WestRock to Close Paper Mill in North Charleston, South Carolina

May 2, 2023 - WestRock today announced it will permanently cease operating its paper mill in North Charleston, South Carolina, on August 31, 2023.

"WestRock and its predecessor companies have had a long history in the region operating the North Charleston mill, and the contributions of the team members over the years have been greatly appreciated," said David B. Sewell, CEO at WestRock. "The decision to close a facility and impact the lives of our team members is never easy, and we are committed to assisting our North Charleston team with exploring roles at other WestRock locations and outplacement assistance."

The North Charleston mill produces containerboard, uncoated kraft paper (KraftPak®), and unbleached saturating kraft paper (DuraSorb®), with a combined annual capacity of 550,000 tons. Containerboard and uncoated kraft currently produced at the mill will be manufactured at other WestRock facilities.

WestRock intends to exit the unbleached saturating kraft paper business when the mill shutdown is completed.

WestRock is committed to improving its return on invested capital as well as maximizing the performance of its assets. The combination of high operating costs and the need for significant capital investment were the determining factors in the decision to cease operations at the mill.

The North Charleston mill employs approximately 500 people. Employees will receive severance and outplacement assistance in accordance with WestRock policy and labor union agreements.

WestRock Company (NYSE: WRK) is a global leader in sustainable paper and packaging solutions, with more than 50,000 teammates in the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

SOURCE: WestRock

Norske Skog Bruck Begins Commercial Deliveries of Recycled Containerboard

May 16, 2023 - Norske Skog Bruck announces successful commercial orders of the containerboard grades Testliner 3 and Fluting. This represents the introduction of 210,000 tonnes of competitive containerboard capacity to meet the growing demand for renewable and re-usable packaging. The production is based 100% on recycled fibre and will use steam from the waste-to-energy plant, which opened in April 2022.

"We are delighted to have received our first commercial orders of Strato Testliner 3 and Fluting, which underlines that customers have tested our paper successfully. This is a significant milestone that demonstrates our commitment to the packaging market, and we look forward to further expanding our product offering in the future," says Tore Hansesaere, SVP Strategic Projects at Norske Skog.

In early April, Norske Skog started production of recycled containerboard at its Bruck mill in Styria, Austria. Bruck mill's PM3 was converted from the production of newsprint to testliner and fluting, and has the capacity to produce 210,000 tonnes per year.

Norske Skog Bruck is now ramping up production and expects full utilisation of 95% in the second half of 2025.

The successful commercial orders of Strato Testliner 3 and Fluting mark a new era for Norske Skog and strengthen the company's asset base and cash flow generation for decades ahead.

Norske Skog is a world leading producer of publication paper with strong market positions and customer relations in Europe and Australasia. The Norske Skog Group operates four mills in Europe, two of which will produce recycled packaging paper following ongoing conversion projects. In addition, the Group operates one paper mill in Australia.

SOURCE: Norsdke Skog

UPM's Pulp Mill in Paso de los Toros, Uruguay, Ready for Start-Up

April 3, 2023 - The new UPM Paso de los Toros pulp mill has reached the technical readiness to start operations. UPM has also received the environmental authorities' acceptance of all the procedures, systems and technologies that are required to fulfil the environmental permit of the mill. This approval precedes the final operating authorization, which is expected to be received in a few weeks. UPM will announce when the authorization is received, and operations can start.

First customer deliveries are expected to start within the first month following the start-up.

"The finalization of UPM Paso de los Toros completes our transformative growth investment in Uruguay," said Jussi Pesonen, CEO and President of UPM. "Over the years, UPM has created a highly competitive industrial platform with sustainable, secure wood-supply and efficient logistics in Uruguay. This offers a competitive and secure pulp supply to new and existing customers and helps meet the growing need for renewable materials.

"With an over 50% increase in UPM's current pulp capacity, this investment creates a step change in the scale of our pulp business and UPM's future earnings. It also has a significant impact on Uruguay's economy and creates significant opportunities for the people and communities," he said.

In addition to the pulp mill, the overall investment of USD 3.47 billion includes a deep sea-port terminal in Montevideo, a new eucalyptus tree nursery and local investments in infrastructure and facilities. All of these are already completed and in operation.

Bernd Eikens, Executive Vice President of UPM Fibres, explained, "The Paso de los Toros pulp mill with its annual production capacity of 2.1 million tonne of eucalyptus pulp puts us among the leading pulp suppliers in the world. We now have a balanced asset base and wood supply in two hemispheres. With two pulp mills in Uruguay and three pulp mills in Finland, we have a strong offering of sustainable hardwood and softwood pulp for our customers."

With the expected cash cost level of approximately USD 280 per delivered tonne of pulp that UPM can now confirm, the UPM Paso de los Toros will be one of the most competitive mills in the world and enables attractive returns for the investment in various market scenarios.

The Uruguayan environmental authority has monitored the construction of the mill on site throughout the project. The operating authorization process has included several inspections during the commissioning phase by the authorities, as well as third party audits by industry experts. UPM has submitted all permit requirements and an extensive environmental monitoring program covering water and biota, air, soil, noise, and socio-economic aspects. In addition, UPM has all the required permits in energy, municipality, transportation, fire department and industrial regulations.

"The UPM Paso de los Toros pulp mill represents the latest, best available technology and the mill has gone through comprehensive and thorough permitting processes to ensure safe and sustainable operations," Pesonen said. "I am extremely proud of the UPM team that has carried out this entire strategic growth project with determination and integrity."

Through the growth investment, UPM and its subcontractors will create 4,000 new jobs through the value chain, as well as approximately 6,000 induced jobs and a 2% increase in GDP for the Uruguay economy.

SOURCE: UPM

Lucart Invests in New Logistics Hub in Saint-Diè-des-Vosges, France

March 27, 2023 - As part of its planned investment plan in France, Lucart announces the acquisition of a logistics hub in the Hellieule business park in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges. The logistics hub will be fully operational during the first quarter of 2024 and improve the storage and shipping capabilities of products manufactured by Lucart’s tissue mill in Laval-sur-Vologne.

In 2022, the mill produced 65,000 tonnes of high-quality tissue paper per year.

The new logistics hub located in the Hellieule business park is a 22,000-square-metre building built on 10 hectares of land with a storage capacity of 20,000 pallet columns. The site was created to concentrate finished product stocks before they are shipped to customers in France, Germany, the Benelux and Northern Europe.

The large area will allow for future expansion of the logistics hub to support the company's expected growth.

Located a few kilometres from the town of Saint-Dié-des-Vosges and close to the main roads of the Lorraine region, the new Lucart site is expected to also simplify logistical flows improving the quality of end services to customers.

"The acquisition of this new site marks the turning point in our project to create a new logistics hub,” said Alessandro Pasquini, President of Lucart’s French subsidiary. “Before opening it, we need to adapt the facility to meet our specific operational requirements. We are very happy with our new operational site that will work in synergy with the Laval-sur-Vologne plant.”

The plant is equipped with two paper machines for the production of tissue jumbo reels made of virgin cellulose and recycled paper, a converting facility with nine production lines and an in-house process water treatment plant. The site is the benchmark in France for the recycling of bonded material beverage cartons for making 100% ecological Fiberpack® tissue paper.

Lucart is a leading European manufacturer of tissue products such as toilet paper, paper towels, and napkins, and airlaid and machine-glazed paper. Lucart's production capacity is over 395,000 tons per year of paper on 12 paper machines.

SOURCE: Lucart