Operations News

Billerud announces the temporary idling of the Escanaba Mill for up to three weeks as a precautionary measure to protect the health and safety of its employees and contractors due to a blastomycosis fungal infection outbreak.

Kristina Enander, President of SCA's Pulp business area, will assume the role of Senior Vice President Strategic Development on May 1, 2023.

Georgia-Pacific has announced new leadership for its packaging and cellulose and building products businesses.

The first APA-approved LP SmartSide board was pressed following the facility's conversion to manufacture LP's flagship home siding product.

Saugbrugs PM6 has a capacity of 260,000 tonnes SC magazine paper. Operations at Saugbrugs PM4 continue, the machine has a capacity of 100,000 tonnes SC magazine paper. The production and financial impact is currently uncertain.

Sappi North America is pleased to announce that Bakul Wadgaonkar has joined our team as Director of Sustainability. Bakul comes to Sappi with many years of experience in environmental health and safety, sustainability, manufacturing and quality management at Apple, Bose Corporation and DSM Coating Resins.

A fire of unknown origin broke out at the Soundview Paper Co. in downtown Putney on Friday afternoon, drawing dozens of firefighters from area departments to fight the blaze on a hot afternoon.

Employees at the Sappi paper mill in Cloquet are returning to work after being forced to evacuate Friday, April 14 as a precautionary measure due to rising water levels along the St. Louis River.

Tolko says the shift reduction is due to high fibre costs and weak lumber markets.

According to Manager, Communications and Government Relations of Domtar, Tammy Waters, on March 29, 2023, at approximately 4:45 p.m., an incident occurred at the Domtar Hawesville mill when three employees were injured while making repairs in the recovery boiler area.

When firefighters arrived on the scene they found the building filled with smoke and two employees unaccounted for.

To preserve the health of professionals and the community, Klabin has in place protocols such as submission of proof of the COVID-19 booster shot, regular cleaning and a cafeteria dedicated to workers in the maintenance shutdown, as well as inspection, by Klabin and contractors, of the locations where employees will stay.

A deal between Pactiv Evergreen and the regional United Steelworkers union is a win of some degree for workers who choose to stay with the company through June 9, when job eliminations are set to begin.

Some workers have accepted early retirement packages or have left Canfor Pulp for other jobs.

Increasing costs, falling pulp prices and a weaker USD in the long term are the reasons why 24 people have been given notice of redundancy at Rottneros Group's Vallvik mill.

Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. is pleased to announce that Michael Osborne joined the company on April 10, 2023, as Vice President, Manufacturing replacing Bill Manzer, who has announced his plans to retire. Michael is a thirty-plus-year manufacturing veteran, most recently holding the position of Vice President, Global Manufacturing for Kraton Pine Chemicals.

Investigation of a blastomycosis outbreak at the Billerud paper mill in Escanaba is ongoing, and involves local, state and federal health and occupational safety officials.

There has been a change of plans when it comes to a curtailment at Cariboo Pulp & Paper in Quesnel.

Thomas Meth to continue as President & CEO and Ralph Alexander will transition to Lead Independent Director

Blastomycosis is a disease associated with a fungus that grows in moist and decomposing matter, such as wood and leaves. People can get blastomycosis infection by breathing in fungal spores from the air. It does not spread from person to person or between animals and people.

Stora Enso has appointed Micaela Thorström as EVP, Legal and General Counsel and a member of the Group Leadership Team. She will start in her new role in April 2023.

Hundreds of mill workers have now received official lay-off notices in the mail from Pactiv Evergreen, but the letters offered little clarity into the shut-down plan, which remains shrouded in mystery even for mill managers.

Enviva Inc., the world's leading wood pellet producer, reported that all of its associates are safe and accounted for following a strong tornado that touched down in Amory, Mississippi, on March 24, 2023. The storm did, however, damage the company's 115,000 metric ton per year wood pellet production facility, although Enviva's larger plants and ports in the region were not impacted. Enviva's Amory facility insurance covers property damage, inclusive of business interruption and casualty.

An employee of International Paper is hospitalized after getting trapped inside machinery while operating it Sunday evening, according to the Rochester Police Department.

The company told state officials the closing will begin May 14, and should complete within two weeks.