Official Board Markets articles from January 2006

Official Board Markets archives from January 2006

Where's the growth for cartons?(EVOLVING CONSUMER PREFERENCES)
January 7, 2006... The markets for folding carton sales have been described as "mature" and "slow growth" by some Wall Street paper industry analysts. Yet there are certain niches that are experiencing fast growth of up to 15 to 20 percent because of evolving...

Transacted containerboard prices.
January 7, 2006... Transacted Containerboard Prices Average transacted price levels are tabulated by obtaining paid prices from independent converters purchasing linerboard and medium. All prices are intended as a reference standard only. Transactions...

Smurfit-MBI shifts offices.(Brief article)
January 7, 2006... Smurfit-MBI, Mississauga, Ontario, is consolidating box plant offices. Office personnel from Smurfit-MBI Rexdale will transfer to several locations: sales staff will split between the Guelph and Burlington sites and accounting staff will...

Holidays weak for retailers.
January 7, 2006... December sales figures, released last week, showed that the holiday shopping season, while overall respectable, was disappointing for some of the nation's prominent merchants, the Associated Press reports. Wal-Mart Stores was one of the...

IP settles lawsuits.(ALLEGED PRICE FIXING)
January 7, 2006... International Paper Co. (IP), Stamford, Conn., has agreed to settle a number of antitrust lawsuits with claimants who opted out of a class action lawsuit, settled in 2003, that alleged linerboard price fixing. IP said in an SEC filing the...

Gibraltar to close carton plant.(IN INDIANA)
January 7, 2006... Gibraltar Packaging Group, Inc., Hastings, Neb., will close its Fort Wayne, Ind., folding carton facility on March 15 and consolidate operations with its Nebraska and North Carolina facilities. The closure is a cost control and efficiency...

Loy-Lange Box Co.(Carroll McMahon)(Obituary)(Brief article)
January 7, 2006... Carroll McMahon, ceo of Loy-Lange Box Co., St. Louis, died December 28. He was 82 and active in the business at the time of his death. He served in World War H before joining Loy-Lange in 1952. He became company president in 1973 and led the...

Face time with the Feds.(National Association of Manufacturers)
January 7, 2006... Converters know that "Manufacturing Makes America," but does the rest of the nation and its lawmakers? Probably not. That's why the corrugated packaging community will participate in the National Association of Manufacturers' (NAM)...

FiberMark restructures.(OUT OF CHAPTER 11)
January 7, 2006... FiberMark, Inc., Brattleboro, Vt., announced completion of its financial reorganization and emerged from Chapter 11 as a private company. The company also closed on its exit financing facilities. The package includes $80 million in revolving...

Pack Expo turns 50.(OCTOBER 29-NOVEMBER 2)
January 7, 2006... Pack Expo will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year. Produced by The Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI), Arlington, Va., the annual event is expected to draw an international audience of 50,000 packaging professionals to...

Transacted boxboard prices.
January 7, 2006... The prices tabulated here are intended only as a reference standard to the current levels commonly prevailing in a representative proportion of the U.S. contract transactions. The prices listed do not connote any agreement or commitment by any...

TAPPI Corrugated offers virtual seminars.(WARP AND BONDING)
January 7, 2006... TAPPI Corrugated offers a two-part virtual seminar in January called "Corrugated Board Quality Improvement: Warp and Bonding." Sessions are interactive, including polling questions, Q&A and chat capabilities. Part I--Warp takes place Jan....

Transacted paper stock prices--low grades.
January 7, 2006... Transacted Paper Stock Prices--Low Grades Mixed Boxboard Paper Cuttings News News (1) (4) (6) (8) Chicago $35-40(0) ...

OCC prices in South soften.(MARKET REPORT)
January 7, 2006... While OCC prices in the Southwest weren't as sloppy as they were last month, supply still outpaces demand in this region and board mills are in the position to drop the price another $5 per ton. Premiums have all but disappeared. In addition,...

WPO sponsors packaging technology training.(IN INDIA)
January 7, 2006... The World Packaging Organization (WPO) has selected the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) to conduct a three-week-long residential program on "Packaging Technology as Viewed in Developing Countries" in Mumbai, India. The course will take...

Transacted paper stock prices--high grades.
January 7, 2006... Transacted Paper Stock Prices--High Grades White Coated Hard New DLK News Soft Wht. White Cuttings Blanks Shavings ...

Graphic packaging cuts staff.(62 EMPLOYEES)
January 7, 2006... Graphic Packaging International Inc., Marietta, Ga., has cut 62 employees, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Atlanta Business Chronicle reports. The company said it cut 62 corporate and divisional support...

Printer-converter installs two Heidelberg presses.(SEVEN-COLOR)
January 7, 2006... Impressions Inc., St. Paul, Minn., installed two new seven-color Heidelberg Speedmaster SM74 presses with 5/2 perfecting and aqueous coating capability. With projected run speeds of up to 15,000 sheets per hour and full sheet scanner for color...

Board demand continues to fall.(PPPC REPORTS)
January 7, 2006... North American containerboard demand in November declined by 3.2 percent compared to the same month last year, the Pulp and Paper Products Council, Montreal, reports. Linerboard demand was down 2.9 percent while medium demand was down 3.7...

Why aren't your salespeople selling more?(NEW RULES)
January 7, 2006... Are your salespeople still asking current customers, "Do you have anything for me to quote on?" If so, you might want to consider sitting them down and telling them that it's 2006 and they need to changes their tactics. Today the more...

Mills can't blame OCC prices alone.(Letter)(Letter to the editor)
January 7, 2006... To the Editor: A disservice has been done to your readers with the page 1 article, "OCC Prices Can Squeeze Marginal Producers," published in the Dec. 24, 2005 issue. Until the last paragraph, this headline and article leaves the...

Mod-Pac gets 'preferred supplier' status.(FOR PROFORMA)
January 7, 2006... Mod-Pac Corp., Buffalo, N.Y., has entered an agreement with Cleveland-based Proforma to become a "preferred limited partner," Buffalo Business First reports. Mod-Pac CEO Daniel Keane said the contract, of which terms were not disclosed,...

The Rauch Guide to the U.S. Adhesives and Sealants Industry.(Product Update)
January 7, 2006... Grey House Publishing has released the fifth edition of The Rauch Guide to the U.S. Adhesives and Sealants Industry. The guide has been updated with substantial changes in government regulations and consolidation of top producers. It includes...

Lee & Man orders Kadant Machine.(FOR OCC)
January 7, 2006... Kadant Black Clawson Inc., Mason, Ohio, received an order from Lee & Man Paper Industries Co., Ltd., Dongguan City, P.R. China. The new equipment will process OCC for the production of linerboard.

EU requirements prompt pkg R&D.(REDUCING WASTE)
January 7, 2006... The U.K's Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) granted public funds totaling nearly $900,000 to seven companies to develop less wasteful packaging. The grants are part of a plan to meet European Union-wide targets in reducing packaging...

AICC Region 1 to hold ski meeting.(Feb. 25-March 1)
January 7, 2006... The Association of Independent Corrugated Converters (AICC) Region 1 will hold its whiter ski meeting Feb. 25-March 1 at the Grand Summit Resort/The Canyons in Park City, Utah. The meeting includes a cocktail party, ski race, race day...

Georgia-Pacific Corp.(People Update)
January 7, 2006... Georgia-Pacific Corp. has selected its new senior leadership team. Operations and staff function leaders include: Bill Caffey, executive vice president--operations and compliance; Jim Hannan, executive vice president--chief administrative...

Sun Chemical Corp.(People Update)
January 7, 2006... Dainippon Ink & Chemicals (DIC), Sun Chemical Corp.'s parent company, has made changes to its management structure. DIC elected Naoki Tsuji and Kazuo Kudo to the board of Sun Chemical Corp. In addition, Tsuji will become vice chairman of the...

Cadmus Communications Corp.(People Update)
January 7, 2006... John Miller joins Cadmus Communications Corp. as senior vice president--sales and marketing for its Publisher Services Group. Pricing and estimating are among his new responsibilities. Miller joins Cadmus from Banta Corp., where he served as...

Bowater Incorporated.(People Update)
January 7, 2006... Arnold Nemirow, chairman, president and ceo of Bowater Incorporated, Greenville, S.C., will retire from the company this year. Nemirow said that this timeframe meets his retirement objectives, as discussed with the board of directors during the...

Cold-Glue Taper Conversion Kits.(Product Update)
January 7, 2006... Valco's Cold-Glue Taper Conversion Kits eliminate costly tape and associated storage and handling problems. They allow faster belt speed for more production and cold glue produces stronger bonds faster for improved box quality. Taper Conversion...

Northeast medium mill to close.(GROVETON PAPER BOARD)
January 7, 2006... Groveton Paper Board Co., Groveton, N.H., has stopped production and will close March 1, according to the Associated Press. The mill produced approximately 400 tons per day of semichemical medium. International Paper Co., Smurfit-Stone...

MM packaging expands in Russia.(MM Packaging acqure Polygrafoformlenie Joint Stock Co.)(Brief article)
January 7, 2006... Wein, Austria-based MM Packaging continues its expansion in Eastern Europe with another acquisition. It acquired 50 percent plus one share in the offset segment of Polygrafoformlenie located in St. Petersburg, Russia. The remaining shares will...

Amtech to upgrade Dot Packaging.(TO SQL SERVER)
January 7, 2006... Bensalem, Pa. -- based Amtech will upgrade Dot Packaging, Batavia, Ill., and Spartanburg, S.C., to the SQL Server version of Imaginera. The software is Amtech's core system, which provides scheduling, job costing and accounting capabilities on...

Jumbo rotary die cutter.(Product Update)
January 7, 2006... Hycorr Machine Corp. has added a new 66-in. by 185-in. jumbo rotary die cutter to its product line. The machine is designed, engineered and manufactured in Hycorr's Kalamazoo, Mich., facility. It offers computerized set-up controls with...

Interstate Container--Cambridge.(People Update)
January 7, 2006... James Krahn was appointed general manager, Interstate Container--Cambridge, Cambridge, Md., a member of the Interstate Resources, Inc. group of companies, Arlington, Va. Krahn comes to Interstate from Fibre Containers Inc., City of Industry,...

Caraustar to sell CRB mills.(EXITING CONTRACT PACKAGING, TOO)
January 14, 2006... Caraustar Industries, Inc., Atlanta, will exit the coated recycled boxboard (CRB) and the specialty contract packaging (SPD) businesses. It is part of the company's strategic transformation plan. The CRB business consists of three mills...

Transacted containerboard prices.
January 14, 2006... Average transacted price levels are tabulated by obtaining paid prices from independent converters purchasing linerboard and medium. All prices are intended as a reference standard only. Transactions may be concluded at any time at any price...

China cancels linerboard duties.
January 14, 2006... China has canceled a retaliatory anti-dumping duty on U.S.- made kraft linerboard. The change in Beijing's position came Jan. 9, two days after Washington D.C. threatened to take the case to the World Trade Organization. "The Chinese...

Caraustar buys folding carton plant.(FROM SONOCO)
January 14, 2006... Sonoco, Hartsville, S.C., sold its folding carton business to Caraustar Industries, Inc., Atlanta. Terms were not disclosed. Sonoco's folding carton business produces various cartons and packaging materials at its single manufacturing...

Smurfit Kappa, Unions discuss plant cuts.(Brief article)
January 14, 2006... Smurfit Kappa Group, Dublin Ireland, and Eindhoven, Netherlands, has commenced a process of engagement with its Works Councils and Trade Unions to address the rationalization or closure of a number of uneconomic plants in its European...

Avoid safety shortcuts: don't let streamlined processes and equipment result in legal and financial liability.(PROCESS IMPROVEMENT)
January 14, 2006... Engineers and machinery designers are bound by rules and regulations when designing or altering a piece of equipment. While the paperboard packaging industry is innovative at streamlining operations, practitioners who make changes to equipment...

Standard Group will realign plants.(NEW YORK TO LOUISVILLE)(Brief article)
January 14, 2006... The Standard Group, Jackson Heights, N.Y., and Louisville, Ky., is reconfiguring its production facilities, moving machinery from the New York carton plant to the one in Louisville. Last year a news report was released stating that the...

TAPPI offers scholarship opportunities.(FOR BOX PLANT EMPLOYEES)
January 14, 2006... TAPPI's Corrugated Packaging Division provides scholarship money to box plant/packaging employees for college or technical school costs. The Awards and Scholarship Committee invites industry members to apply for funding. Applicants must be...

MeadWestvaco to launch board service.(FOUR-DAY TURNAROUND)
January 14, 2006... MeadWestvaco Coated Board, Phenix City, Ala., has created a new express sheeting service called CNK Express QwikSheet, operated out of Lakeland Paper, Sturgis, Mich. The service, scheduled to begin on Jan. 20, provides four-day turnaround on...

Folder-gluer.(Product Update)
January 14, 2006... A new folder-gluer from ADI/PDM Trade Group features a two-piece, one-pass design for handling up to 8,000 printed or laminated boxes per hour. This innovation also eliminates the pre-folding process. For more information, contact Jim McDonald...

Yes, old-fashioned values still resonate: Donco Paper's Myer Lissner attributes his decades-long success to simply treating people right.
January 14, 2006... Most people would consider themselves very lucky to reach 90 and still be able to get out of bed in the morning. But for Myer Lissner, senior consultant at Donco Paper Supply, Chicago, getting out of bed doesn't even start to get him excited....

Transacted paper stock prices--low grades.
January 14, 2006... Transacted Paper Stock Prices--Low Grades Mixed Boxboard Paper Cuttings News News (1) (4) (6) (8) Chicago $35-40 (0) 40-45 (0) 45-50 (0) 65-70 (0) New...

Flexo printing on rotary course offered.(FEB. 6-9)
January 14, 2006... AICC, in partnership with the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation (ICPF) and the Fibre Box Association (FBA), presents a training program for flexo rotary diecutter operators and supervisors at Clemson University, called Foundational...

Transacted paper stock prices--high grades.
January 14, 2006... Transacted Paper Stock Prices--High Grades For detailed chart explanation, see page 11 White Coated Hard New DLK News Soft Wht. White Cuttings Blanks Shavings Shavings...

Pratt buys general corrugated.(IN NEW ORLEANS)
January 14, 2006... Pratt Industries, Conyers, Ga., acquired New Orleans-based General Corrugated. Terms were not disclosed. The company will be merged with Pratt Converting -- New Orleans. This is the second major acquisition Pratt has made in less than two...

Flexible packaging to use Imaginera.(INVESTMENT IN SERVICE)
January 14, 2006... Flexible Packaging Group, a corrugated packaging provider with location ha Las Piedras and Rincon, Puerto Rico, purchased Amtech's advanced Imaginera system. This integrated, Windows-based soft ware solution features modules coveting all...

Central National-Gottesman Inc.(People Update)
January 14, 2006... Donna Mollenhauer joins Central National-Gottesman Inc., Purchase, N.Y., as vice president-domestic containerboard sales. She was most recently vice president-containerboard for a leading U.S. producer of containerboard and boxes, where she...

Smurfit-Stone Container Corp.(People Update)
January 14, 2006... Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., Chicago, names Nina Buffer to succeed Curtis Barton as vice president, environmental affairs, effective upon Barton's April 30 retirement. Butler joined the company in 1996 as environmental counsel, and currently...

Paper Stock Industries.(People Update)
January 14, 2006... The Paper Stock Industries chapter of ISRI names Crawford Carpenter of The Newark Group's recycled fibers division as president of the group. His term will last one year. George Chen, G&T Trading International, is vice president and Kevin...

CPA to distribute recyclability posters, brochures.(TO RETAILERS)
January 14, 2006... The Corrugated Packaging Alliance (CPA) will mail posters and brochures to retailers this month, explaining how to increase revenue and take advantage of the new recyclability standard for corrugated shipping containers. The posters...

No buyer yet for SSCC mill.(THREE PROSPECTS)
January 21, 2006... Three potential unidentified buyers have toured the Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. (SSCC) corrugating medium mill in Bathurst, New Brunswick, over the past six weeks, says the head of a provincial task force. But not one has made an offer...

Transacted containerboard prices.
January 21, 2006... Transacted Containerboard Prices Average transacted price levels are tabulated by obtaining paid prices from independent converters purchasing linerboard and medium. All prices are intended as a reference standard only. Transactions...

TI buys Caraustar's interest in Gypsum venture.
January 21, 2006... Temple-Inland, Austin, Texas, acquired the interests of Caraustar Industries in Standard Gypsum, which consists of gypsum wallboard facilities in McQueeney, Texas, and Cumberland City, Tenn. The purchase price was $150 million and the...

Longview shuts idled machines.
January 21, 2006... Longview Fibre, Longview, Wash., permanently shut two small linerboard and kraft paper machines, the company said last week in an earnings report. The machines, idled since 2001, reportedly were shut permanently in October. The company's...

IP mill to cut 200 jobs in 2007.(IN FLA.)
January 21, 2006... International Paper Co., Stamford, Conn., told its Cantonment Fla., mill employees Jan. 6 that it plans to cut up to 200 jobs in the spring of 2007, the Pensacola News Journal reports. The announcement came five months after the company...

Corrugator causes fire.(AT N.C. PLANT)
January 21, 2006... About 25 employees evacuated The Real Reel/Multi-Wall Packaging Corp., Salisbury, N.C., after a corrugating machine began smoking shortly before 4 p.m. on Jan. 10, the Salisbury Post reports. No injuries were reported. Employees vacated...

Weyco box plant starts trimming.(IN ELMIRA HEIGHTS, N.Y.)
January 21, 2006... Some production workers at Weyerhaeuser's Elmira Heights, N.Y., box plant can expect layoff notices later this month or by early February, reports the Elmira Star-Gazette. The facility employs about 115 workers and is one of the 11 company...

TAPPI offers coated board course.(MARCH 20-22)
January 21, 2006... TAPPI is offering a course that will explore how today's more sophisticated end-use requirements for coated board can affect materials and production costs, quality standards, and overall operational efficiency. The Coated Paperboard course is...

Publisher's letter.
January 21, 2006... Dear Official Board Markets Readers, In the past year, I have been fortunate to talk with many Official Board Markets subscribers about their relationship with the newsletter. For some, the Yellow Sheet is a bible; they read it consistently...

Enter AICC's safe shop contest.(DEADLINE IS FEB. 17)
January 21, 2006... The Association of Independent Corrugated Converters (AICC) is accepting entries from box plant members for the 2006 Operation Safe Shop Competition. Conducted every two years, the contest focuses on key elements of box plant safety, including...

Stratis to provide Asitrade-compatible pallets.(PARTNERSHIP)(Brief article)
January 21, 2006... Asitrade, Grenchen, Switzerland, and Stratis Plastic Pallets, Indianapolis, Ind., established an agreement to develop a new line of plastic pallets that are compatible with Asitrade litho laminating equipment. These pallets also will be...

Printing-packaging show debuts in April.(AT ASIAWORLD-EXPO)
January 21, 2006... The inaugural Hong Kong International Printing & Packaging Fair will run April 8-11 at AsiaWorld-Expo. The event is co-organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and CIEC Exhibition Co. Major exhibit categories include:...

Paperboard mill performance.
January 21, 2006... Paperboard Mill Performance U.S. paperboard production by furnish, current and cumulative totals in 1000 short tons, as reported by the American Forest & Paper Association. Unbleached ...

Producer Price Indexes--1982=100.
January 21, 2006... Producer Price Indexes--1982=100 Year Sept Oct 2003/2004 2005 2005 Total Paperboard 162.7/170.2 166.9 167.2 Total Paper & Paperboard 151.3/155.9...

Canada's recovered paper consumption (metric tons) November 2005.(Statistical table)
January 21, 2006... Canada's Recovered Paper Consumption (metric tons) November 2005 All PAPER AND BOARD Producers (including estimates for nonreporting companies) RECEIPTS Imports ...

Containerboard inventories dip slightly.(AF&PA REPORTS)
January 21, 2006... Total containerboard inventories at mills dipped 1.5 percent between the end of October and the end of November, the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA) states. Specifically, they went from 320,000 tons at the end of October to...

China remains dominant buyer.(for recycled paper)(Brief article)
January 21, 2006... The latest numbers from the U.S. Dept. of Commerce reveal that China continues to dominate the world of recovered paper. Of total year-to-date U.S. recovered paper exports, more than half (6.2 million metric tons) went to China. China also was...

Transacted paper stock prices--low grades.
January 21, 2006... Transacted Paper Stock Prices--Low Grades Mixed Boxboard Paper Cuttings News (1) (4) (6) Chicago $35-40 (0) 40-45 (0) ...

Recovered paper session to focus on goal.(AF&PA PAPER WEEK)
January 21, 2006... The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) will present a Recycling General Session at Paper Week 2006 titled, "Worldwide and Curbside Recycling--Drivers to the 55 Percent Goal." The session will be held on April 12 at The Waldorf-Astoria...

VantagePoint to install at SSCC division.(CONSUMER PACKAGING)
January 21, 2006... VantagePoint Systems, Inc. signed an agreement with Smurfit-Stone Container Corp.'s consumer packaging division for the supply of VantagePoint's Accelerate[TM] estimating, order planning and scheduling software. As part of the contract,...

FBA Annual Meeting registration opens.(APRIL 30-MAY 2)
January 21, 2006... Registration is now open and available at www.fibrebox.org for the 2006 Annual Meeting at the Four Seasons Hotel in Miami, Fla., April 30-May 2. This year's speakers include: * Stan Slap, a corporate strategist and consultant who will...

AICC schedules design, sales training.(EDUCATION)
January 21, 2006... The Association of Independent Corrugated Converters (AICC) has scheduled two new programs for 2006: the first Designers' Workshop, May 11-12, in Chicago, and the revised Sales Managers' Forum, June 1-3, in Dallas/Ft. Worth. The Designers'...

Transacted paper stock prices--high grades.
January 21, 2006... Transacted Paper Stock Prices--High Grades For detailed chart explanation, see page 11 White Coated New DLK News Soft Wht. Cuttings ...

Nordic changes leadership.(acquired by Richard Keys )(Brief article)
January 21, 2006... Richard Keys acquired majority interest in Nordic, Inc., Rock Island, Ill., a starch-based adhesives supplier. As a result of this transaction, Nordic is now an MBE (minority-owned business enterprise). Terms weren't disclosed. Keys, a...

Hycorr Machine Corp.(People Update)
January 21, 2006... Hycorr Machine Corp., Kalamazoo, Mich., names Frank Greene as the West Coast sales agent. As a member of the Hycorr sales team, he will serve the 11 western states and British Columbia, representing Hycorr's rotary diecutters, rotary diecut...

Interstate container hits safety milestones.(AT TWO PLANTS)(Brief article)
January 21, 2006... The employees of Interstate Container's Fitchburg, Mass., sheet plant set a new safety record by completing two years without an injury on Nov. 25. As of Dec. 31, it had been more than 768 days with more than 180,000 total employee hours...

Pasta line gets new look.(MUELLER'S)
January 21, 2006... American Italian Pasta Co., Kansas City, Mo., is unveiling new packaging for its Mueller's[R] pasta line this month. New packaging on all 38 different Mueller's pasta varieties features the brand's traditional blue, red and white colors and an...

What's new in corrugated?(LEARN AT CHICAGO TAPPI)
January 21, 2006... At Chicago Tappi's February 7 meeting at the Wyndham Drake Hotel, Oak Brook, Ill., attendees will have the opportunity to hear from seven speakers about the latest machinery and supply offerings for corrugated box makers. The following...