Major Announcements

Production of paper ended in December 2023. The closure of the site should be completed during the second calendar quarter of 2024.

Quad Graphics has notified their employees the Saratoga Springs, NY plant will be closing on or before May 4th, leaving 450 employees out of work. Quad was once the largest employer in Saratoga County.

Federal, provincial NDP leaders call for accountability, answers from mill's owner.

The closure of Fraser Lake Sawmill will impact approximately 175 employees.

Months after a nearly century-old paper mill closed in Tacoma, the same company, WestRock, is closing a packaging plant in Seattle. About 87 employees at the Seattle plant will lose their jobs come March, when the plant closes. The company notified the Washington State Employment Security Department of the layoffs on Jan. 19.

This decision affects approximately 75 employees.

Stora Enso said it could lay off about 1,000 employees this year as part of a profit improvement plan, as the Finnish forestry firm and rival UPM-Kymmene both forecast a slow start to 2024 on Thursday.

Lecta Ltd announces that Dr. Dermot F Smurfit has decided to retire from his role as Chairman of the Board and that he will be succeeded by Javier Abad Marturet.

Four hundred workers are affected by the production shutdown which takes effect immediately.

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. announced that it will close its sawmill in Maxville, Florida and indefinitely curtail operations at its sawmill in Huttig, Arkansas by the end of this month.

PaperWorks, based in the Philadelphia suburb of Fort Washington, filed paperwork Thursday with the N.C. Department of Commerce that stated it was permanently closing the Montgomery County facility for "financial reasons" but was not more specific. None of the employees who work there are part of a union.

LP Building Solutions (LP) announced the appointment of LP Chair and CEO Brad Southern to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's Board of Directors for its Nashville Branch.

Metsä Group is exploring possibilities to construct a carbon capture facility at one of its pulp or bioproduct mills. The investigation is a continuation of the work initiated in the spring, in which Metsä Group and Fortum jointly studied the capture of wood-based carbon dioxide and its use in the chemical industry and hydrogen economy, for example.

Mark Holbrook began his career 25 years ago with Scott Paper and continued to progress to more senior positions within Kruger Products.

Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc., the oldest continuously operating paper mill in the United States, announces Daniel J. Burke as the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Treasurer. Dan will be assuming the role following the upcoming retirement of Andrew Manns in the new year.

DS Smith CEO Miles Roberts plans to retire after 13 years, the British cardboard maker said on Thursday, as the company reported a sharp drop in half-year profits and said the macro environment was challenging for demand.

Anna Jonhed has been appointed CEO of Rottneros Packaging. She will take office during the first half of 2024 and will be part of the Rottneros group management.

Sean McLaren will succeed Ray Ferris as president and chief executive officer following Mr. Ferris's retirement at the end of the year. The board of directors has appointed Mr. McLaren to join the board of directors effective Jan. 1, 2024, in place of Mr. Ferris.

Essity continuously evaluates its various businesses to increase long-term value creation. In the strategic review of Consumer Tissue Private Label Europe it was concluded that the business as a result of the implemented divisionalization, is a competitive and value-creating part of Essity.

Cascades Inc., a leader in the recovery and manufacturing of eco-friendly packaging and hygiene products, announced that Alain Lemaire will step down from his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Company's annual general meeting, to be held in May 2024, and that Patrick Lemaire will succeed him. Alain Lemaire will continue to sit on the Board as a director.

Due to uncompetitive wood prices from the Polish State Forests' monopoly and low market demand across paper and board products, the company decided to significantly reduce the planned multiannual strategic investment project at MM Kwidzyn relating to energy, further pulp integration and the product range, which was announced end of April 2023. Instead, MM Kwidzyn will focus its investments on increasing its already high share of renewable energy of currently 69 % even further.

UPM Pulp, UPM Timber, UPM Communication Papers and UPM Biofuels will start change negotiations on possible temporary layoffs. The negotiations are conducted to prepare for possible temporary adjustment of production in the Finnish units should the uncertainty in the operating environment continue.

The workers had hoped to be back on the job Dec. 1, but the company says international paper markets have not recovered as anticipated.

The Saica Group has unveiled its Research, Development & Innovation (R&D&I) Centre at its El Burgo de Ebro plant in Zaragoza, Spain. The centre will service Saica's four divisions globally: Saica Natur, Saica Paper, Saica Pack and Saica Flex.

Green Bay Packaging -- a paper company that makes shipping containers, cartons and label products -- is set to build a new regional corporate headquarters to replace its current facility in Germantown.