Major Expenditures

Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, inaugurated its upgraded folding boxboard machine in Husum, Sweden, on the 11th of April. Invited to the inauguration ceremony were, among others, project partners and representatives of Örnsköldsvik municipality, Swedish parliament and the forest industry.

Engineering and related work has begun, and startup of the machine is scheduled for 2026. At peak construction, 500 construction and contract-related workers are expected to be onsite at the mill.

The new state-of-the-art 4-colour converting machine will produce the well-known FEFCO 0201 bespoke boxes and alternative grades for customers. It is currently in start-up phase and equipped with an advanced automatic inline error detection system.

Ahlstrom, the global leader in masking and packaging tape base papers, has finalized an investment to upgrade and convert a paper machine in its Thilmany plant in Wisconsin, USA, to produce stretchable creped base papers for masking tape and is now ramping up the production. The new investment adds a crepe paper production capacity of 30,000 tons per year.

The order value amounts to just over SEK 1.5 million ($141,242). Training of the customer's staff is included in the price, but costs for commissioning are added.

Menasha Packaging Company, LLC, the largest independent, retail-focused packaging and merchandising solutions provider in the United States with a network of design centers, manufacturing plants, contract packaging, and fulfillment service centers, plans to infuse $70 million in capital into its Richmond, Indiana footprint as part of an ongoing U.S. network modernization initiative.

Metsä announced it had chosen Goole as the site for this landmark investment in September 2023. The planned investment would be worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

Godfrey Forest Products, a developer of engineered wood products like oriented strand board, plan to open a new mill on the land, creating 125 new jobs.

Mondi recently puts a new slitting and rewinding unit into operation at its Slovak paper mill in Ružomberok. The equipment allows for an extended capacity in narrow reels thus complementing Mondi's portfolio offering.

UFP Industries' UFPI affiliate, UFP Packaging, inaugurated a new production facility and breakroom in Warrens, WI. The 11,840 sq.-ft. production facility and 2,400 sq.-ft. breakroom mark a significant expansion, allowing UFP Packaging to enhance its wood packaging offerings and accommodate up to 12 additional staff members.

The woodyard at Irving Pulp & Paper in west Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, is reaching new heights in technological advancement with a C$110-million (approx. $81 million) project to update how the site receives and stores woodchips.

Company to upgrade fiber preparation line driving improved efficiency, sustainability and reliability.

The investment will increase its production in Austria by 20%.

Metsä Group's tissue and greaseproof paper business is investing in three new state-of-the-art converting lines for folded and rolled tissue paper to its mill in Mariestad, Sweden. The investment will enable large scale high quality hand towel production in Scandinavia. In addition it entails efficiency and energy savings as well as improved working environment and safety.

The planned program amounts to approximately Euro 100 million and the related investments are to be carried out over the period of next five years..

Smurfit Kappa is set to invest €54m to double the capacity of its bag-in-box plant in Alicante, Spain.

Boise Cascade Wood Products announced it plans to invest $75 million to expand and modernize key machine centers at its Oakdale facility in Allen Parish. These projects will increase veneer production capacity by 30 percent and allow the facility to produce up to 400 million square feet of dry veneer annually.

New state-of-the-art facility will enhance ability to meet growing demand and better serve customers in Great Lakes region.

PT Riau Andalan Paperboard International, part of APRIL Group, has initiated the commissioning of its new IDR 33.4 trillion (US$ 2.3 billion) paperboard manufacturing plant, bringing it a step closer to full-scale commercial production, which is expected later this year.

Government of British Columbia is injecting up to $8.6 million through the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund (BCMJF) into eight capital projects. These projects aim to create and safeguard hundreds of jobs in the wood-product and fabricated-metal manufacturing sectors, fostering economic growth in local communities.

J.D. Irving's Grand Lake Timber in New Brunswick is celebrating the commission of a new biomass boiler which will significantly reduce fossil fuel consumption and contribute to a sustainable future. The project marks a step towards an eco-friendlier lumber drying process and will allow the mill to substantially reduce its carbon footprint.

In 2023, Georgia-Pacific, a major manufacturer of toilet paper and other paper-based products, reinvested some $2 billion into its operations. According to the company, the capital improvement projects include finishing new facilities and enhancing existing operations.

Elgin, IL facility brings new capacity for sheets, brown shippers, and graphic packaging under one roof to support the company's growth throughout the Midwest.

Elopak has announced plans to build its first U.S. production plant with the latest state-of-the-art technology for better and more efficient production. The plant will produce Pure-Pak® cartons for liquid dairy, juices, plant-based products and liquid eggs. The new production facility will be located in Little Rock, Arkansas and is expected to start production in H1, 2025.

VIDA AB, owned 70% by Canfor Corporation (TSX:CFP), announced that it will invest approximately 700 million SEK (CAD$85 million) at its Bruza Sawmill in Hjältevad, expanding production from 175 million board feet to 240 million board feet.