News

The Imerys Pigments for Paper business unit will increase the price of all its paper grade kaolins and calcium carbonate products as of January 1, 2004. The average increase will be 3 to 8% depending on the product grade. Higher “social, energy and transport costs” led to the increases, said Imerys.

National Starch and Chemical Company will close a starch plant in Collingwood, ON, Canada and one in Tilbury, UK, by the end of 2004. It will modernize plants in Indianapolis, IN, North Kansas City, MO, and Ham-burg, Germany and complete a starch modification factory in Shanghai, China.

In a joint statement in November, TAPPI and Paperloop, Inc. said that TAPPI will re-assume ownership of the Paper Summit exhibition from Paperloop. Paper Summit 2004 is scheduled for May 3 to 5 at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA.

Degussa will expand by 50% the annual hydrogen peroxide production plant in Barra do Riacho, Brazil. The 60,000-tonne plant is strategically placed to serve the country’s pulp industry. Completion is due by the second half of 2004.

Engelhard Corp. will raise prices for kaolin-based paper pigments by between 3.5 and 7% effective January 1, 2004. The Confederation of European Paper Industries, based in Brussels, reported that after a jump of 2.3% in 2001 compared with 2000, Europe’s paper recycling rate reached 52.7% in 2002, up 0.6%. Collection increased to 45.7 million tonnes and utilization increased to 43.1 million tonnes, increases of 2.5% and 2.3% respectively over 2001.

Sonoco closed its Atlanta, GA, paper mill in November 2003 and plans to shut the tube and core plant by the end of February 2004.

Sweden’s SCA is reported to be interested in New Zealand’s Carter Holt Harvey Ltd.’s tissue business. CHH said it wanted to sell the business because it doesn’t fit its core forestry operations. The two companies already have a joint venture in Australia.

In November, Temple-Inland Inc. said it planned to reduce costs by the end of 2003 through cuts in its corrugated packaging converting operation. Organizational
changes and eliminating about 300 positions jobs would produce annual savings of about $20 million in 2004. There would be a pre-tax charge of $10 to $15 million in 4Q03. Over the next 18 to 24 months, Temple-Inland expected further savings of about $40 million a year by consolidating converting facilities, cutting jobs and improving asset utilization. These steps are in addition to other cost reduction actions.

Concert Industries Ltd. discontinued operations at Concert ACI, Inc., Charleston, SC, in October. Concert, which makes cellulose fiber based products using air-laid manufacturing technology, filed for creditor protection for its North American operations under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act on August 5, 2003. The European operations were excluded from the CCAA. Restructuring is underway.