Sappi North America Price Increase

Interfor Corporation announced that it has reached an agreement with Georgia-Pacific Wood Products LLC and GP Wood Products LLC to acquire four of its sawmill operations located in Bay Springs, MS, Fayette, AL, DeQuincy, LA and Philomath. The total purchase price of US$375 MM, which includes working capital, will be funded entirely from cash on hand. The Sawmill Operations are highly complementary to Interfor’s existing platforms in the US South and the US Northwest, and the acquisition will support accelerated growth and enhance the Company’s position to benefit from robust market conditions. The acquisition will be immediately accretive to Interfor’s earnings and is expected to provide attractive returns in both the near-term and over the long-term.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö announced that it plans to temporarily idle #8 Paper Machine in December 2021, along with its #20 Supercalender and #21 Rewinder in July 2022 at its Rhinelander, Wisconsin Plant in the United States. #8 Paper Machine has a capacity of 14,000 tons per year. The total number of people affected is yet to be determined based on retirements and other potential job assignments. “In a very competitive marketplace, we must continue to provide cost-effective and innovative products, challenging our machine capabilities to generate optimum results,” said Robyn Buss, Executive Vice President of Ahlstrom-Munksjö's Food Packaging & Technical Solutions Business Area. “Our robust manufacturing platform is well-positioned for continued success. By utilizing several other machines in our regional system, we will provide our customers with the level of service required to meet their needs.”

In light of the global market situation for graphic papers, and to sustain its competitiveness and leading position in the market, UPM Paper ENA plans to: • optimize operations at its UPM Nordland Papier and UPM NorService units in Dörpen, Germany, Europe's biggest fine paper site. Streamlining internal processes and investing in automation will enable a sustainable improvement of the fixed cost structure. • permanently close paper machine 5 at UPM Blandin in Minnesota, United States, reducing the annual capacity by approximately 128,000 tons of coated magazine paper in response to overcapacities in the North American paper market. The closure is expected to be completed by end of Q1 2018 the latest. Paper production related to paper machine 6 is planned to continue at the Blandin site. In total 223 positions are estimated to be affected by these plans in Dörpen at UPM Nordland Papier and UPM NorService. At UPM Blandin, it is estimated that 150 positions will be affected by the plans. Click Read More below for additional information.