Total Packaging Papers shipments were 222,200 tons, 3.4% lower than September 2016. Bag & Sack shipments were up 3.8% year-to-date, while Food Wrapping shipments were down 7.8% over the same period. The operating rate for September 2017 was 87.9%, while the year-to-date rate was 88.7%. Inventories were 168,300 tons, down slightly since August.
http://afandpa.org/media/news/2017/10/18/american-forest-paper-association-releases-september-2017-u.s.-packaging-papers-specialty-packaging-monthly-report
Related Posts
Viipurilainen Kotileipomo is a nearly 100-year-old company that produces pastries and artisan breads from local ingredients using traditional methods. When the bakery was looking for a new solution for its cake packaging, its key criteria were to reduce the environmental footprint of the packaging, and to make assembly quick and easy. Viipurilainen Kotileipomo and Metsä Board's packaging design team based at Metsä Board's Excellence Centre jointly developed a resource-efficient and 100% recyclable bakery packaging. The new eye-catching packaging reduces material requirements by 25%, and carbon dioxide emissions by 34% compared to the previous packaging. At the same time, the bakery was able to reduce its use of plastic by moving away from a PE-coated board. In addition to the environmental benefits, the design of the new bakery box makes it quicker and easier to assemble. "Packaging sustainability is important to us and our customers, and it's great to be able to spread the word about reducing plastic and promoting recycling. The whole product development process was carried out in a structured way at the Excellence Centre and the new stylish packaging was quickly brought to market," says Teppo Ylä-Hemmilä, Bread Artist and Innovation Director, Viipurilainen Kotileipomo.
Huhtamaki has made the decision to consolidate the production footprint of its Flexible Packaging segment in Europe and will be closing its Flexible Packaging production facility in Prague, Czech Republic. All production and supporting activities at the facility will be scaled down during the second half of the year, with the closure of the operations completed by March 31, 2024. Production will gradually be transferred to Huhtamaki’s other manufacturing sites. The decision affects all 198 employees in the site. Huhtamaki will support its employees during this period, including providing information about vacancies in other Huhtamaki units in the Czech Republic and across Europe. Huhtamaki currently has two manufacturing units in Czech Republic. The closure of the Prague site does not affect the Fiber packaging operations in Okrisky which today employs 274 people.
Lacerta Group announced that on December 21 it acquired the production facility and other assets of Portage Plastics Corporation and PPC Investments, LLC (together, “Portage Plastics”), a manufacturer of thermoformed packaging products based in Portage, WI. As part of the transaction, Lacerta has hired over 50 Portage Plastics employees. Lacerta is a leading North American provider of innovative and sustainable thermoformed packaging solutions, primarily made from PET. Lacerta offers a comprehensive product portfolio and in-house design capabilities, with a particular focus on customers in the prepared food and fresh produce sectors. Lacerta is a market leader in fully recyclable packaging containing post-consumer resin, which is increasingly gaining importance as its customers seek out more sustainable options to reduce their carbon footprint. “We are excited to acquire a great manufacturing site in Portage Wisconsin and welcome a talented group of dedicated associates to the Lacerta family,” said Peter Lennox, CEO of Lacerta. “This transaction is an important step in Lacerta’s growth story and will allow us to better serve our expanding customer base in the Midwest and Central United States.”