News
News (May 01, 2003)

AWARDFortune Magazine, in its annual “Most Admired Companies” survey named International Paper as the most admired Forest and Paper Products company. The survey, which has been conducted annually for …

AWARD

Fortune Magazine, in its annual “Most Admired Companies” survey named International Paper as the most admired Forest and Paper Products company. The survey, which has been conducted annually for over 20 years, identifies the top ten companies in a number of industries. The Hay Group surveyed 10,000 executives, directors and securities analysts. Each rated the ten largest companies by revenues in their own industries, using eight criteria. These included:

– Social responsibility

– Innovation

– Long-term investment value

– Use of corporate assets

– Employee talent

– Financial soundness

– Quality of products/services

– Quality of management

The world’s largest paper company reported earnings of $44 million for the first quarter of 2003 compared with a $1.1 billion loss for the same period last year. “[Our] strong focus on internal improvements and customer service continues to positively impact our results,” CEO John Dillon said.

ACQUISITION

CANFOR CORP. PURCHASES DAAQUAM AND ANTICOSTI

QUEBEC CITY, QC — Canfor Corporation announced it will purchase Daaquam Lumber Inc. and Produits Forestiers Anticosti Inc., two privately owned lumber and timber harvesting companies based in Quebec City.

Daaquam is a lumber manufacturing operation located in Saint-Just-de-Bretenires, QC, with an annual capacity of 150 million board feet, and timber-cutting rights in the surrounding region.

Anticosti holds additional timber rights and has harvesting operations on Anticosti Island. Under the terms of the agreement, Canfor will acquire the companies for a total of $50 million in cash and assumed debt. The transaction is expected to close on May 30, 2003 and is subject to completion of final documentation and regulatory approval.

Daaquam’s lumber mill is one of the lowest cost operations in Quebec and has been continually upgraded, with over $30 million of capital invested since 1996.

NORAMPAC ACQUIRES NY PLANT

MONTREAL, QC — Norampac Inc. is acquiring Georgia-Pacific’s converting plant in Schenectady, NY, approximately 300 km south of Montreal, as part of an asset exchange agreement in exchange for its plant in Dallas, TX, and other considerations.

With an annual production capacity of over 900 million square feet, the Schenectady plant will create synergies with other Norampac plants specializing in corrugated products and containerboard manufacturing. In addition to having developed an expertise in bulk bins and in triple-wall boxes, the new plant has a well-established customer base, experienced staff and solid market reputation. Its strategic location will allow Norampac to offer outstanding delivery service in both Canada and the United States.

STATISTICS

PRINTING AND WRITING PAPERS UP

MONTREAL, QC — North American demand for printing and writing paper was up 4.2% in March and 3.3% for the first quarter of 2003, according to the Pulp and Paper Products Council. During the month of March, output increased 5.8% and shipments grew 0.6%, resulting in an 89% operating rate for the month.

Shipments to North America increased half a per cent in March while shipments overseas grew 4.2%. Mill inventories closed the month at 2.6 million tonnes, up 72,000 tonnes from the end of February 2003.

LEGAL

PAPER MERCHANTS INVESTIGATED

MONTREAL, QC — The Canadian Competition Bureau is presently investigating allegations of price fixing in the commercial printer paper market among certain Canadian paper merchants.

Companies involved include Cascades Resources, Domtar Inc., Coast Paper Ltd. and Unisource Canada Inc.

The allegation is based on the assumption that these companies would have colluded to unduly reduce market competition between paper merchants in Canada.

Cascades said in a statement that since investigation is still in its early stages, the company can not comment on the matter at this time, but will cooperate fully with the Canadian Competition Bureau throughout the investigation.

All companies deny any wrongdoing.

CALL FOR PAPERS

MIDWEST BRANCH

The MidWest Branch of PAPTAC is calling for papers for its 57th Annual Meeting, to be held on September 24-26, 2003 at the Valhalla Inn in Thunder Bay, ON.

Session topics will include technical innovation, value-added product development, implementation of product quality, safety and environmental programs including ISO certifications, marketplace trends. Specific innovative papers dealing with topics such a pulping, bleaching, papermaking, deinking, environmental management including effluent treatment, system closure, air emission and solid waste issues, sustainable development, energy use efficiency, process cost reduction, mill safety programs, employee training and related topics are invited. Authors interested in presenting a paper on these or related topics should please contact Michael J. Ford, program chair at michael.ford@nlkconsultants.com or David R. Jones, Co-Chair at drjones@buckman.com

CANADIAN PULP AND PAPER MILLS IN 1913

Anglo Newfoundland Development

Barber Paper & Coating

Basin Electric Light & Power

Beaver Co.

Belgo-Canadian Pulp & Paper

British Canadian Wood, Pulp & Paper Co.

British Columbia Sulphite Fibre

Brompton Pulp & Paper

Booth, J.R.

Campbell Lumber

Canada Paper

Chicoutimi Pulp

Clyde River Pulp & Paper

Colonial Wood Products

Compagnie de Pulpe de Dalmas

Davy, James

Dominion Paper

Don Valley Paper

Dryden Timber and Power

East Canada Power & Pulp

Eastern Paper

Eddy Co.

Edward Partington Pulp & Paper

Foley-Rieger Pulp & Paper

Ford, J.

Garden City Paper Mills

Gore Valley

Howard Smith Paper Mills

Interlake Tissue Mills

Jacques Cartier Pulp & Paper

Jonquire Pulp

Kinleith Paper

La Cie de Metabetchouan

La Havre Pulp

Lake Megantic

Lake Superior Paper

Laurentide Co.

Lincoln Paper Mills

MacLaren Co.

McLeod Pulp

McArthur Alex & Co.

New Brunswick Pulp & Paper

News Pulp & Paper Co.

Nicolet Falls Pulp & Paper

North Shore Power, Railway & Navigation

Northumberland Paper & Electric

Nova Scotia Wood & Pulp

Ontario Pulp & Paper

Ouiatchoiuan Falls Paper

Powell River

Price Bros. & Co.

Price Poritt Pulp

Quebec & St. Maurice Industrial

Reed A.E. & Co.

Riordan Pulp & Paper

Rolland Paper

Soucy, F.

Spanish River Pulp & Paper Mills

St. George Pulp and Paper

Strathcona Paper

Swanson Bay Forest, Wood, Pulp & Lumber Mills

Thorold Pulp

Toronto Paper Mfg.

Trent River Paper

Trent Valley Paper Mills

Union Bag & Paper

Wayagamack Pulp & Paper

Wilson, J.C.

MILLS

NORSKECANADA TO SUPPLY ELECTRICITY IN BC

VICTORIA, BC — NorskeCanada says it can supply Vancouver Island with the additional electricity it will need at a lower cost than BC Hydro’s controversial Georgia Strait Pipeline and Island Generation project proposals.

Last April, the mill filed reports with the provincial regulator in which it outlines co-generation projects at its three Vancouver Island pulp mills — Port Alberni, Crofton and Elk Falls/Campbell River — that, along with several conservation measures, would add 362 megawatts of capacity to the Island’s power grid for approximately $420 million.

PAPERCLIPS

THE PAPER MILL FELLOWS

(Abdul Abulbul Ameer)

The paper mill fellows are greasy and tough,

And quite unaccustomed to soap;

But when they have warbled this touching old song,

They all will feel better, I hope.

There’s the guy who will sit by the hour on the dock,

With conveyors a-piling the wood,

While the dirt and the dust make him look like a clod

But I guess he may be just as good.

If you go round the barkers you’ll there find a bloke

Whose language is naught but a bark,

As he pulls out his slivers that stick in his pants,

But this guy never works after dark.

Now the chap who makes groundwood, a gentleman, quite,

Would never get dirt on his hands,

But his clothes are all splattered with slush from the pit

Because that’s the place where he stands.

The cook in the pulp mill gets more st
ink that dirt,

But where you get one you find t’ other.

He don’t care a dam while he is the pulp man,

And to clean himself up he won’t bother.

On the paper machines I surely had dreams

Of finding the men looking neater,

But fancy my shame at finding the same

Much worse than the mutts on the beater.

Then into the office I went on the run,

For the manager then I did seek,

But to my surprise what here met my eyes,

Was lipstick all over his cheek!

YES, WE HAVE NO MORE NEWSPRINT

Yes, we have no more newsprint.

We have no more newsprint this year.

We’ve sulphite, and soda, and groundwood and sulphate

And all kinds of pulp to clear.

We have a lot of book and writing and nice krafty wrapping,

But yes, we’re sold out of newsprint,

And we don’t have no newsprint this year.

OUR JOBS

(Reuben, Reuben, I’ve been thinking)

If you think the work is easy,

In a Paper Mill you’ll find

That the jobs we have to handle

Mostly the dirty kind.

Wood is heavy, wet and slip’ry

Sulphur burning smells like Hell.

Chips go to a big digester

Making gas that we must smell.

Out the pulp comes through the big pipe

Cooked with steam and chemicals.

It must be all right, and that’s why

They employ us Technicals.

Groundwood pulp as well as Sulphite

To the paper mill is sent,

Making Newsprint for the papers

Damn fools sell ’em for a cent.

If the publisher would let us

Charge a fair price for our goods.

We’d not have to live on turnips

Sacrifice our nation’s woods.