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The PM40 closed Friday, 14 May 2021, at 4449.

Get the latest PM40 updates by listening to the weekly Nips show and the PM40 Daily Show on Pulp & Paper Radio International.

The PM40 closed 14 May 2021 up 75.7% from the 15 May 2020 level.

In this issue of Disconnected Comparisons, we evaluate Clearwater Paper and Neenah Paper.

Reported insider trading since the last issue of PaperMoney.

Ladies and gentlemen, the first class of inductees to the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame in Appleton, Wisconsin was inducted more than two decades ago in 1995, and today, more than 140 papermaking innovators and legends have been enshrined. This month, we profile the late Arnold E. Grummer, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

The stock preparation system features a capacity of 1,200 bdmt/d and processes a mix of OCC and mixed waste as raw material.

International technology Group ANDRITZ has been awarded orders from Nine Dragons Paper, China, to supply equipment and key process technologies for five of their mills.

Andritz has received an order from Lee & Man Paper to supply two semi-chemical fiberlines for its mills in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, and Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province, China. Start-up of both lines is scheduled for the end of 2022.

The Environmental Paper Assessment Tool (www.epat.org) is a web-based platform that allows suppliers and buyers of paper and paper-based packaging to share key sustainability metrics.

Kadant Johnson LLC, a subsidiary of Kadant Inc. announced the promotion of Jim Maggard to director of sales for the paper, packaging, and tissue sector.

Kadant Fiberline (China) Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Kadant Inc., announced it successfully started up its OCC system on PM1 at the Tangshan Jiluan Paper Industry mill in Tangshan. The new line has a capacity of 900 tons per day.

Kadant Fiberline (China) Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Kadant Inc., announced it successfully started up two OCC systems at Sun Paper's PM1 and PM2 in Muang Phin, Laos. The OCC systems each have a capacity of 400,000 tons per year.

Valmet introduces the new Valmet Fiberline Analyzerto enable pulp makers to improve total pulp quality management, boost process stability and gain major savings in chemical costs from the digester blow line right up to final pulp storage.

Valmet will supply two Valmet Advantage DCT tissue lines, including automation system and three tissue rewinders, to Zhejiang Jingxing Paper Joint Stock Co., Ltd. in China.

Valmet and ARAUCO have signed an agreement to jointly develop the Arauco Mill Line 3 in Chile to become the world's most autonomous pulp mill.

Valmet will supply a new Valmet Defibrator EVO system to the Brazilian company Guararapes. The system will be used for the company's medium density fiberboard (MDF) production as part of its major expansion at Caçador plant in Santa Catarina state.

The heat is on with Ahlstrom-Munksjö's range of custom-designed baking papers for best-in-class release, including DuraBake™, the first U.S. produced silicone high-density greaseproof products serving the North American market.

The new everyday: nature calls, but you're on a video call. That's why Charmin introduced its newest prototype - BRB Bot - so no one will ever know you stepped away. BRB Bot is the first-ever "bot" that will keep you logged on by creating a digital twin that swaps your live video feed with an AI-powered version of yourself.

With increased pressures on companies to use recyclable packaging, Smurfit Kappa Composites have devised a solution under their Better Planet Packaging initiative - the Smurfit Kappa Eco-Tube.

Kimberly-Clark announced it is awarding 2021 Bright Futures Scholarships worth $960,000 to 48 college-bound students in recognition of their academic achievements and leadership roles in their schools and communities.

Metsä Board, the leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards and part of Metsä Group, has designed a light but strong, easily recyclable packaging for the new Chopin Organic Rye Vodka range at its Excellence Centre in Äänekoski, Finland.

Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, has partnered with SILBO, a Polish leading producer of compostable packaging, to create a paper-based high-strength packaging for the Irish farm potato business Meade Farm Group. The innovative bags replace hard-to-recycle plastic with paper, a renewable resource enhanced with a bio-based coating and are certified as compostable.

Pregis, a leading global manufacturer of protective packaging, has developed a proven process to help companies reduce the cost of damages incurred during product fulfillment and improve packing efficiencies. This is in response to inhouse research which uncovered that replacing a product damaged during transit (or incorrectly shipped) can cost a business up to 17 times more than the original order.

Sappi North America, Inc., a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper, packaging products and pulp, released its 2020 Sustainability Report, illustrating Sappi's continued commitment to sustainable development. The report highlights the ways that Sappi remained innovative and prosperous during the COVID-19 pandemic; its commitment to employee safety and third-party collaborations for sustainability initiatives; and ambitious plans to meet its strategic business goals for 2025.

Stora Enso is launching its latest lignin-based innovation, NeoLigno® by Stora Enso. NeoLigno is a fully bio-based binder system without formaldehyde and isocyanates, thus, providing healthier indoor and working environments.

Finnish forestry firm Stora Enso said on Tuesday it would start supplying pulp for sustainable packaging company Pulpex, a research and development venture of British beverage maker Diageo.

What makes a packaging concept not only functional and visually appealing, but also able to interact with our senses when it comes to sound, touch, taste, or smell? That's the challenge for this year's design students in BillerudKorsnäs' Packaging Impact Design Award, PIDA.

UPM Raflatac is pleased to announce that it is the first pressure-sensitive label materials manufacturer to have its factories in the United States certified to the ISO 22000:2018 Food Safety Management System standard.

WestRock Company was recognized with high honors at this year's Outstanding Merchandising Achievement (OMA) Awards. The competition celebrates merchandising and design excellence at the retail point-of-purchase.

Clearwater Paper is expecting to take temporary downtime in the coming weeks at unspecified locations of its tissue operations.

Interfor announced that its Board of Directors has declared a one-time special cash dividend of $2.00 per share, which will be paid on or before June 28, 2021 to shareholders of record on May 28, 2021.

Sonoco announced an agreement to repurchase $150 million of its outstanding common shares in an accelerated share repurchase ("ASR") transaction with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., using available cash on hand.

Sonoco announced it is increasing prices for all rigid paper containers and closures sold in North America by 9.5 percent, effective with shipments on, and after, June 3 , 2021.

Sun Chemical will increase prices across its portfolio of publication inks in North America, effective June 1, 2021.

Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. announced a strategic investment in Anomera Inc. Anomera produces the highest quality Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNC) in the world under the brand names DextraCel™, ChromaPur™ and ChromAllur™.

Minnesota chemical manufacturing giant 3M has sued the state of Michigan, claiming the state's new drinking water limits for the toxic "forever chemicals" known as PFAS are flawed because they were created through a "rushed and invalid regulatory process."

A federal bankruptcy judge gave final approval to the sale of the shuttered Ponderay Newsprint mill in Usk to Allrise Capital Inc.

Clearwater Paper has filed a civil case in Nez Perce County District Court against Valmet, a company that sold it some equipment used in a $160 million upgrade at the company's Lewiston operations.

Pactiv Evergreen will not face an enforcement action by the Department of Justice, following an internal investigation launched last year into potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).

Pixelle Specialty Solutions, owner of the Androscoggin Mill in Jay, has filed a lawsuit against contractors responsible for inspecting and providing maintenance on the pulp digesters in the years preceding the equipment's rupture on April 15, 2020.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued Pixelle Specialty Solutions a hazard alert letter on Jan. 5 but did not fine the company in relation to a digester explosion on April 2020 because no OSHA standard applies.

As part of our continued support, Iconex wanted to provide an update on the Petition for the Imposition of Antidumping duties filed by Appvion Operations Inc. and Domtar Corporation. On May 6, the USITC published their preliminary findings in this case. The final position will not be determined until September or October of this year. The published preliminary duties are...

Ahlstrom-Munksjö will invest EUR 58 million in a new glass fiber tissue production line in the U.S. to support the flooring industry in North America. The investment will further strengthen the company's position as a leading global supplier of high performance materials. The new line will produce a full range of glass fiber tissue nonwovens with a main focus on Luxury Vinyl Tiles and Vinyl sheet materials. Customer deliveries from the new line are expected to start in mid-2023.

DS Smith, bolstering its commitment to accelerate its work in the circular economy, announced today a $140 million investment in research and development, including developing new materials to replace plastics and a testing program to strengthen corrugated cardboard and reduce G-force shock in home delivery packaging.

Interfor is announcing a $35-million improvement project in its Castlegar facility, according to vice-president of western operations Andrew Horahan.

Governor Brian P. Kemp announced that Interfor, a forest products company and the largest lumber producer in the state, will invest $30 million in expanding their sawmill operations in Perry.

Gov. John Bel Edwards and Weyerhaeuser announced the company plans to make a two-phased capital investment in its Holden facility. The project would result in approximately $157 million invested over several years to upgrade equipment and modernize the sawmill. Phase one includes nearly $19 million to upgrade lumber kiln-drying capacity, while the second phase will include a major investment of approximately $138 million to completely modernize the facility.

The unit will be built in the municipality of Ribas do Rio Pardo, in Mato Grosso do Sul state, and should start production by the end of the first quarter of 2024. The project estimates industrial investments of R$14.7 billion, making it one of the largest private-sector investments currently under development in Brazil.

West Fraser plans to invest roughly US$150 million at five of its U.S. South lumber mills under its strategic capital program. Already, it's increasing the number of working shifts at mills where possible, the company said.

BTG Pactual announced that a consortium led by its Timberland Investment Group (TIG), along with British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI), one of Canada's largest institutional investors, and APG, one of the world's largest pension providers, has agreed to acquire Chilean timberland assets from Arauco for US$ 385.5 million.

The Duluth City Council unanimously agreed Monday night to abate up to $600,000 in property taxes and offer a $242,000 forgivable loan to ST Paper to help the company complete an acquisition of Verso Corp.'s Duluth mill, which has been shuttered since last summer.

Graphic Packaging Holding Company, a leading vertically-integrated provider of sustainable fiber-based consumer packaging solutions, and CVC Capital Partners Fund VI today announced a definitive agreement under which Graphic Packaging will acquire AR Packaging Group AB ("AR Packaging"), Europe's second largest producer of fiber-based consumer packaging, for approximately $1.45 billion in cash, subject to customary adjustments.

Rep. Scott Krug (R-Rome) and Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point) have authored a bill to provide assistance in the purchase of the Verso paper mill in Wisconsin Rapids.

Paper Excellence, a global diversified manufacturer of pulp and specialty, printing, writing, and packaging papers, and Domtar, a leading provider of fiber-based products, announced that they have entered into a strategic business combination under which the Paper Excellence group of companies will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Domtar common stock for $55.50 per share, in cash.

UPM has signed an agreement to sell its Shotton newsprint mill site in North Wales, United Kingdom and all related assets to Eren Paper Ltd, a subsidiary of Modern Karton Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.Ş., the containerboard and corrugated packaging business of the Turkish industrial conglomerate Eren Holding ("Eren").

On Tuesday sections of the historic Whiting Paper Mill building in Menasha started to be demolished. But city leaders say the potential changes coming to the lakefront property could benefit the community.

Domtar Corporation announced it will expand its Jesup, Georgia based Engineered Absorbent Materials (EAM) facility. The project will play an integral role in helping the company grow its position as a leading global absorbent materials and technology business offering fluff pulp and airlaid nonwoven materials.

Drax Group will begin constructing the first of three new "satellite" pellet plants in Arkansas. The plants are together expected to produce around 120,000 metric tons of sustainable biomass pellets a year from sawmill residues, supporting the renewable energy company's plans to increase self-supply to its power station in the UK.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö is exploring strategic options for its Decor business, including the possibility of divesting the business. The review process, first announced on September 17, 2019, has been impacted by the Covid-19 outbreak.

UPM will close the unexplained gender pay gap that cannot be explained for example by person's performance, work experience, job grade or job location, i.e. the factors that typically determine a person's salary and its development. The pay equity review, carried out this year, applies to all of UPM's operating countries and is part of the company's fair remuneration policy.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö has received the 2021 Supplier Distinction Award for Sustainability by Avery Dennison during an online ceremony. Avery Dennison is a world leader in pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) materials for labels and graphic applications and a global customer for Ahlstrom-Munksjö's specialty papers.

The increased investment underpins the sustainable packaging company's new Circular Economy led Sustainability strategy which pledges to offer all customers 100% recyclable packaging within two years and replace a billion pieces of supermarket and e-commerce plastic by 2025.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at our Kénogami (Quebec) paper mill are set to decrease by approximately 10,000 tons of CO2 equivalent each year, thanks to a $5.5 million investment announced in March 2021. The Quebec Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources's ÉcoPerformance program contributed nearly $4.1 million in financial support toward the project.

Metsä Group and forest owners planted 270 million seedlings in Finnish forests between 2010 and 2020. This summer, the figure will increase by more than 35 million seedlings. Metsä Group supplies forest owners with native tree species that occur naturally in Finland.

Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, is supplying customers with its innovative and sustainable containerboard grade made in Slovakia from renewable materials. Kraft Top White combines the strength, printability and appearance benefits of a white fresh fibre top layer with the advantages of a recycled fibre bottom layer.

Neenah Inc., a leading global manufacturer of specialty materials announced that its Whiting, Wisc., facility was one of 12 recipients of the 2021 Energy Efficiency Excellence Award from Focus on Energy®. Neenah's Whiting facility earned the award for its energy management systems and efforts to continuously improve energy performance.

Skookumchuck Pulp has recently received three different administrative monetary penalties (AMPs) from the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy for non-compliance events that occurred between 2017 and 2020. Skookumchuck Pulp's performance has not changed significantly over the last two years; however, all the AMPs the mill has received in its 53-year history have occurred in the last two years. The BC Ministry of Environment has begun using this tool more frequently with all industrial operators in the province.

The owners of an idled pulp mill in northern Nova Scotia say their plans for a new effluent treatment facility have been withdrawn from the province's environmental assessment process.

PotlatchDeltic Corporation released its 2020 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report. The Report highlights PotlatchDeltic's continued commitment to environmental stewardship, human capital management, supporting its communities, and towards creating sustainable value.

Pregis is formalizing its wide-ranging sustainability initiatives into seven concrete goals to be achieved by the year 2030. Here's what they are.

The New-Indy mill is belching out too much of a "noxious air contaminant," making parts of Lancaster and York counties and neighboring areas in North Carolina, including Charlotte, reek, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) announced that 65.7 percent of paper consumed in the United States was recycled in 2020, maintaining a recycling rate that has been consistently high for over a decade. Since 2009, paper recycling has met or exceeded 63 percent--nearly double the rate the U.S. paper industry achieved in 1990.

Several of Södra's bio-based products are being launched with a fossil-free value chain. They are produced without the use of fossil energy and constitute a new step in Södra's long-term efforts as part of the transition to a fossil-free society. The local energy company Kalmar Energi will be first to use the products.

Smurfit Kappa continues to make significant and tangible progress on achieving its sustainability targets according to its 14th Sustainable Development Report ("SDR"). It highlights the company's long-standing objective to be an impactful business that drives change and nurtures a greener planet through the three key pillars of Planet, People, and Impactful Business.

Arup Basu, President, Flexible Packaging, and a member of Huhtamaki Global Executive Team has decided to leave Huhtamaki. The process to find Arup's successor has been initiated.

Clearwater Paper Corporation announced that Christine M. Vickers Tucker has been elected to the company's board of directors, effective May 18, 2021.

One person was taken to the hospital after a chemical spill at the Solenis water treatment plant in Chicopee Thursday morning.

A pile of raw wood at a facility in Faison, in Sampson County, caught fire. In a statement, the company said it was investigating the cause. According to TV media reports, the fire, whipped by strong winds, also spread to a nearby woods. More than 50 firefighters, as well as the NC Forestry Service, were on the scene. No one was injured.

Longtime business Hankins Timbers is expanding in Grenada County and creating 43 new jobs.

Catalyst Powell River's mill is running paper again.

Sustana, a manufacturer of premium, sustainable recycled fiber and paper products, announces the appointment of Emily Olson to Director and Sustainability Ambassador. In this new role, Emily will be an ambassador for driving Sustana Group's sustainable products, strategy, and circular economy initiatives across Sustana Fiber and Rolland, advancing the group's leadership in providing sustainable recycled products to the paper industry.

Twin Rivers Paper Company's Edmundston pulp mill recently completed a biomass cogeneration unit maintenance shutdown; a project which began in the middle of April. In planning for more than a year, the project was designed to maintain and refurbish the co-generation unit to ensure green power continues to flow to the grid uninterrupted.