4 INDUSTRY NEWS


Pulp Paper & Logistics


Innovative corrugated is the material of the future


highlighted by Confederati on of Paper Industries’ (CPI) in a recent publicity document. It describes how digital


T


printi ng technology is not only transforming corrugated packaging into an eye-catching shelf ready packaging soluti on for retailers but the fl exible material is also capturing the imaginati on of entrepreneurs who see cardboard as a valuable resource. Corrugated plays a pivotal role in supply chain sustainability by protecti ng goods in transit and now its cushioning qualiti es are also being put to equally eff ecti ve use helping to safeguard cyclists


he technical versati lity and eye-catching shelf impact of corrugated board has been


new business opportuniti es – such as the new polling booths that were trialled in the UK south west county of Cornwall during the 2014 European electi ons. Cornwall decided to follow the


from head injuries on the UK’s busy roads. The material has been


engineered into a cycling safety helmet launched by a designer as a sustainable alternati ve to polystyrene. With a design that mimics the woodpecker, corrugated’s ‘ti ny litt le airbags’ absorb the energy of a collision,


preventi ng the helmet from cracking. The design has been tested to European standards and when compared to standard polystyrene, the results are impressive. This new safety helmet is a


striking example of the practi cal applicati ons that are being developed for corrugated to create


lead of the USA and Australia in using cardboard booths for voters because they were more aff ordable and reduced the costs of storage, transport, cleaning and repairs compared to wooden booths. The Confederati on of Paper Industries’ director of packaging aff airs, Andy Barnetson, said: “Corrugated’s tremendous versati lity is being recognised in a variety of new markets. The growing infl uence of digital technology is contributi ng to the industry’s willingness to extend beyond its comfort zone.”


Voith Paper to consolidate operations in Europe


To manage what Voith Paper describes as a ‘diffi cult situati on’, especially in its projects business, it has presented a plan to consolidate a number of its businesses in Europe. Voith says that demand for


new paper making machines and rebuilds has ‘signifi cantly reduced’


and the proposed measures are intended to adapt the company’s European structure to the market conditi ons. “The market volume for new


systems has shrunk in half. This is going to stay that way, which means that revenues from this market will not be coming back,”


said Voith Paper’s chief executi ve Bertram Staudenmaier. “The consequences for our new machines and rebuilds business are signifi cant. In this much smaller market, we are faced with strong competi ti on and price pressure. The decline in order volume in recent years has had


a very strong eff ect on capacity uti lizati on, sales, and profi ts. Therefore, we must adapt to the changed market conditi ons.” The changes will impact the business at Heidenheim, with its acti viti es merged into Ravensburg, and closure of paper acti viti es at St Pölten in Austria.


Homebuilding sale benefits Weyerhaeuser results


Weyerhaeuser, one of the world’s largest private owners of ti mberlands and manufactures of wood and cellulose fi bre products, has reported signifi cantly higher net profi t for the 2014 fi nancial year. On sales of US$7.4 billion,


January/February 2015


slightly up on the previous year, the US-based fi rm made a net profi t of $1.8 billion, up from $540m year-on-year. Most of this increase came from aft er- tax earnings of $998m from disconti nued operati ons related to the sale of Weyerhaeuser


Real Estate. “In 2014, we demonstrated


our commitment to driving shareholder value,” said chief executi ve Doyle Simons. “During the year, we divested our homebuilding business to become a focused forest products


company, achieved our 2014 operati onal excellence targets and made signifi cant progress on our multi -year initi ati ves, and improved earnings from conti nuing operati ons by more than 20 percent compared with 2013.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36