USA
VON DREHLE TO SELL MIAMI TISSUE MILL ASSETS

von Drehle Corporation is to auction off the tissue machine and real property in its Miami, Florida mill. In 2007, von Drehle purchased the assets of the Laurel Hill Paper Company in Cordova, North Carolina. After this acquisition, the tissue machine located in its Miami operation was put up for sale as it was no longer needed to meet production requirements. The mill was subsequently leased, but the buyer could not acquire financing and the sale fell through. The mill was in production until April 2008. The tissue machine will be auctioned off for removal or sale with the real property. von Drehle is a supplier of towels, tissues and dispensers for the awayfrom- home market.

von Drehle has commissioned LiquiTec Industries, in partnership with Can-Am Machinery, to sell these assets at a public auction. The sale includes a 1998 Toschi machine, deinking plant and the mill site. The paper machine has a wire width of 2900 mm, trimming at 2650 mm and makes 24-40 tons/day running at up to 500 m/min.

CEO Raymond von Drehle stated, “The machine was installed new in 1998. We purchased the facility in 2003 and made significant investments to upgrade the mill’s capabilities. The machine made excellent quality toweling and tissue, and there is a very dedicated workforce available if the buyer chooses to continue operations on site. It’s basically a turn-key operation and could be back in full production immediately. Unfortunately, with our recent acquisition of the two paper machines in the Cordova, NC mill, it no longer fits our long-term strategic distribution plans.”

In addition to the machinery, what the company calls a “state of the art, modern” 16,000 m2 manufacturing and distribution facility in Miami, Florida will also be sold. The real property is available for purchase with the equipment or separately if the tissue machine is purchased for relocation.

The public auction will be held on 20 August in Miami, Florida. Interested buyers should call LiquiTec Industries at (262) 241- 1000 or CAN-AM Machinery at (978) 343- 4400 and are encouraged to visit www.LiquiTec.net for more sale details.

SCA MENASHA CHOOSES VOITH PAPER FOR UPGRADE EQUIPMENT

As part of the investment in its Menasha, Wisconsin mill in USA, SCA has chosen Voith Paper Fiber Systems to supply key equipment that will enable the mill to use lower grades of recycled fiber as targeted.

The scope of Voith's supply includes a drum pulper reject handling system, a MultiScreen coarse screen, Variosplit washer, EcoCell flotation deinking system, ConusTrenner fiber recovery and Tauro DAF clarifier.

Instrumental in SCA's choice of Voith technology was previous positive experience from installations in other SCA facilities as well as Voith's close proximity and working relationship to the Menasha mill.

Headquartered in Philadelphia, SCA Tissue North America is part of SCA, a $13.8 billion company based in Sweden. SCA conducts global operations with sales in some 90 countries and production in about 40. More than half of SCA’s global sales are consumer products within personal care, tissue and packaging solutions where the end-users are individuals and households.

MARCAL COMPLETES SALE, NAMES CEO
(NEWS BY RISI)

Marcal Paper Mills has announced the closing of the previously announced transaction, whereby a newly formed entity to be known as Marcal Paper Mills, along with its subsidiaries, will acquire substantially all of the assets of Marcal.

The company also announced that Tim Spring has been named chief executive officer of Marcal Paper Mills, effective immediately. Spring brings extensive senior executive-level consumer packaged goods and turnaround experience.

"We are very pleased to complete this transaction," comments Spring, "which we believe will enable us to leverage Marcal's strong brand and eco-friendly product line to restore the Marcal brand as a leader in the industry for the benefit of its customers, employees and its hometown communities."

James D’Agosta, newly appointed senior vice president of sales, added: "We are entering a new and exciting phase and we look forward to building on the extraordinary history of the company. Marcal is now recapitalized and revitalized, ready and able to successfully execute several growth and product improvement strategies. I look forward to partnering with our key customers to provide consumers with the environmentally-friendly products that they have come to expect from Marcal".

MJ Jolda, newly appointed senior vice president of marketing says, "Marcal has an established 75-year history as an environmentally-conscious manufacturer of consumer products. Our employees and suppliers are particularly passionate about creating innovative paper solutions that result in the economical production of high-quality products with a minimal impact on the environment. I believe this long-standing commitment to recycling is not only socially and environmentally responsible, but will be one of our great competitive advantages as well."

"Our supplier base has been terrific. We have spoken to virtually every supplier over the last two weeks and are overwhelmed by the strength and support of our vendors" stated Karen Buynie from the Procurement Department.

FIRST QUALITY DOUBLES CAPACITY
(NEWS BY RISI)

First Quality is set to double the output of its Lock Haven, PA, mill after it added an estimated 71,000 tons/yr of tissue/toweling capacity, RISI's PPI Pulp & Paper Week reported.

The facility, which makes consumer tissue/toweling products including the brand name Plenty as well as private label products, ramped up the second PM back in April, industry contacts said.

The line was ordered from Andritz to use through-air-dried (TAD) technology for its tissue/toweling output.

Looking forward, the company reportedly wants to build a co-generation plant with late 2011 as the earliest date the plant could be in operation.

CANADA
CASCADES GOES GREEN WITH WIND ENERGY

Cascades Tissue Group (Cascades), North America’s fourth largest producer of tissue paper, has announced an agreement to offset all the electricity used to manufacture North River commercial towel and tissue products with wind-generated energy, supplied by Community Energy. Through this purchase, Cascades will be the first EPA Green Power Partner to use clean, renewable, emission-free wind energy in the manufacturing process of Away-From-Home towel and tissue products.

North River is the first brand in this market to be made with 100% Green-e certified renewable electricity, which speaks to Cascades’ commitment to a sustainable future, according to a press release from Community Energy.

Starting 1 June 2008, Cascades’ commitment to purchase 11,000 MWh of Green-e certified renewable energy credits (RECs) reduces its carbon footprint by preventing the release of 6,800 tons of CO2 or approximately 7,000 tons. This is the equivalent of not driving a car for 25 million km or planting 1.85 million trees.

“The North River line is made from 100% recycled fiber with a majority of post-consumer material. It helps us preserve 47 millions trees per year and our chlorine free process allows us to reuse each drop of water up to 40 times.

As an environmental leader in our market, we are especially proud to pioneer the use of Green-e certified wind energy in manufacturing tissue products,” said Suzanne Blanchet, president of Cascades Tissue Group. “We take our commitment to environmental stewardship seriously and offer a product for other likeminded organizations to green their supply chain,” added Blanchet.

The demand for wind power and other clean energy sources is increasing worldwide and corporations are searching for products that address global warming.

PERU
PROTISA STARTS UP NEW PM IN LIMA

CMPC’s Peruvian subsidiary Protisa has successfully started up its new 30,000 ton/yr Recard machine in Lima. The 2.75 m trim machine, which will make tissue of 14-41 g/m2 and run at up to 2000 m/min, is equipped with a crescent former. The 16-foot yankee dryer can run at 8.65 bar and has a high-efficiency gas hood. Recard also supplied a pressure screen and fan pump, vacuum pumps, an effluent clarifying plant, plus DC and AC motors and other equipment. Stock preparation is from Kadant Lamort.

CMPC has a similar Recard machine on order for its mill in Mexico.

VENEZUELA
PAVECA TO REBUILD PM5 IN GUACARA

Papeles Venezuelanos (PAVECA) has ordered a major rebuild of PM5 at its mill in Guacara, Venezuela, from Voith. The company, a subsidiary of Canadian company Kruger, has for some years been analysing, together with Voith Paper, possible ways to reduce costs and increase production of its operations in Venezuela.

To achieve its targets, PAVECA has opted to acquire from Voith Paper, a large forming section rebuild of the PM5. The project includes the supply of a new headbox, a new crescent former replacing an old suction breast roll former, erection and startup assistance as well as the engineering required. The total investment will be approximately $5.3 million. After this project is implemented, PAVECA will be able to reduce the basis weight of its current products by 10%, thus decreasing production costs. It will also increase PM5’s speed to 1500 m/min, increasing its production.

Thinking further ahead, the new equipments to be installed in this rebuild will be designed for speeds up to 1800 m/min for further production increases.

Delivery and start-up are scheduled for January 2009.