Sappi Europe Alfeld Mill PM3 fully operational

The net investment amount for the conversion project at Norske Skog Golbey will increase from EUR 265 to 300 million. As of the 3rd quarter of 2023, a net EUR 200 million has been invested in the project. The increase is generally due to increased purchase prices for goods and services throughout the project period as well as somewhat delayed deliveries of equipment. The start-up of production of packaging in Golbey is postponed to the second half of 2024 due to delivery delays. Considerable effort will be devoted going forward to ensure that the conversion project is completed within the new framework. The Golbey project will convert a paper machine (PM1) from producing newsprint to producing recycled containerboard. The machine will have a capacity of 550,000 tonnes and is expected to reach 95% utilisation within 2-3 years after startup. Together with the already converted paper machine (PM3) in Bruck, this project will provide Norske Skog with a total capacity of 760,000 tons of containerboard.

On September 19, 2017, the Receiver of Appleton Coated LLC conducted a going concern auction of the Company’s assets. The auction was the culmination of a comprehensive marketing effort to find a buyer. As part of the sale and marketing process, the Receiver requested that all potential buyers agree to hire substantially all of Appleton Coated’s employees as part of any purchase agreement. Unfortunately, none of the qualified bidders that attended the auction were in a position to agree to that request. The Receiver will ask the Court overseeing the receivership proceeding to approve the highest and best offer he received for the Company’s assets on Friday, September 22, 2017 in Outagamie County Circuit Court. Due to the auction results, the Receiver must immediately wind down the Company’s business operations beginning Wednesday September 20th and lay off substantially all of the employees of Appleton Coated. A limited number of employees will remain to ensure that the Company’s assets are properly maintained for the new owner until the proposed closing of the sale on September 29, 2017. Orders for stock product will continue to be accepted. Manufacturing orders that have been produced but not yet shipped, will be shipped. Manufacturing orders that have been accepted, but not yet produced, will be reviewed with new ownership to determine whether they will be produced and shipped. New manufacturing orders will not be accepted at this time.

Record quarterly reported operating income of $1.04 billion driven by unprecedented high lumber prices and a strong operating performance across all regions; record-high quarterly sales of $2.5 billion. Results in the pulp and paper segment largely reflected materially higher Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (“NBSK”) pulp unit sales realizations, and to a lesser extent, an 8% increase in shipments following transportation disruptions experienced in the first quarter of 2021. These factors more than offset the impact of the stronger Canadian dollar and market-related fibre cost increases in the current quarter.