June 2015 - Page 2 of 22

Research project to make lignin carbon fibre possible

Södra - together with Innventia and seven other organisations - has been awarded an EU research project that aims to increase investments in development for manufacturing carbon fibre-reinforced plastic composites from kraft lignin. This initiative is of great significance in terms of access to bio-based products in a future bioeconomy. In brief, the research project involves manufacturing carbon fibre-reinforced plastic composite with good performance and at a lower price than is currently the case. Lignin from wood is used as the main carbon fibre raw material.

Rottneros launches Bulk Booster which increases carton board bending stiffness by 30 percent without increasing weight

Swedish pulp manufacturer Rottneros newly developed High Yield Pulp for carton board, Bulk Booster, has been well received at several major board manufacturers. The product is already used in the commercial manufacturing of board qualities for packaging, and in a number of specialty applications. Bulk Booster has been developed by Rottneros Bruk during the last year, and has been tested at full commercial scale at several carton board manufacturers. The product is a High Yield Pulp, which is produced in Rottneros Bruk's unique production lines.

Voith to Rebuild Parenco’s PM 2 for Production of Testliner and Medium Grades

Voith said that it will deliver a comprehensive rebuild of the stock preparation and PM 2 at Parenco's paper mill in Renkum, Netherlands. The contract includes a renovation of the plant as well. The contract followed a 10-month pre-engineering project, Voith said PM 2, a newsprint machine, was idled in 2009 due to a weak newsprint market. Voith will convert the machine to produce packaging paper grades.

Walmart Asking Suppliers for Inventory, Warehouse Fees

Walmart has begun asking most of its suppliers for fees to cover the costs of carrying inventory and use of its warehouses and distribution centers, in an effort to cover those costs and apply the fees more uniformly. The fees cover 10,000 of the company’s 11,000 U.S. suppliers. Those exempted include providers of things like liquor and perishable items such as produce and flowers, which are treated differently by regulations.

Crude-oil prices slump as Greek crisis pummels markets

June 29, 2015
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Crude-oil prices slumped on Monday as investors sought refuge from financial markets that have been pummeled by the financial crisis in Greece. The Greek government has shut down the banking system for six days as it tries to buy yet more time to resolve its five-year debt crisis. The move puts Greece closer than ever to an exit from the euro, raising doubts about the future of the common currency itself. While there is no direct impact on oil markets, analysts said that the uncertainty is having a knock-on effect in most financial assets. The dollar USDEUR, +0.4835% strengthened against the euro and some other major currencies, which makes crude more expensive for non-U.S. buyers.

Sonoco-Alcore to Increase Paperboard Prices in Europe

Sonoco-Alcore S.a.r.l. today announced it will raise prices by €50 per metric ton on all recycled paperboard grades sold throughout mainland Europe. The price change is effective with shipments on or after 20th July 2015. "This price increase is in response to rising material and manufacturing costs," said Phil Woolley, Director, Paper Europe, noting that the price change excludes Italy, where the Company implemented a similar price change effective 15th June.

Gannett Completes Company Split to Move Forward as the Nation’s Largest Local-to-National Media Company

Gannett Co., Inc. [NYSE:GCI] has completed the previously announced spin-off transaction, creating two publicly traded companies. The new Gannett, the largest and most diversified publishing company with a portfolio of 92 domestic media markets, Newsquest, a leading UK regional news publisher and our flagship national brand USA TODAY, is led by chief executive officer Robert Dickey, former president of the Gannett U.S. Community Publishing Division.

Wiley Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2015 Results

Fourth quarter revenue of $442 million, up 2% on a constant currency basis. Fiscal year revenue of $1,822 million, up 4% on a constant currency basis Percent of full-year revenue from digital products and services increased to 60% from 55% for the prior year. Percent of full-year revenue from print books declined to 25% Fourth quarter adjusted EPS of $0.81, up 17% on a constant currency basis. Fiscal year adjusted EPS of $3.26, up 10% on a constant currency basis Fiscal Year 2016 outlook of low-single-digit revenue growth and flat EPS growth on a constant currency basis and excluding the adverse transitional impact of shifting to time-based journal subscription agreements

PEFC’s 2015 Collaboration Fund set to have a Global Impact

This year, PEFC’s Collaboration Fund has gone truly global, with the winning projects coming from all four corners of the world. “It’s the first year in the Collaboration Fund’s five year history that we’ve had such well-developed proposals full of ambitious and innovative ideas come in from all around the world,” said Sarah Price, Head of Projects and Development at PEFC International, following the announcement of the winning projects at a PEFC members event in London. “It is with great pleasure that we announce our 2015 support to projects in Portugal, Guiana Shield & Amazon, Indonesia and Ghana. Collectively the projects will support smallholder accessibility to PEFC certification, expand our global representation and deepen scientific understanding of carbon stocks in managed tropical forests,” Ms. Price concluded.

DS Smith Announces Agreement to Buy Grupo Lantero’s Corrugated Business

DS Smith today announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire the corrugated business of Grupo Lantero, including several operations in which DS Smith currently has a minority holding. The total consideration, including the assumption of debt, is expected to be about EUR 190 million, subject to closing adjustments. The deal is being financed from existing cash resources and is expected to deliver a return on invested capital above our cost of capital in the second year of ownership, DS Smith said.