Kruger completes Scott tissue expansion
Kruger Inc., Montreal, completed a $10.9 million expansion of Scott Paper Ltd. Tissue converting capacity at its Hull, Que., plant that boots production by 10%, or some 600,000 cases. Kruger acquired the Scott Canadian assets in 1997 as part of the Justice Department requirements for the merger of Kimberly-Clark and Scott Paper.  The Hull division specializes in away-from-home and consumer products for Eastern Canada. It manufacturers 70,000 metric tons of tissue for conversion on 22 machines.  Dec 2000.

Plainwell files for Chapter 11 reorganization
Plainwell Inc. announced that it has filed a voluntary petition for reorganization with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del. The Chapter 11 filing will allow the specialty paper and tissue manufacturer to continue to conduct ordinary business while it attempts to implement a financial reorganization plan.
Plainwell CEO Gary A. Hayden said that significant debt interest obligations, rising raw material and energy costs in both of the core businesses, along with market resistance to offsetting price increases in its specialty paper division, have had a negative impact on profit margins.  Dec 2000.

Tissue takes over Global Tissue
In September, American Tissue Inc. (ATI), which claims to be the fourth largest tissue manufacturer in the United States, said it had bought Global Tissue LLC, Memphis, TN. The acquisition brought ATI's US tissue capacity to 450,000 tons per year.  Dec 2000.

K-C IS ACTIVE
Kimberly-Clark is cutting up to 200 jobs in Europe by centralizing its administrative offices. Since merging with Scott Paper in 1995, it has cut 4,600 jobs and closed 20 plants. In July K-C completed the acquisition of S-K Corporation of Taiwan which holds trademark and distribution rights there for such K-C global brands as Kleenex, Huggies and Kotex. K-C now owns over 99% of S-K and 67% of Taiwan Scott, Taiwan's Leading manufacturer of tissue products. Meanwhile in August, K-C said it had become the sole source of away-from-home Scott and Cottonelle brands across North America because the five-year brand licensing agreement with Scott Paper Ltd., Streetsville, ON, had expired for Canadian away-from-home markets. Still away from home, K-C introduced a new paper napkin system called the Scott MEGA Cartridge System, which controls waste in foodservice establishments. The system is said to offer over three times the capacity of a standard table top dispenser while vertically dispensing napkins one at a time. And finally: This year is the 15^th anniversary of those K-C jumbo roll toilet paper dispensers found in many public places--and the JRT dispensers are said to have distributed more than 293 billion feet of toilet paper in that time.  Dec 2000.

Tissue growth stays strong through 2002
Installation of new tissue paper machines in North America is expected to slow during 1999-2002 but growth overall remains strong, according to a comprehensive review of global tissue projects by Pulp & Paper Project Report. Twelve new tissue PMs are slated for startup in North America during the four-year survey period, including four that began production in 1999. This is a 25% decline from the 16 new PMs tallied for the 1998-2001 period last year. However, there is only a 12% decline in capacity of scheduled new PMs, equivalent to approximately 101,000 tons. Total capacity of these 12 machines is 736,000 tons, for an average annual machine capacity of approximately 61,000 tons. Eight of these machines have a rated capacity of 65,000 tpy or higher, including multiple installations by Procter & Gamble Co. and Kimberly-Clark Corp.  Nov 2000.

Copamex Mexico in $25 million partnership
Mexican paper manufacturer Copamex will invest $25 million in Venepal, a financially troubled Venezuelan producer of printing/writing paper and containerboard. With this investment, Copamex holds an option to buy 60% of Venepal, which the company can exercise at any time before the end of June 2001. Copamex manufactures tissue paper, hygiene products, office papers, notebooks, bleached pulp, and sack Kraft paper which the company converts into multiwall sacks, plans to expand its packaging products range by moving into the corrugated container market.  Nov 2000.

Toschi of Italy
Italian tissue machine manufacturer Officine Meccaniche Toschi received an exclusive agreement to make and sell through-air-drying sanitary tissue machines using technology "know-how" licensed from Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati. The agreement permits worldwide sale of the machines, according to the Luccia, Italy, company.  Oct 2000.

American Tissue reviving newly acquired tissue mill
American Tissue Corp. is nearing its goal of fully restarting its newly acquired paper mill in Memphis, Tenn., by launching one machine and ratifying a 10-year contract with workers at the mill. American Tissue bought the idled plant from Global Tissue in July for approximately $40.5 million. The mill has been listed with capacity of 110,000 mtpy.  Oct 2000.

G-P in $15 billion transformation
Georgia-Pacific Corp. in July moved in dramatic fashion to strengthen its presence in the U.S. tissue market through two blockbuster sales and acquisitions. G-P will vault to the number-one spot in world tissue production in an $11 billion deal to acquire Fort James Corp., while simultaneously divesting itself of its timberland assets. G-P plans to completely divest itself from its U.S. timberlands by selling The Timber Co. to Plum Creek Timber Co. for $4 billion, including $1 billion in debt.  Sept 2000.

Ex-Beloit employees form Paperchine
More than 50 former employees of Wisconsin-based paper machine maker Beloit Corp., which was sold off in 2000 as part of the bankruptcy of parent company Harnischfeger Industries Inc., have formed a new company called Paperchine Inc., to provide service to Beloit installed paper machines.  Sept 2000.

G-P sells market pulp asset, tissue mills, and plants
Georgia-Pacific Corp. last week confirmed plans to sell off its core market pulp business and outlined a plan to sell eight U.S. tissue mills and converting operations that exceeds originally announced intentions. The tissue mills for sale include Plattsburgh, N.Y. (capacity of 154,000 tpy); Alsip, Ill. (60,500 tpy); Flagstaff, Ariz. (42,000 tpy); and Gary, Ind. (35,500 tpy). The total capacity of the mills at 292,000 tpy exceeds G-P's announced intentions to cut 250,000 tpy of primary production following the Fort James merger.  The converting operations in Plattsburgh, Bellemont, Ariz., LaGrange, Ga., Greenwich, N.Y., and Brattleboro, Vt. Called tissue product plants by G-P have total capacity for information guide. No fort James assets have been identified for sale so far. The largest tissue mill for sale, Plattsburgh, saw a $58 million paper machine rebuild in 1998. The largest six mill involved in the merger are G-P's mills in Crossett, Ark., Palatka, Fla., and Menasha, Wis., and Fort James mills in Muskogee, Okla., Rincon, Ga., and Green Bay, Wis.  Sept 2000.

Perkins Papers Buying Wyant Corp. For $14.7 Million
Perkins Papers Ltd. is buying Wyant Corp., a Bridgewater, N.J., based integrated sanitation and facility maintenance Supply Company, for $14.7 million. The company will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the Candiac, Que-based tissue producer and its subsidiaries will operate as autonomous units, specializing in the distribution of sanitation supplies.  Sept 2000.

Class-action lawsuit settled for $56 million
Lawyers in Philadelphia last week announced the settlement of a class action lawsuit, which had alleged price-fixing by major U.S. producers of commercial tissue products.  The defendants in the case are Bay West Paper Corp., Wisconsin Tissue Mills Inc., Encore Paper Co. Inc., the former Fort Howard Corp., Georgia-Pacific Corp., the former James River Corp., Kimberly-Clark Corp., Marcal Paper Mills Inc., the former Scott Paper Co., and Cascades Industries Inc.  Sept 2000.

Edwards Paper bankrupt, for sale
The Edwards Paper Co., which is under Chapter 11 protection, has put its Florida tissue mill and Arizona converting plant up for sale. Edwards Paper is a 100% recycled fiber milling-converter producer of tissues, towels, wipes, and dispensing systems with a mill in Miami, Fla., and converting operations in Miami and Tucson, Ariz.  Sept 2000.

Installations outside North America
Outside of North America, 46 new tissue machines were tabulated with a total new capacity of more than 1.6 million tonnes for the 1999-2002 period. Half of the machines were slated for installation in Europe. Accounting for 895,000 tonnes of capacity. Fourteen new machines in Asia will account for 441,000 tonnes of new tissue capacity while nine new machines slated for Latin America will add 301,000 tonnes of new capacity in that region through 2002.  Sept 2000.

Toschi to offer through-air drying tissue PMs worldwide
Lucca, Italy-Officine Meccaniche Toschi announced they have an exclusive agreement to manufacture and sell Through-Air Drying (TAD) sanitary tissue machines using TAD technology "know-how" licensed from Procter & Gamble.  Aug 2000.

Valmet to Deliver Two Tissue Machines to P&G
Valmet has received an order from Procter & Gamble for two complete tissue machines. The orders are part of P&G's $350 million expansion in Mehoopany, Pa. The first machine is scheduled to start up in July 2001, adding 75,000 tpy of capacity. Start-up time for the second machine not been determined.  Aug 2000.

Peru - PSP AND Mimo Merged
Kimberly-Clark de Peru (KCP) is the new name adopted by Mimo and La Papelera Suizo. Peruana, since the companies merger was made official. Through Mimo, KCP owns 51% of the merged company with Papelera Suizo Peruana holding the other 49%.  Aug 2000.

Venezuela
Tissue producer Papeles Venezolanos has started up a new 100-mtpd deinking line from Lamort. Last year, the company produced 83,000 tonnes of paper, and it is now looking at spending $10-12 million on converting its PM 5 into a crescent former machine.  Aug 2000.

Kruger shuts Memphis tissue mill
Kruger Inc. of Montreal said it shut its 110,000 mtpy capacity Global Tissue LLC paper mill in Memphis, Tenn., after Kimberly-Clark USA terminated its contract.  July 2000.

Metsa-Serla buys all of MoDo Paper; SCA gets Metsa Tissue and Metsa Corrugated
SCA and Holmen are selling their respective 50% shareholdings in Modo Paper to Metsa Serla. At the same time, SCA is buying Metsa Serla's 65% holding in Metsa Tissue and Metsa Serla's entire corrugated board operation. In the other direction, SCA is paying EUR 15 per share for the Metsa Tissue stake, which takes SCA's holding in Metsa Tissue to about 85%.  July 2000.

Three states settle tissue price-fixing lawsuit
Six away-from-home tissue producers agreed to a $1.2 million settlement with three states that had joined in an antitrust price-fixing case initiated last fall by West Virginia attorney general Darrell V. McGraw, Jr. New York and Maryland brought similar actions in their state courts and are also parties to the settlement agreement in cash and products. Kimberly-Clark Corp., Fort James Corp., Bay West Paper Co., Marcal Paper Mills, Encore Paper Co., and Wisconsin Tissue Mills agreed to the settlement terms, without admitting the price-fixing charges alleged by McGraw.  July 2000.

Sorg closes Ohio mill
Sorg paper Co., in Middletown, Ohio, has been permanently closed down. Sorg had one tissue machine there producing approx. 10,000 tpy of virgin quality tissue.  July 2000.

American Tissue reopens former Tree-Free mil in Augusta, Maine; considers expansion
American Tissue Corp. is now operating No. 2 paper machine and is working on restarting the other paper machine, No.3, at its newly acquired 40-tpd tissue, toweling and napkin paper mill in Augusta, Maine. Further capital investment in the newly acquired Augusta mill has not been determined, but $10 million in improvements to the existing two paper machines as swell as the possible addition of a third paper machine are being considered, said Goldschmidt. The mill uses 100% de-inked pulp purchased on the market, as the facility lacks a de-inking operation.  July 2000.

Kruger moves some converting from British Columbia to Alberta
Kruger Inc.'s Scott paper Ltd. Subsidiary in Canada is planning approximately 125 layoffs. This will be the result of the company's relocation of converting equipment to a new plant in Calgary, Alta., in September. "The Calgary area is operationally less expensive," Kruger produces 396,000 tpy of tissue annually in North America and is the leading Canadian supplier. The New Westminster mill produces about 100,000 tpy of household sanitary paper products including, toilet paper, paper towels, and facial tissue. The mill is Canada's largest tissue mill. Kruger acquired Scott Paper from Kimberly-Clark Corp. in 1997. Scott Paper Ltd. began at the New Westminster mill in 1923 as Westminster Paper Co. Scott Paper Co. of the U.S. acquired the mill in the 1950's. K-C acquired Scott Paper in 1995.  July 2000.

G-P to acquire Fort James for $11 billion, will create world's No.1 tissue producer
Georgia-pacific Corp., Atlanta, has agreed to buy Fort James Corp., Deerfield, Illinois, for $7.5 billion in cash and stock. The combined companies would be the world's largest tissue products manufacturer. A deal worth $11 billion. The deal, which has been approved by the boards of both companies, reflects G-P's aggressive strategy to bolster its position in the global tissue market. G-P has grown its own tissue operations and virtually acquired the Wisconsin Tissue business of Chesapeake Corp. in 1999. The Fort James acquisition would add 2.2 million short tons of tissue production capacity to GP's own 1 million short tons. Combined revenues of the two companies would have exceeded $24.8 billion last year on a pro forma basis.  July 2000.

US deal for SCA
Sweden's SCA will acquire the $50 million North American adult incontinence product business of Johnson & Johnson, based at New Brunswick, New Jersey. Under terms of the agreement, the Serenity brand products will continue to be sold and distributed by J&J with SCA initially assuming responsibility for product development and marketing. Production of the products will eventually be taken over by SCA and integrated within the company's other plants in North America. SCA is also to help to distribute J&J consumer products within the Nordic countries. SCA will terminate its license agreement governing Johnson & Johnson's o.b. Tampons in the Nordic countries sales of which amount to approximately Skr140 million. Tampons are not one of SCA's prioritized product areas.  June 2000.

Kimberly-Clark acquires S-K Corp. of Taiwan
Kimberly-Clark corp. and S-K corp. of Taiwan announced the signing of an agreement for K-C to acquire the shares of privately held S-K Corp., which holds trademark and distribution rights in Taiwan for such K-C global brands as Kleenex, Huggies, and Kotex. The purchase price was not disclosed.  June 2000.

Six U.S. tissue producers reach settlement with states over price-fixing allegations
Several major U.S. tissue producers have reached a settlement with three states that filed a lawsuit alleging the companies conspired to fix prices in the tissue market. The six companies Fort James Corp., Kimberly-Clark Corp., Wisconsin Tissue Mills, Encore Paper Co., Bay West Paper Co., and Marcal Paper Mills Inc. will together pay $1.2 million in cash and tissue products to the states of New York, Maryland, and West Virginia over a three-year period. The companies agreed to the settlement terms but did not admit any wrongdoing, the release said.  June 2000.

SCA acquires J&J incontinence past business in USA & Canada
SCA AB said it is acquiring JOHNSON & JOHNSON'S serenity brand incontinence pad operations in the United States and Canada. Under the agreement, SCA will be responsible for product development and marketing, Johnson & Johnson will place its sales and distribution network at SCA's disposal, and SCA will help distribute J&J consumer products in the Nordic countries. Production of the items eventually will be integrated in SCA's North American output.  May 2000.

Lucart to absorb new tissue line
Italian papermaker Cartiera Lucchese's French subsidiary, Lucart France, is building a new tissue machine. The 30,000-mtpy Valmet machine is scheduled to come on stream in August 2001.  May 2000.

Another new tissue machine being built
Lucca-based tissue producer Imbalpaper is building a new paper machine at its mill in northwestern Italy. The New line is a 125-mtpd crescent former.  May 2000.

Kruger shuts Tennessee tissue mill after losing largest customer
Kruger Inc. of Montreal said it shut its 110,000 mtpy capacity Global Tissue LLC paper mill in Memphis, Tenn., last week after a major customer terminated its contract.  Which went down May 10. The mill has a troubled history and has changed hands twice in the past six years.  May 2000.

K-C expanding Oklahoma facility
Kimberly-Clark is expanding its operation in Jenks, Oklahoma, adding a tissue paper machine and distribution center. The company said it will also install a tissue paper machine at its facility in Loudon, Tennessee. The total expansion effort will cost $300 million. The project is set to begin in mid-2001 and be phased in over two years. The Jenks plant, already has one paper machine. The second will be used to expand production of Kleenex Cottonelle bath tissue with ripples, which has been on the market for two years, and Scott Kitchen towels with ridges, an upgraded product that has been available for a year.  May 2000.

Second Oconto Falls tissue machine due Aug. 2000
A second tissue paper machine at PCDI Oconto Falls Tissue Inc., is now expected to begin production July 29^th. The new tissue machine is The Voith Sulzer Crescent and will have an output capacity of 80 tpd recycled tissue, and a trim width of 108 in.  May 2000.

K-C expanding Oklahoma facility
Kimberly-Clark is expanding its operation in Jenks, Oklahoma, adding a tissue paper machine and distribution center. The company said it will also install a tissue paper machine at its facility in Loudon, Tennessee. The total expansion efforts will cost $300 million. The project is set to begin in mid-2001 and be phased in over two years. The Jenks plant, already has one paper machine. The second will be used to expand production of Kleenex Cottonelle bath tissue with ripples, which has been on the market for two years, and Scott kitchen towels with ridges, an upgraded product that has been available for a year.  May 2000.

K-C plans two new tissue machines
Kimberly-Clark Corp. will add two new machine and converting lines at both its Jenks, Okla., and Loudon, Tenn., mills in response to a surge in demand for its improved tissue lines and to reduce dependence on purchased tissue, the company said. The projects, which represent a $300 million investment, will go online in mid-2001 with production phased in over a two-year period. Currently, the Jenks mill has a capacity of 72,000 tpy on one machine and Loudon a capacity of 60,000 tpy over three machines.  Apr 2000.

More price increases by away- from- home- tissue producers
Dominant U.S. "away-from-home' tissue paper producers Fort James Corp. and Kimberly-Clark Corp. Plan price increases of up to 12% on tissue and towel products effective to customers in April and May. Driven by rising recovered paper and pulp costs, the increase will be the second hike this year and will lift commercial/industrial (C&I) tissue prices in total by about 22%. A successful round of C&I tissue price increases in January were the first upward move in more than two years. In the largest and value-added consumer tissue sector, Procter & Gable Co. led a bath and towel price hike effective in March. The increase was widely supported by other producers and has been mostly successful, analysts said.  Apr 2000.

Worldwide market pulp price hikes begin to slide through in April
U.S. market pulp buyers again reported "no resistance" to another round of price increases on most grades of market pulp effective Apr. 1. A $40/metric ton price hike for benchmark northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp will lift list prices, before standard discounts, by about 6% to $680/mton in the U.S. Worldwide reports also asserted that price hikes on softwood and hardwood grades in Europe and Asia are being implemented this month.  Apr 2000.

Perkins starts machine, expands de-inking
Perkins Papers Ltd. Has started up its new 30,000-short-ton tissue paper machine and expanded the capacity of its deinking unit at its Rockingham, N.C. mill.  Perkins is the second largest producer of tissue paper in Canada and the seventh largest in North America. Significant increases in the cost of recycled fiber in conjunction with a lower level of activity in the tissue paper industry at the beginning of the year affected the profitability of Perkins Papers Ltd. During the first quarter of the year.  Apr 2000.

More price increased in converted products
Dominant U.S. 'away-from-home' tissue paper producers Fort James Corp. and Kimberly-Clark Corp. plan price increases of up to 12 percent on tissue and towel products effective to customers in April and May. Increase will be the second hike this year and will lift commercial/industrial (C&I) tissue prices in total by about 22%.  Mar 2000.

Wausau-Mosinee Paper Co
Wausau-Mosinee Paper Co. is planning to close down Sorg on or about May 15, 2000. This mill had one tissue machine 108" wide with a capacity of 9000 tpy.  Mar 2000.

P&G to increase tissue/towel capacity
Procter & Gamble says it will expand its consumer tissue and towel production capacity by adding two new 'TAD' tissue machines and associated converting equipment to its Mehoopany, Pennsylvania plant. The Paper-making capacity at Mehoopany will be expanded in two phases. The first new machine will be operational by the middle of 2001, adding 75,000 tons of capacity. Startup timing for the second machine is still to be determined.  Mar 2000>.

Kimberly-Clark to add new machines
Kimberly-Clark will be adding new, state of the art machines to its Jenks, Ok., and Loudon, Tn., locations.  Production is scheduled to start June 2000.  Kimberly's improvements will cost them approximately 300 million dollars and will employ over 200 more employees.  Feb 2000.

Fort James to implement price increase
Effective March 5, 2000, Fort James will implement a price increase of 3-4% on their tissue grades and 9-10% on their towel and napkin grades.   This price increase follows the lead of other mills (i.e. Procter & Gamble) which had already instituted their own increase.
The main factors that have contributed to the price increases are the rising costs of raw materials (wastepaper, softwood, and hardwood) and higher energy costs.  Feb 2000.

U.S. Wastepaper Prices Continue Rising in Jan. with Jumps for High Grades, Pulp Substitute
Demand for recovered paper in the U.S. remained exceedingly brisk in January, and prices continued skyrocketing for de-inking grades and pulp substitutes across the country. Prices have been rising since last summer. The biggest surprise this month was the steady market demand despite concerns about Y2K inventory building by U.S. mills.  Jan 2000.

New owners plan to reopen Carthage, N.Y., tissue paper mill
New York Gov. George E. Pataki announced that Metro Paper Industries will invest $12 million to reopen the former Fort James tissue paper mill in Carthage, creating 75 new jobs. Phase I of the expansion project will include the installation of four paper converting lines currently controlled by the company at the Carthage mill. Phase II will involve the installation of a new paper machine which is expected to be completed within 18 months. Metro Papers has been manufacturing paper products for 24 years. The company currently manufactures a wide range of products with 30 production lines at its Scarborough N.Y., facility.  Jan 2000.

K-C plans new tissue machine in El Salvador
Kimberly-Clark Corp. revealed plans for a new tissue machine for its mill in La Libertad, El Salvador. The Italian Company, Overmeccanica will supply the crescent former machine, with capacity set to exceed 100 tons/day. Overmeccanica plans to complete the construction of the PM by July 2000, with startup planned for October. The Mill already operates two machines.  Jan 2000.

Plainwell Inc.
Last week completed its acquisition of Shelby Tissue Inc. of Memphis, Tenn., becoming the ninth-largest tissue maker in North America. The Shelby mill has capacity to produce 120 tpd of tissue, which is converted into bath tissue and sold in the consumer and commercial markets.  Jan 2000.

Market Pulp Prices Rise Worldwide in January
With "very strong" business continuing in January, pulp prices are up on virtually every grade and in every world region. Benchmark northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp prices notched up $30/mton effective Jan. 1 for most procedures, lifting average levels about 5% to $640/mton in the U.S. and to $630/mton in Europe.  Jan 2000.

Procter & Gamble Adding More Tissue and Towel Capacity
Procter & Gamble will expand its Tissue and Towel production capacity by adding two paper machines and associated converting equipment to its Mehoopany, PA, plant. The first machine will be operational by the middle of 2001, adding 75,000 tons of capacity. Start-up for the second machine is yet to be determined.  Jan. 2000.