8 INDUSTRY NEWS
Smurfit Kappa develops its containerboard business in Texas
S
murfit Kappa is to acquire US-based Bates Container, a non- integrated corrugated
packaging manufacturer. Bates is a long-established
private corrugated manufacturer with a strong customer base in the wider Texas region. Much of its 135,000 tonnes of containerboard requirement will be supplied by the Smurfit Kappa Orange County (SKOC) mill in Dallas. The deal involves a cash payment of US$150 million with a further estimated deferred payment of $7.5 million and is expected be completed in the fourth quarter of 2014 subject to customary regulatory approval, with funding from existing cash reserves. Tony Smurfit, Smurfit Kappa
Group operations chief said, “This acquisition fits perfectly with our integrated model, complementing in a significant way the successful integration of SKOC which was acquired in December 2012 and providing us with substantial
Pulp Paper & Logistics
News in brief
Clothing treatment chemical specialist Contech this year celebrates 25 years in the pulp and paper industry. The Brazil-based firm is focused on innovations such as its patented mechanical system for the application of biodegradable chemicals for pulp and paper machinery. Using a pressurization system and temperature control, the chemical agents acting on the felts and wire treatments are applied without the need to stop the machine, leading to production cost savings.
scope for further synergies in both businesses. “These synergies will be primarily
delivered through additional integration of the containerboard needs of Bates into SKOC’s 350,000 tonnes recycled containerboard mill, with additional savings expected through a range of operational efficiency measures. Importantly, the group’s enlarged packaging footprint in the US will further enhance SKG’s capacity to provide innovative, insight-led and value enhancing packaging solutions to both current and prospective customers”.
Gary McGann, Smurfit Kappa
Group chief executive, added: “We are pleased to announce our agreement to acquire Bates Container Corporation and look forward to welcoming the excellent team from Bates into the Smurfit Kappa Group. The transaction reflects our continued focus on the accretive growth of our operations in the Americas and the combination of SKOC and Bates will increase our market presence and provide us with higher quality earnings in this region.”
UPM celebrates expansion at the Kymi pulp mill
The topping out ceremony for UPM’s Kymi pulp mill production expansion project in Finland was celebrated in November with 200 staff and guests joining in the celebrations. The KYMI700 project at the
Kuusankoski, Kouvola pulp mill involved the installation of a new pulp drying machine, debarking plant and modernisation of the
November/December 2014
softwood fibre line. Following an investment of €160 million Kymi’s annual pulp production capacity increased by 170,000 tonnes to 700,000 tonnes of bleached northern softwood and birch pulp. Said project manager Tero Ojala: “The biggest challenge has been the pulp drying machine. The demolition of the old machine hall, including
land construction work and implosions, has been successful, while paper production has been ongoing in the same location. We can be especially pleased that we have achieved this with no accidents in any project area that would have resulted in sick leave. We emphasise the importance of safety measures at our sites, and the construction firms take it seriously.”
Some 150 companies, governments and NGOs signed the New York Declaration on Forests during the UN Climate Summit 2014, held in September. The aim is to halve the rate of loss of natural forests by 2020 and end it by 2030, while contributing to economic growth, poverty alleviation, rule of law, food security, climate resilience and biodiversity conservation. The declaration, which was
formalised at an event hosted by UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, highlights that reducing emissions from deforestation and increasing forest restoration are key to tackling climate change.
The €30 million large-scale pulp dryer project for the production of softwood market pulp at Mondi Group’s Syktyvkar mill was expected to be completed in November. “The new pulp dryer will allow
us to produce more than 100,000 tonnes of FSC certified softwood market pulp per year,” says Klaus Peller, managing director at Mondi Syktyvkar, which has been operating for 45 years..
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