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News (August 01, 2002)

NEWSPRINT: BULLISH MARKET SEEN

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Newsprint giants Kruger, Norske Skog Canada, and Weyerhaeuser’s North Pacific Paper Co. have increased the price of the standard 30-lb newsprint by $50/tonne.

This decision follows that of Abitibi-Consolidated, Bowater Inc., and SP Newsprint Co., making up the six largest newsprint producers in North America.

ASSOCIATIONS: NEW ORGANIZATION

WASHINGTON, DC — Trade associations in 39 countries representing industries accounting for 75% of the world’s paper and 50% of global wood production got together to establish the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA).

W. Henson Moore, president and CEO of the American Forest & Paper Association was elected president for 2002-2004.

ACCIDENT: EMERGENCY IN A PULP MILL

COSMOPOLIS, WA — Three explosions occurred at Weyerhaeuser’s market pulp mill, Cosmopolis, WA, last July, sending a plume of chlorine dioxide gas in the air.

No one was injured and employees were evacuated. Authorities were informed of the leak, and local emergency plans were in force.

UNION: PULP WORKERS TO SWITCH

KAMLOOPS, BC — Workers at Weyerhaeuser’s Kamloops, BC, pulp mill voted to begin talks about switching union, from Pulp, Paper, and Woodworkers of Canada (PPWC) to a much larger one, Communications, Energy, and Papermakers of Canada (CEP).

The PPWC has represented the pulp workers for two decades.

MILL: SKEENA IN TROUBLE

TERRACE, BC — Skeena Cellulose failed to pay $816,000 in property taxes, and $576,000 in unpaid back taxes. City officials say the company will have to pay or lose its sawmill in a tax sale.

SOFTWOOD: CANFOR FIGHTS

VANCOUVER, BC — Canfor Corp. filed a Notice of Arbitration and Statement of Claim against the United States government under Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), in connection with the softwood lumber dispute. The claim seeks damages in the amount of not less than $250 million US.

COPY PAPER: JOINT VENTURE

NEW YORK, NY — Citigroup and Alliance for Environmental Innovation teamed up to help reduce the environmental impact of copy paper for all the operations in the United States. The team will work to increase the recycled content of copy paper, reduce copy paper use, and develop environmental criteria for paper suppliers.

STATISTICS: NEWSPRINT DECLINE

MONTREAL, QC — North American newsprint production fell 6.9% in May, resulting in 88% operating rate, said the Pulp and Paper Products Council. Newsprint mills have thus operated at less than 90% of capacity for 11 of the past 12 months. The fall in shipments was due exclusively to lower exports (down 12%). North American mill stocks fell 29,000 tonnes.

ACQUISITION: CASCADES SELLS EGG-CARTON DIVISION

KINGSEY FALLS, QC — Cascades Inc. has sold its retail egg-carton operations in Brantford, ON, and Thorndike, MA, to Denmark’s Brodrene Hartmann AS.

The Danish company will become the second largest supplier of molded-fibre egg cartons in North America after the deal.

CONTRACTS

TROIS-RIVIRES, QC — GL&V`s Pulp and Paper Group secured contracts for over $2 million for the Kruger-Wayagamack, Trois Rivires, QC, major modernization project.

DE PERE, WI — Smurfit Stone Container ordered dryer heads from C.A. Lawton Co. for the PM6 at the Bathurst, NB, mill.

Cascades also contracted C.A. Lawton Co. for the PM6 at their Thunder Bay, ON, mill.

VANCOUVER, BC — CAE’s Fibre Processing Machinery Group received an order from Produits Forestiers Coulonge for their mixed hardwood pulp mill operation in Fort Coulonge, QC.

ATLANTA, GA — Metso Paper will supply Gaspsia Papers with a major rebuild for their mill in Chandler, QC.

DRYDEN, ON — Weyerhaeuser has contracted ABB with Industrial Open Control for a new recovery boiler in Dryden, ON.

VANCOUVER, BC — Aurel Systems Inc. signed an agreement with Tembec Inc. to place its CADSIM Plus dynamic process simulation software in all 14 of Tembec’s pulp and paper mills and corporate office in Temiscaming, QC.

PAPERCLIPS: DON’T CLOSE YOUR EYES…

What were Oscar-winning actors Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank doing at the BC mill towns? No, they did not go from being Hollywood moviemakers to papermakers. The scenic BC towns pretended to be Alaska for two months, to be the backdrop of the hit movie, Insomnia.

Swank waits along the waters directly in front of Western Pulp mill in Squamish, BC, when Pacino comes out of the hydroplane that just landed.

Pacino chases Williams across a log boom that happens to be a dock of the Pacifica Papers mill, now Norske Canada, in Port Alberni, BC.

Most of Pacino and Swank’s scenes were shot at a Western Pulp warehouse.

The propane tank with the American flag on it that is visible in the film is actually a Western Pulp property.

The action scene ends up at a beach house in Stewart, BC, where there’s no mill, but plenty of round logs.

Western Pulp received $9,000 for the filming, which it turned over to the employees association, while Norske Canada donated the money to three community organizations.

Hollywood actors Al Pacino and Hilary Swank getting instructions from the Canadian crew.