economics, and unique needs, we knew we had to look in a different direction.”
The company works primarily with 60- and 70-lb. one-side coated, C2S and metallized stocks. It had been quality-testing Heidelberg’s small-format Speedmaster XL 52 Anicolor for some time with excellent results, but needed the medium-sized format of the XL 75 to accommodate the size and quantity of the labels it runs.
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06.20.2012
R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company today announced that it has been recognized as the 2011 Sears Canada Inc. Partner in Progress for Specialty Services Supplier of the Year in honor of its performance in supporting Sears Canada with catalog and other printing, logistics and related services. Partners in Progress awards are granted to the top one percent of Sears Canada's suppliers and RR Donnelley was one of only three providers to Sears Canada honored with a Category Supplier of the Year award.
"Being named a Partner in Progress reflects your commitment to be the best in your industry and your ability to achieve at a high level," stated Calvin McDonald, President & CEO of Sears Canada Inc.
"The catalogs and other projects that RR Donnelley produces for us help to carry the Sears Canada brand to our customers," said Enza Marrella, Sears Canada's Director, Print Operations and Distribution. "These catalogs and other communications play an important role in bringing consumers to our stores and website, so we are demanding about the standards of their quality and are pleased to be able to count on RR Donnelley to deliver."
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06.20.2012
Adobe Systems Incorporated today reported financial results for its second quarter of fiscal year 2012 ended June 1, 2012.
Second Quarter Financial Highlights
•Revenue in Q2 FY2012 was $1.124 billion, which represents 10 percent year-over-year growth
•Diluted earnings per share were $0.45 on a GAAP-basis, and $0.60 on a non-GAAP basis.
•Operating income was $305.1 million and net income was $223.9 million on a GAAP-basis. Operating income was $404.4 million and net income was $299.6 million on a non-GAAP basis.
•Deferred revenue grew by $43.9 million quarter-over-quarter to a total of $592.8 million.
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06.20.2012
The American Forest & Paper Association released its May 2012 U.S. Paperboard Report today. Total boxboard production decreased by 0.3% compared to May 2011 but increased 2.8% from last month. Unbleached Kraft Folding production increased over the same month last year and increased compared to last month. Total Solid Bleached Boxboard & Liner production increased compared to April 2011 and increased compared to last month. The production of Recycled Folding decreased compared to April 2011 but increased when compared to last month.
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06.20.2012
The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) released its May 2012 U. S. Containerboard Statistics Report yesterday. Containerboard production rose 1.3% over the same month last year and 7.2% compared to April 2012. The month over month average daily production also reflect an increase of 3.7%. The containerboard operating rate for May 2012 gained 3.7 points over April 2012, from 91% to 94.7%.
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06.20.2012
During the past year, ABM, along with other publishers, associations and service providers, has been working with the United States Postal Service on a number of issues relating to delivery, including late delivery of publications, changes in delivery standards, facility consolidations and arrival times at postal facilities.
According to Red Tag News Publications Association, which monitors delivery of approximately 45 daily, weekly, bimonthly and monthly periodical publications, USPS has shown significant improvement in the last six months. Delivery trends for weekly Red Tag member publications include:
•From January 2012 to May 2012 overall delivery improved from 61 percent to 76 percent. •All areas are in the 70 percent and greater range, which is a first time ever event •One area improved delivery 24 percent from January to May. Copies delivered later that one day has decreased from 20 percent in January to 9 percent in May. In August of 2011, 28 percent of the copies were delivered more than one day late (this is a critical number which has a dramatic effect on subscriber satisfaction levels).
The postal service has also released its delivery percentages by postal area for May: Eastern: 78 percent •Northeast: 78 percent •Western: 77 percent •Great Lakes: 76 percent •Capital: 75 percent •Pacific: 73 percent •Southern: 70 percent.
Meanwhile, last week’s PostalVision conference, held in Washington, D.C. by consultancy Ursa Major Associates, looked at the role of the Postal Service in the digital arena. Attendees included digital companies, Postal Service representatives, Postal labor unions, customers and service providers across all classes of mail.
According to WhatTheyThink.com, there were three main takeaways from the event: 1) Congress will never let the USPS go under; (2) USPS can only embrace digital technologies via work share contracts with the private sector and 3) the USPS is still a $50 billion business projected to handle half the world’s mail volume by 2020.
Much of the event focused on the USPS’ opportunity as a platform. Keynote speaker Phil Simon, author of The Age of the Platform; How Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google Have Refined Business,” shared how industry leaders are developing “plan ecosystems” offering features, applications, programs and services which also urge innovations from outside partners and developers.
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06.20.2012
Two major media forecasters, MagnaGlobal and ZenithOptimedia, downgraded their global ad estimates for this year.
MagnaGlobal, New York, said global ad revenue will reach $480.0 billion this year, up 4.8% over last year. That was down slightly from a December forecast of 5.0% growth.
MagnaGlobal attributed the downgrade to Western Europe's “shaky economy.”
In North America, ad spending is expected to reach $165.0 billion this year, up 3.9% over last year and a revision from 3.7% growth MagnaGlobal had predicted in December.
ZenithOptimedia, London, said global ad spending will reach $502.0 billion, up 4.3% over last year. That forecast is down from a projected increase of 4.8% in March.
ZenithOptimedia said global ad spending slowed in April and May as advertisers became cautious about the world economy.
In North America, ad spending will reach $171.2 billion this year, up 3.6%, unchanged from the March forecast.
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06.20.2012
Barnes & Noble, Inc. today reported sales and earnings for its fiscal 2012 fourth quarter and full year ended April 28, 2012. The company also announced that it recently completed the evaluation of its reporting segments and will now report results for a separate “NOOK” operating segment. BN.com, previously a separate reporting segment, will now be included in the Retail segment.
Fourth quarter consolidated revenues increased 0.4% to $1.4 billion as compared to the prior year. The consolidated fourth quarter earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) loss of $11.1 million improved 51% as compared to the prior year. The consolidated fourth quarter net loss improved 3% as compared to the prior year to $57.7 million, or $1.08 per share.
For fiscal 2012, consolidated revenues increased 2% to $7.1 billion as compared to the prior year. Fiscal 2012 consolidated EBITDA increased 5% to $171.4 million. Included in these results are pre-tax legal and settlement-related net expenses of $20.7 million, and $14 million relating to patent litigation with Microsoft, which as announced on April 30, 2012, has been settled. The fiscal 2012 consolidated net loss improved 7% as compared to the prior year to $68.9 million, or $1.41 per share.
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06.20.2012
Today Berry Plastics announced that it has completed the acquisition of the shares of Frans Nooren Beheer B.V. The purchase comprises the Frans Nooren Beheer Companies, notably STOPAQ B.V. and its operating companies. STOPAQ® had revenues of approximately € 23 million for 2011. Berry expects the acquisition to be immediately deleveraging after achieving synergies.
STOPAQ is the inventor and manufacturer of patented visco-elastic technologies for use in corrosion prevention, sealing and insulation applications ranging from pipelines to subsea piles to rail and cable joints. Headquartered in Stadskanaal, The Netherlands, STOPAQ operates a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant, complete with R&D facilities, an anti-corrosion Technology Park, and Centre of Excellence training and exhibition facilities.
Berry Plastics' Corrosion Protection Group is a part of the Company's Engineered Materials Division and has more than 50 years of solid performance in protecting oil, gas, water, wastewater, and insulated pipelines, as well as other metal structures around the world. Berry's corrosion protection brands include Polyken® Pipeline Tape Coatings, Covalence Heat Shrinkable Products, AnodeFlex Long-Line Linear Anode for CP, and Powercrete® Liquid Epoxy Coatings, and now the STOPAQ line of visco-elastic coatings.
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06.20.2012
The Board of Directors in Billerud AB and in Investment AB Kinnevik today announces the combination of Billerud and Korsnäs AB. The new company, BillerudKorsnäs, will become a leading virgin fibre-based packaging materials and packaging solutions company with an annual turnover[1] of approximately SEK 20 billion.
The combination is a natural step to enhance the successful packaging material and packaging solutions businesses of Billerud and Korsnäs with the goal of creating a strong international player within the packaging industry.
Both companies and their respective principal owners estimate a significant synergy potential to be realised within the next few years following the Transaction. Preliminary estimates of the yearly synergy effects amount to approximately MSEK 300.
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06.20.2012
Brent oil dropped for a third day in London on speculation that U.S. supplies may have shrunk less than estimated, while investors awaited the outcome of a Federal Reserve meeting on monetary policy.
Brent futures lost as much as 0.9 percent, while the U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate fell 0.7 percent. An industry report yesterday showed U.S. crude stockpiles fell 550,000 barrels. That decline is less than the 1.3 million forecast by analysts before an Energy Department report. The Fed concludes a two-day meeting in Washington today.
“Energy markets are stuck near the lows” from this week, Ole Hansen, senior manager of trading advisory at Saxo Bank A/S, said by phone from Copenhagen. “Everyone’s sitting on the fence, watching the markets, not prepared to commit themselves at this point.”
Brent crude for August settlement was at $95.50 a barrel, down 26 cents, on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange at 10:30 a.m. local time. The front-month price for the European benchmark contract was at a premium to West Texas Intermediate of $11.45, compared with $11.41 yesterday.
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06.20.2012
Brown Printing Company today announced they have strengthened their distribution offerings by adding Fairrington’s co-mail capabilities to their distribution network. Brown will continue its long standing relationships with Print and Mailing Solutions (PAMS) and Clark Distribution Systems for comprehensive and efficient mail and newsstand consolidation.
Fairrington and PAMS are full-service, single-source, mailing logistics providers while Clark Distribution Systems is a full service, single-source, freight forwarder and consolidator that is the largest distributor of newsstand publications and mass-market books in North America.
"The expanded services only add to our current robust capabilities." said Mike Amundson, Executive Vice President, Catalog and CFO of Brown Printing Company. "As demand for our co-mail capabilities has increased from our customers, we are implementing new and innovative ways to meet those needs."
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06.20.2012
FedEx Corp. today reported earnings of $1.73 per diluted share for the fourth quarter ended May 31, which includes a previously announced $0.26 per diluted share non-cash aircraft impairment charge at FedEx Express. Excluding this charge, earnings were $1.99 per diluted share in the fourth quarter compared to $1.75 per diluted share a year ago.
“FedEx delivered strong earnings results for fiscal 2012 due to the outstanding performance by FedEx Ground, our new value proposition at FedEx Freight and improved yields across all transportation segments,” said Frederick W. Smith, FedEx Corp. chairman, president and chief executive officer. “In fiscal 2013, we will continue our focus on improving our operating efficiencies and our financial performance across all of our businesses, while simultaneously enhancing our service capabilities. We remain absolutely committed to higher earnings, margins, cash flows and returns.”
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06.20.2012
Finch Paper today announces it has been selected by Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta) as one of the first to have its Finch Fine Color Copy and Finch Opaque Digital lines tested and approved for the Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS C8000 Color Digital Press. The paper grades have been added to Konica Minolta’s new Media Guide for commercial printers.
Today’s high-performing production electrophotographic (EP) presses demand high performing papers. Dawn Nye, Product Marketing Manager, Production Print, Konica Minolta, explains. “Times have changed from simply ‘load the paper and hit print.’ Today it’s all about reliability and consistent image quality, and providing paper that performs up to our high standards.”
Several factors, including increasingly higher production speeds, have necessitated closer inspection of substrates to assess their suitability for Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS digital presses. Papers must be well manufactured, run consistently, and generally meet the demands of the press from pick-up and registration through to toner transfer, fusing and exiting the press for post-processing steps.
“Konica Minolta’s approval process includes testing on feed, fusing, jamming, registration, slipping, curling and scratching. By approving the Finch papers, our commercial printers can have a level of comfort and confidence that the paper has been extensively evaluated,” Nye continues.
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06.20.2012
It’s been nearly seven years since Baltimore was last revamped, but an upcoming redesign in August will change that. The makeover, led by the art and editorial teams, will consist of more extensive segments familiar to Baltimore’s readers, a mass of new editorial material and more design components. Much of the new content will focus on expanded events listings and a renewed focus on shopping.
Baltimore’s art director Amanda White-Iseli notes that the motivation for the upgrade is to “enhance [the] reader’s experience.” According to White-Iseli, the magazine will be “easier to navigate,” but will have a larger amount of the content. The magazine’s “Upfront” section will incorporate event listings, book and movie reviews and will have a new focus called “The Launch,” featuring the top five events of the month.
The magazine’s director of marketing Jessie Peterson says Baltimore does “not have plans to expand distribution” with the redesign. “The success of the redesign will be judged accordingly over time,” Peterson says.
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06.20.2012
HGTV Magazine, published by Hearst Magazines in partnership with HGTV, continues its growth with a rate base increase to 700,000 copies effective with the January/February 2013 issue, to be followed by another increase to 800,000 in July 2013. The announcement was made today by Dan Fuchs, chief revenue officer/publisher of HGTV Magazine.
“Based on the fantastic response to the magazine from both consumers and advertisers, we’re thrilled to be increasing our rate base so soon after launching,” Fuchs said. “With the strength of the HGTV brand behind us, we have created a new kind of magazine, home/lifestyle, that is resonating deeply with readers and is building incredible momentum in the marketplace.”
The magazine was introduced with two test issues in October 2011 and January 2012, followed by an official launch issue in June/July 2012. Consumer interest in the home/lifestyle magazine was apparent from the beginning: The first test issue was so successful with consumers that the magazine went back on press to put 135,000 more copies into distribution.
HGTV Magazine’s initial rate base was 450,000, making it one of the largest consumer magazine launches in the past decade. Following the debut issue (June/July), still on newsstands, three more issues will bepublished in 2012—September, October/November and December.
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06.20.2012
While Los Angeles and Toronto have recently moved forward with plastic bag bans, officials in Illinois have gone another way and passed a bill that would ban plastic bag bans and force manufacturers to set up recycling collection sites.
Illinois Senate Bill 3442 calls for an increase of recycling of plastic bags by having manufacturers register with the state by July 1, 2013 and form a plan to collect and recycle the products. The manufacturers can develop plans individually or as a group.
A total of 75% of the state's population must live within 10 miles of plastic carryout bag collection sites by 2014, according to the bill.
The bill, however, doesn't apply to any city with more than 2 million residents. The only city in the state with that large of a population is Chicago, which has 2.6 million residents.
The ban on bag bans also applies to every community with the exception of Chicago. No community can implement a fee on plastic bags either, according to the bill.
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06.20.2012
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., a global provider of content and content-enabled services in areas of research ("STMS"), professional development ("P/T"), and education ("GEd"), today announced results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2012.
Fiscal Year Highlights
Segment Revenue Performance: STMS +2%, P/T -1% and GEd -1%, excluding FX
Free Cash Flow: $260 million, $5 million better than expected. Wiley projected free cash flow for fiscal year 2012 to be $15 million lower than the previous year total of $270 million due to the timing of journal subscription cash collections.
Net Debt and Cash Position: Net debt of $215 million, down from $252 million at the end of fiscal year 2011 and $495 million at the end of fiscal year 2010. Cash and cash equivalents at April 30, 2012 was $260 million.
Fourth Quarter Highlights
Segment Revenue Performance: STMS +2%, P/T +4% and GEd +2%, excluding FX
EPS up 73% to $0.80 due to top line results and a 10% reduction in operating and administrative expenses, excluding FX. The reduction in operating and administrative expenses was mainly due to lower accrued incentive compensation, cost saving initiatives and lower bad debt provisions.
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06.20.2012
The national president of a union representing some employees at the Kruger mill in Corner Brook is calling on workers to accept the company's final offer.
“For two reasons. One, it's an attempt to save the mill. Secondly, it's what we agreed to. It is the pattern, and that's what we said we would do for companies that were in financial trouble,” said Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada president Dave Coles.
Coles said the company’s latest offer is in line with the deal the union negotiated with AbitibiBowater when it was going through bankruptcy.
Coles said that even though the package includes concessions, he is recommending acceptance. He said a new contract won't necessarily save the mill, but the facility does have several things going for it — it has a good workforce and Kruger has kept the plant well maintained.
Coles also said he's hopeful because the provincial government is willing to help even though he doesn't know the details of what's been promised.
The company has given union members until June 22 to vote on the offer.
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06.19.2012
Buckeye Technologies Inc. today announced that on Sunday, June 17, Buckeye’s Florida wood cellulose fibers facility near Perry, Florida, experienced a significant failure of a steam drum on the number 2 paper machine causing damage to multiple drums and structural damage to the paper machine building and structure. Fortunately, there were no injuries to any personnel working in the area. Following the incident, which occurred about 5:20 p.m. EDT, the plant was shut down in an orderly manner. A team at the plant, including contractor resources and structural engineers, immediately began an investigation to determine the root cause of the drum failure. While it is too early to know the extent or timing to return the plant to normal operations, Buckeye management will have more details on the incident later in the week and will provide updates on plans for resuming production.
Buckeye resources are working with all stakeholders including customers, suppliers and employees to manage and minimize the impact of this outage to the supply chain and to operations.
Buckeye Chief Executive Officer John Crowe stated, “Buckeye can and will repair the damage to the number 2 machine and the building. The safety of people is our highest priority, and we are thankful there were no injuries in this significant incident.”
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06.19.2012
Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., the nation’s leading source for identifying Top Doctors, announces the launch of Castle Connolly Top Doctors: Southern California and Castle Connolly Top Doctors: Washington-Baltimore. These new magazine publications are scheduled to hit newsstands on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 and will retail for $9.99. In keeping with Castle Connolly’s mission, these two annual specialty publications are targeted to residents of Southern California and Washington-Baltimore and will aid in helping consumers find the best healthcare in their region.
These new publications promise to be the trusted source in these areas by presenting detailed profiles of the area’s Top Doctors. Castle Connolly Top Doctors: Southern California and Castle Connolly Top Doctors: Washington-Baltimore will include biographical and contact information for the top 10% of all board certified physicians in the Southern California Metro area and Washington-Baltimore area as nominated by their peers and screened by the Castle Connolly physician-led research team. Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. has partnered with The Media Source, a division of Source Interlink Companies, in producing this new publication.
Consumers who purchase Castle Connolly Top Doctors will have access to an online searchable website (www.topdoctorssoutherncalifornia.com and www.topdoctorswashington-baltimore.com) that allows them to learn more about a doctor’s training. This website will allow them to search doctors by location, specialty, special expertise, hospital and insurance plans accepted by those doctors.
Copies will be printed and distributed at quality retailers such as Wal-Mart, Bristol Farms, Safeway/Vons, Airport Transportation Accounts, Target, Ralph’s/Kroger West, Walgreens, Military Accounts and Base Stores, Barnes & Noble and many more.
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06.19.2012
FCL Graphics, a leading North American printer of marketing and direct mail materials, has formed an integrated Media Solutions Group to provide cross-media solutions to marketers. By integrating print and other emerging digital media solutions, clients can produce powerful marketing campaigns that create personalized two-way communications across multiple media channels with their customer bases.
“At FCL Graphics, we are working to help our clients navigate emerging marketing channels and integrate these new channels with their traditional print pieces,” said Michael Ford, president and CEO of FCL Graphics. “The key will be managing multichannel marketing campaigns with a single application. By doing this you can integrate direct mail, email, mobile, web, QR codes, and other media to deliver relevant and personalized messages and track the results of each component of the program.”
“Our main focus is adding value by helping our clients more effectively communicate with their customers by offering cross-media services that help them succeed and do more with less. If we can help increase our customers’ response rates by utilizing multichannel campaigns, it makes all the components of the campaign, including the traditional print pieces, more valuable and profitable,” added Ford.
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06.19.2012
HardingPoorman Group, an innovative, ISO-certified print communications provider, was faced with increasing customer demand for printing on rigid materials. PriscoDigital recommended the combination of a HP Scitex FB700 UV hybrid printer and Caldera GrandRIP, enabling HardingPoorman to eliminate the “print-and-mount” workflow it was using and print directly on a wide variety of rigid materials.
The versatile FB700 also has the ability to print on flexible substrates. Therefore, the company moved virtually all of the work previously being done on its two roll-fed printers to the FB700.
Andy Wheeler, wide-format manager for HardingPoorman, reported that the company can now, “efficiently fill the 98?-wide bed with substrate and produce multiple copies or different jobs at the same time”. In addition, “The continuous feed capability allows us to stage media for printing as the current job is still running.”
“With this new workflow, we’ve increased our wide format job capacity by more than 400 percent,” added Steve Anzalone, Chief Operating Officer of the HardingPoorman. “We can meet our customers’ demand for faster turn-around and still accomplish it with one shift.”
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06.19.2012
Kimberly-Clark Corporation today laid out a bold vision to significantly reduce its Forest Fiber Footprint, including a goal to transition at least 50 percent of wood fiber sourced from natural forests to alternate fiber sources by 2025. By committing to reduce its Forest Fiber Footprint, Kimberly-Clark adds to an already impressive history of leadership in protecting the world's forest resources and ending deforestation globally. This broad, new initiative will help protect biodiversity and reduce the impacts of fiber that the company uses while ensuring the fiber is sourced in an environmentally and socially responsible way. Equally importantly, the initiative will also help insulate the company from continuing volatile price fluctuations in the world fiber market. The announcement was made in conjunction with the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
"We continue to strongly support sustainable forestry where those materials are needed but at the same time we are aggressively exploring high-potential alternatives to the traditional fiber sources used in our industry, while maintaining the high quality standards our customers and consumers have come to expect," says Suhas Apte, Vice President, Global Sustainability for Kimberly-Clark. "In the long run, we hope that one day all of our fiber needs will be met from sources that collectively have maximum land use efficiencies while minimizing impact on people and our planet."
In 2011, the company used nearly 750 thousand metric tons of primary wood fiber sourced from natural forests. With this new commitment, Kimberly-Clark pledges to cut the amount sourced from natural forests in half by 2025, an amount equivalent to the fiber used to manufacture over three and a half billion rolls of toilet paper. In its tradition of innovation and responsibility, the company's initiative includes exploration of alternative sources of fiber for its products.
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06.19.2012
Advertisers may still be reticent about advertising on tablets, but consumers aren’t shy about responding to the ads they do see there. According to the latest study of tablet usage from the Online Publishers Association, 38% of tablet users surveyed said that they made a purchase after having seen that product advertised on their device. The tablet platform is emerging quickly as a remarkable driver of commerce, both on and off the device itself. Almost a third of users (29%) use the tablet to research products, and 23% have clicked through on an ad. And overall the average T-commerce customer spent $359 from their tablets in the last year.
The top categories for tablet purchasing are media and entertainment (purchased by 22% of tablet owners), not surprisingly. After all, in many cases buy buttons in apps from Time's Populist app or Entertainment Weekly are linking to digital downloads or rentals from Apple and Amazon or established relationships with trusted vendors. But just as popular are the retail and apparel buy buttons, which attract 21% of users, followed by consumer electronics (19%) and personal care and beauty (17%).
When it comes to tablet-based product research, however, the categories shift. In the lead are consumer electronics (37%), followed by restaurants and fast food (36%), media and entertainment (35%) and retail and apparel (35%).
Interestingly, context seems to matter when it comes to tablet ad responsiveness. The OPA, which of course represents major branded media like the magazine and newspaper publishers, compared the opinion of tablet advertising among those who buy content on tablets to the general tablet users. In almost all measured attitudes, from finding the ads hard to ignore or eye-catching to regarding them as relevant or a motivation to buy a product, content owners skewed more positively than average. The study also found that the more screens the users managed (such as PC, TV and phone or tablet) the more favorably they viewed tablet advertising. Tablet content owners are also more inclined to click on ads, go to an advertiser’s web site or research or make a purchase.
Magazines are far and away the most common form of non-gaming content that tablet owners pay to consume. The study found 39% of tablet owners had purchased a digital magazine, split evenly between buys of single issues and buyers of digital subscriptions. More than a third (35%) have purchased digital books and 15% bought a digital newspaper. Across the iPad and Android platform, more than a third of Android users say they haven’t spent any money on apps in the last year, while only 21% of iPad users say they haven’t paid for apps. Generally iPad owners are spending more for content. Overall 23% of downloaded apps are fee-based.
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06.19.2012
ELLE today announced that the relaunch of ELLE Accessories, a successful brand extension targeted to young, affluent, female consumers, will hit newsstands September 18th. The magazine, available at select retailers, will have a cover price of $4.95 and will remain on stands for three months. In addition, ELLE Accessories will be packaged with the October 2012 issue of ELLE in top markets nationwide.
“Accessories are fundamental to how ELLE covers fashion,” said Robbie Myers, editor-in-chief, ELLE. “For more than 25 years, ELLE has been a trusted source for the latest fashion and style. ELLE Accessories will bring our accessory-obsessed audience the latest trends, shopping, and news through the varied lenses of our editors.”
Originally launched in 2005, ELLE Accessories was the only national magazine dedicated to accessories. Seven issues were published before the magazine was placed on hiatus in 2008. The 2012 relaunch signals ELLE’s renewed commitment to the accessories space and also serves the huge growth in the accessories market and its relevancy to both consumers and brands alike. $36 billion was spent on accessories in the United States in 2011 and industry experts project this number will grow in 2012.
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06.19.2012
Specialist media group Future today announces the appointment of Simon Wainwright to the newly created role of Market Research Director, with responsibility for driving Future’s consumer insight.
Previously T-Mobile’s Head of Future Propositions, Simon has more than 15 years’ experience in developing market research strategies for some of the UK’s biggest telco and retail operators.
An experienced research professional across the fast-evolving, increasingly digital media landscape, Simon spent four years at T-Mobile, following five years with Tesco, where he rose to head up insight and marketing planning for the retailer’s home entertainment category.
Leading Future’s media insight and reporting to Future Strategic Planning and Development Director Richard Spilsbury, Simon will build the UK-based Market Research unit, developing commercially powerful audience and retail insights.
Richard Spilsbury says: “We are delighted to bring someone of Simon’s calibre and experience in to lead the Market Research team, with a renewed focus on driving audience insight for our brands and our commercial partners. At Future, we cultivate passionate and affluent audiences, many of them hard to reach via other media platforms. Simon knows our products, our markets, and our audiences - and will drive our insight agenda to the next level.”
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06.19.2012
Catalyst Paper today announced that, further to its news release dated June 14, 2012, it has received approval from the Court for additional meetings of its secured and unsecured creditors (the Meetings) to consider the further amended Plan of Arrangement (the Amended Plan) under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act. The Meetings to consider the Amended Plan will be held on June 25, 2012 at 10:00 am for Unsecured Creditors (including holders of Unsecured Notes and General Unsecured Claims) and 11:00 am for First Lien Noteholders at Delta Vancouver Airport Hotel, 3500 Cessna Drive, Richmond, BC.
The Court order provides that all votes (whether in person or by proxy) cast in respect of the previous plan of arrangement at the meetings of secured and unsecured creditors of Catalyst Paper held on May 23, 2012 (the Prior Meetings) will be deemed to be voted as they were voted at the Prior Meetings (in favour of or against, as applicable) the Amended Plan at the Meetings unless revoked. Please see below for information on how to revoke a proxy. The Court order also provides that all cash elections filed in connection with the Prior Meetings will be deemed to be filed in connection with the Meetings unless revoked. Please see below for information on how to revoke a cash election.
The record date for voting at the Meetings is the same as for the Prior Meetings; March 16, 2012.
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06.19.2012
Buckeye Technologies Inc. today announced that it has completed the sale of its Brazilian subsidiary Buckeye Americana Ltda. to Vicunha Participacoes S.A. Net cash proceeds from the sale were $6.4 million. The Company ceased production of cotton cellulose pulp at the Americana, Brazil facility in December 2011, but had continued to operate its waste water treatment facility for the shared industrial site.
Buckeye, a leading manufacturer and marketer of specialty fibers and nonwoven materials, is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The Company currently operates facilities in the United States, Germany and Canada. Its products are sold worldwide to makers of consumer and industrial goods.
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06.19.2012
Oil fell a second day in New York after Greek leaders said they would form a group to renegotiate austerity measures and borrowing costs in Spain increased, threatening economic growth in Europe.
Futures slid as much as 1.2 percent. Evangelos Venizelos, the head of Greece’s Pasok party, said the nation will attempt to renegotiate some terms attached to its bailout. Spain’s borrowing costs surged at its first auction since seeking a bailout. Talks with Iran, OPEC’s second-largest producer, resume today in Moscow over the country’s nuclear program, with U.S. President Barack Obama saying there’s still time for a diplomatic solution.
“The market is still quite worried about the euro zone,” Thina Saltvedt, Oslo-based analyst at Nordea Bank AB, said by phone today. “It is not only Greece but Spain too with the spreads there going wider. The market is driven by high uncertainty currently.”
Oil for July delivery, which expires tomorrow, fell as much as 99 cents to $82.28 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was at $82.97 at 10:37 a.m. London time, paring some of the losses earlier in the day. The more- actively traded August contract dropped 37 cents to $83.23 a barrel today.
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06.19.2012
U.S. advertising spending increased to $32.9 billion in the first quarter, a 2.6% gain compared with the year-earlier period, according to Kantar Media.
Television advertising posted strong overall growth, with a 7.6% gain for the quarter, according to Kantar. Sports programming, particularly National Football League and NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament telecasts, contributed to the 7.4% gain in cable TV spending and the 7.0% gain in network TV spending. Magazine media disappointed once again, falling 3.6% in the first quarter. B2b magazines fell 1.0%.
Separately, WARC, a marketing intelligence service, projected that global ad spending will increase 4.8% this year compared with last year. The gains will come despite weakness in Europe due to strong spending in the U.S., which will be buoyed by election year and Olympic advertising.
WARC projected that spending in the U.S. will increase 4.1% this year. At the same time, European countries will exhibit meager growth or declines, with advertising in France expected to increase 0.6% and in Germany by 0.5%, while Italy is anticipated to post a decline of 3.6%.
Emerging markets, such as China (up 15.5%), Russia (up 14.0%), India (up 9.3%) and Brazil (up 8.9%) are projected to post strong advertising growth this year.
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06.19.2012
Burgo takes additional downtime at its Avezzano site. The company has temporarily stopped coated woodfree paper production on PM 1 due to weak market conditions.
Burgo has again suspended production on the PM 1 at its Avezzano coated woodfree paper mill. A spokesman for the Slc-Cgil trade union reported that the 120,000 tpy machine which had already been standing still from 14 May to 4 June was halted again on 11 June. Now, downtime is said to last two or even three weeks. Burgo did not wish to comment on the matter.
The union spokesman explained that market conditions were difficult due to poor demand and overcapacity and that order activity at Avezzano was still low. It is reportedly unclear what will be Burgo’s next steps at the mill.
Burgo produces coated woodfree paper on two machines at its Avezzano site. PM 2 has an installed capacity of 150,000 tpy and produces coated woodfree paper with higher grammages. PM 1 makes lighter-weight coated woodfree and one-side coated paper in grammages of up to 115g/m².
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06.19.2012
Graphic and sack paper production is still down at Cartiere Cariolaro's mill in Carmignano. According to trade unions and media reports, the Italian company may sell or lease the mill to an Italian paper producer.
Italian paper producer Cartiere Cariolaro's mill in Carmignano di Brenta remains offline in June. The Italian trade union Slc-Cgil reported that production ground to halt in mid-May, and the site's almost 80 workers were placed on leave for an initial period of three months.
Cariolaro operates a paper machine with a production capacity of 50,000 tpy in Carmignano di Brenta. Besides recycled printing and writing paper, its product portfolio also includes sack paper made from recovered fibre to be used in the manufacturing of sacks and paper bags.
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06.19.2012
Fibrek plans to take twelve days of commercial downtime at the Saint-Félicien northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp mill to control the pulp inventory.
Virgin and recycled kraft market pulp manufacturer Fibrek intends to curtail production of northern bleached softwood kraft pulp (NBSK) at the Saint-Félicien pulp mill in the Lac Saint-Jean region, Quebec. The 12 days market-related downtime, starting on 23 June, will impact NBSK production by approximately 12,000 tonnes and should give the company a better control of its pulp inventory, Fibrek reported.
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06.18.2012
Resolute Forest Products today announced that it will indefinitely idle the Mersey newsprint mill located in Brooklyn, Nova Scotia. The facility, owned by Bowater Mersey Paper Company Limited (BMPCL), is a joint venture between Resolute (51%) and the Washington Post (49%). The indefinite idling will be effective on Sunday, June 17, 2012.
"The mill produces newsprint primarily for export markets and is unable to compete due to declining prices in those markets, caused mainly by unfavorable currency fluctuations, stated Richard Garneau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Resolute. "The decision to indefinitely idle production at the facility was difficult as we are mindful of the impact it will have on affected employees and local communities. We have worked diligently with the provincial government, our employees, union leadership and other stakeholders but simply could not overcome the inherent challenges."
The Company remains committed to customer service and delivery of high-quality products and will work closely with customers to ensure a smooth transition.
This indefinite idling will reduce capacity by approximately 250,000 metric tons of newsprint. Approximately 320 employees at the Mersey paper mill, associated woodlands, Oakhill sawmill and Brooklyn Power Corporation will be affected by this action. Resolute will continue to work collaboratively with governments to ensure that impacted employees are provided support during this transition.
The Company is currently assessing the feasibility of selling all of its assets in Nova Scotia, including its private timberlands, the paper mill, sawmill and Brooklyn Power.
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06.18.2012
Due to cost and operating constraints, Domtar will discontinue 9 pt. Reply Card stock items and manufacturing items with final production in July 2012.
All orders on file as of June 14th will be honored. Remaining inventory of 9 pt. Reply Card will be available on a first come first serve basis until fully depleted; existing business rules apply. Domtar Reply Card will continue to be available in 7 pt. stock items and manufacturing items.
Other Domtar Printing Papers products that meet the 9 pt. U.S. Postal Service Regulations are listed below. Please contact your local Midland Paper Representative to discuss alternative options.
Products meeting the 9 pt. postal minimum for caliper: • 80 & 100 lb. Lynx® Opaque Ultra Cover • 110 lb. EarthChoice® Colors Index • 150 lb. EarthChoice® Colors Tag • 80, 100, 130 & 160 lb. Cougar® Cover • 80, 100 & 130 lb. Cougar® Super Smooth Cover
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06.18.2012
Fibrek Inc. today announced that it will be idling the Saint-Félicien mill for 12 days of market-related downtime, starting on June 23, to help control inventory.
The measure will impact production by approximately 12,000 tonnes of northern bleached softwood kraft pulp (NBSK). The Saint-Félicien mill's annual capacity is approximately 375,000 tonnes.
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06.18.2012
The sustainable UPM ForMi biocomposite replaces plastic as the cover material in the mobile phone microscope. A Finnish technology company, KeepLoop, has tested a new pulp based material in the manufacturing of a microscope accessory for mobile phones. KeepLoop has found UPM ForMi material to be extremely competitive.
“The new biocomposite is an excellent material in the injection moulding production. As a cover material it feels clearly softer and warmer than the traditional PC/ABS polymer plastic”, Jaakko Raukola, the founder of KeepLoop, validates.
Cooperation with KeepLoop is significant for UPM because the mobile phone microscope may bring new prospects to the UPM ForMi in consumer electronics and in consumer optics.
”This is an important new launch and a good indication that the range of usage in biocomposites is very extensive. Customers have already used it in furniture manufacturing and in different utility goods. Now we demonstrate that it meets the needs of the electronic industry as well”, the Director of the UPM ForMi business, Stefan Fors, states.
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06.18.2012
Newly awarded certifications from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) join Trend Offset Printing’s existing Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC®) Chain-of-Custody certification to make the privately-held national printing company Tri-Certified to supply environmentally sustainable materials to its customers.
“I’m very pleased that Trend has been able to reach this milestone in its history,” said Trend President Tom Balutis. “I am especially proud of the efforts of our people who made it possible.”
A pioneer in adopting environmentally-friendly practices and programs, Trend Offset Printing first achieved FSC® Certification in 2007 for all three facilities, confirming that through certifying bodies, the FSC®-Certified paper utilized in the plants is part of a trackable “Chain-of-Custody” from the forest to the end user.
An FSC®, SFI or PEFC logo printed on a product is a signal that Trend, the publisher and the reader are collectively in support of sustainable forest management and the protection of our environment.
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06.18.2012
Sandy Alexander, a leading commercial print provider, has unveiled a unique line of original and patented 3D mailers that for the first time leverages one-to-one, variable-data printing.
The line was developed in conjunction with 3D Paper Graphics in Old Saybrook, CT, that specializes in designing 3D mailers. The strategic alliance combines Sandy Alexander’s industry leading one-to-one marketing and variable-data printing capabilities with 3D Paper Graphics’ expertise in designing high quality proprietary and patented paper engineered products. The result is the first-ever line of 3D mailers that are personalized in runs as few as 1,000 pieces.
“The synergies from combining these two unique marketing vehicles will dramatically increase response rates for our clients, beyond even the record rates achieved by one-to-one marketing,” said Mike Graff, CEO and president of Sandy Alexander. “These targeted, creative, one-of--a-kind pieces will breakthrough all of the noise and clutter generated in the marketplace from the unfocused shotgun effect of mass media. These formats will be impossible to ignore, create excitement and compel the recipient to action. We are expecting double digit response rates based on our one-to-one marketing and direct mail experience.”
The initial launch consists of 20 items with whimsical, but descriptive, names such as: scissors starburst, double rotating gears, clutter buster business card presenter, exploding map, and lucky jumpers, to name a few. The launch will be supported with promotional mailings, videos, trade show and association presentations and more. The line complements Sandy Alexander’s other graphic communication services which includes: commercial printing, wide & grand format printing, retail visual merchandising, cross platform marketing, and more.
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06.18.2012
“KFC is trashing rainforests for throw-away packaging like chicken buckets,” notes Greenpeace.
Referring to itself as “the largest independent direct-action environmental organization in the world,” Greenpeace says its new report, “How KFC is Junking the Jungle,” “exposes how KFC, and parent company Yum! Brands, are trashing rainforests critical to endangered tigers, and what the company can do about it.
“The fix is simple: make global paper buying standards that cut out deforestation and rainforest destruction. Plenty of other major companies have already done so,” notes Greenpeace.
The organization points the finger to Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), “exposed many times for wrecking Indonesia’s rainforests and recently for its use of illegal timber—has been confirmed as a supplier to KFC.”
Efforts to gain comments from KFC/Yum! Brands were not successful, but the company’s Web site now includes a sustainability media statement in which a spokesperson says, “60 percent of paper products we purchase are sourced from sustainable forests, and suppliers are moving toward 100 percent.”
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