March 2020 - Midland Paper

4 Shout-Outs to Publishers Doing Their Part During the COVID-19 Outbreak (foliomag.com)

There are publishers who recognize that now is an opportunity to give back and help their community get through this difficult time. We want to regularly spotlight some of these efforts to shine a positive light on the industry. Here are four publishers that earned a shout out this week. TIME for Kids - The 25-year-old classroom resource is now available to families who are staying home. The publication is providing access to a free digital library that will be updated weekly with various education information for children and families. Sauce - The St. Louis-based food and entertainment magazine is doing what it can to stay connected with its community while they are staying home. Restaurants are a key focus of its coverage, and have been hit especially hard during this crisis. Inc. - The Mansueto Ventures business publication that’s largely known for its ranking lists is hosted a nation-wide virtual town hall forum in collaboration with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on March 27. Skift - With the travel and hospitality industry it serves facing a particular degree of disruption and collapsing demand, B2B digital media outlet Skift is offering a series of online summits, “Travel’s Path Forward,” on a “pay what you want” basis.

GroupM: ‘Consumer Trust In Digital Marketing Is Not As High As We Hoped’ (mediapost.com)

WPP media arm GroupM is out with a new report on consumer trust in digital marketing that finds that more than half (56%) of those surveyed want more control over their data and that 60% said they are less inclined to use a product if the brand uses their data for any purpose. The report, “Consumer Trust In Digital Marketing,” is based on a survey of 14,000 consumers in 23 countries. On average, per the report, more consumers (by a margin of 2 to 1) say TV ads provide a more positive impression of brands than digital formats. And 64% would have a negative opinion of a brand with messaging next to inappropriate content. More than one-third of consumers (37%) feel digital ads are too intrusive.

Phishing Email Warns: You’ve Been Exposed To COVID-19, Go To A Hospital (mediapost.com)

A new type of phishing email warns recipients that they have come into contact with a friend or colleague who has been diagnosed with the coronavirus, according to security training firm KnowBe4. Those who believe it are directed to download a malicious attachment and rush to a hospital. The scam is detectable by few anti-virus applications, the company says. The email, which appears to come from a legitimate hospital, instructs the victim to complete a pre-filled Excel form — a trojan downloading Office document.

Heinzel Group’s solid result 2019 leaves it well equipped for corona crisis

Despite a significant drop in market prices for paper and pulp, Heinzel Group recorded the second best result in the company’s history in 2019 and is therefore well equipped for the current corona crisis. While production volume was further increased to slightly over 1.6 million metric tons, net sales, at EUR 1.92 billion, fell short of the all-time high of EUR 2.1 billion in the previous year. The strong decline in recovered paper prices could only partially offset this development so that EBITDA (EUR 181 million), EBIT (EUR 115 million) and net profit for the year (EUR 86 million) were also below the record levels of 2018.

Norske Skog Operational Update

In France, the Golbey mill has temporary ceased production at one paper machine (PM2) due to one confirmed case of coronavirus at the PM2 line, which required a 14 day quarantine for co-workers. The PM2 is planned to start production again on 1 April. The scarce availability of recovered paper in Central Europe may cause further business interruptions. In Norway, Saugbrugs will cease production on one paper machine due to negative market developments as a result of the corona virus restrictions. As a result of this, there will be given notice of temporary layoffs. In addition, administrative personnel at headquarters has been temporarily laid off as a result of the corona situation. The Skogn mill will delay temporary layoffs as earlier announced. In Australasia, the production at the Tasman mill in New-Zealand has been deemed an essential industry by the national government for a limited period of 9 days production, out of the current period of four weeks with lock down restrictions. Nature’s Flame pellets production has been deemed essential for domestic, industrial and public heating. However, there may be uncertainty about supplies of raw materials as local saw mills ceased their operations. We are currently rearranging our supply chain in the entire Australasian region to reflect the situation.

International Paper Reaches Agreement to Sell Its Brazilian Corrugated Packaging Business

International Paper has entered into an agreement to sell its Brazilian corrugated packaging business to Klabin S.A. for R$330 million, with R$280 million to be paid at closing and R$50 million one year thereafter, subject to certain adjustments. This business includes three containerboard mills and four box plants. This agreement follows International Paper's previously announced strategic review of the Brazil packaging business. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2020, subject to certain closing conditions and regulatory approvals. The company will continue to run its Papers and Forestry businesses in Brazil.

B&N Temporarily Closes 400 Outlets (publishersweekly.com)

Barnes & Noble continues to adapt its operations in reaction to the spread of the new coronavirus. The company has temporarily closed about 400 stores to the public as it works with state and local officials to comply with shelter-in-place rules. At many outlets that are closed to the public for in-store shopping, B&N is continuing to offer curbside pickup for online orders. Sales at BN.com continue to increase, and the company’s fulfillment centers remain open. B&N noted, however, that delivery times may be a little slower than normal.

Metsä Group’s investment projects in Finland progress – the world’s most modern sawmill will be built in Rauma

Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, has made the decision to build the world’s most modern sawmill in Rauma. The value of the investment is approximately EUR 200 million. Construction will begin in the spring of 2020. Production at the sawmill is set to begin during the third quarter of 2022. The coronavirus outbreak may have an impact on the schedules. The value of the Rauma sawmill investment is approximately EUR 200 million, and the new unit will produce around 750,000 cubic metres of pine sawn timber a year. The new sawmill will be a worldwide forerunner in technology and efficiency. For example, using machine vision and artificial intelligence in different stages of the sawing process is a significant new development. Similar technology is not yet in use anywhere in the sawmill industry.

The Magic of Print

It’s Day 5 of working remote — perhaps even longer since it’s hard to keep track — and all the days have started to blend together. Your family turned coworkers are raising a coup to overthrow you. The house is a mess. Your inbox is on fire from every brand under the sun giving their slightly different, but ultimately the same take on COVID-19. It’s anarchy. Suddenly, your vision cuts through the fog of war to rest on your stack of mail. On top is a beautifully printed catalog. You pick it up and begin to relax as your sense of touch activates your neurotransmitters, a phenomenon explained in the Neuroscience of Touch. As you begin flipping through the piece, you are transported away from the chaos and into the serene lifestyle spreads of the catalog. This is the magic of print. click read more below for the rest of the story

From Cohoes to Cape Town: Mohawk Paper Mohawk Paper Leverages Trans-Atlantic Partnership to Offer Ready-to-Use Field Hospital Rooms

Mohawk Fine Papers, Inc. is reaching out to the medical community with an innovative solution for the projected shortage of hospital beds in New York State and throughout the country. The fine paper manufacturer, whose 800+ employees have been designated as essential in New York, Ohio, and Massachusetts, is known for its specialty papers. But when employees started brainstorming about ways to help the local community during the COVID-19 crisis, they set their sights on a niche product usually sold as a way to construct lightweight, sturdy exhibits at trade shows. The product, called Xanita Board, is manufactured by a startup in Capetown, South Africa and distributed by Mohawk in North America. It can be cut to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, so no tools are required to build three-dimensional, weight-bearing structures. The material is also remarkably lightweight and easy to ship. Reacting to news reports that hospitals in New York and nationwide could run out of space in the near future, Mohawk’s executive team reached out to engineers in South Africa to ask them if they thought Xanita Board could be used to easily construct hospital rooms. Less than 24 hours later, they sent a complete set of digital “cut files,” which detail how to construct room dividers and patient beds for use in pop-up hospitals to help with patient overflow. click read more below for the rest of the story