September 15, 2025
MANUFACTURERS
Cascades has invested more than US$5.3 million at its Granby, Quebec, tissue plant to increase the capacity of two strategic production lines and enhance product quality.
Hood Container will invest US$118.9 million to modernize its paper mill in St. Francisville, LA, allowing the company to significantly boost production capacity and quality.
International Paper will make a series of strategic changes to strengthen its North American operations and better serve customers. As part of this initiative, the company will:
- Exit the molded fiber business and convert its Reno, NV, facility to support its packaging business.
- Close its packaging facility in Marion, OH.
- Close its recycling facility in Wichita, KS.
- Sell its containerboard mill in Xalapa, Mexico and its recycling plants in Xalapa and Apodaca, Mexico to Acabados de Papeles Santinados y Absorbentes (APSA).
Koehler Paper is building a state-of-the-art training center: the “Koehler Paper Campus,” slated to start classes in September 2025. The new training center will be used to train paper technologist apprentices and machine and system operator apprentices, as well as dual-study program students getting a bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Science and Technology.
Kruger plans US$700 million modernization projects for its Corner Brook pulp and paper mill in Newfoundland, Canada, which produces newsprint from thermomechanical pulp.
K.T.G. (USA) Inc., a subsidiary of Kruger Products, will invest about US$35 million in a new converting line for bathroom tissue and paper towels at its site in Memphis, TN.
The Legacy Paper Group, a subsidiary of BMI Group US, plans to restart PM8 at its Port Huron, MI facility, bringing 30,000 tons of annual production capacity back online after a four-year shutdown.
Nine Dragons Paper has successfully started up a pulp mill supplied by Andritz at its new integrated pulp and paper production plant in Hubei Jianli, China. The new state-of-the-art mill includes world-leading process technology and production equipment.
Norske Skog Skogn will enter the European market for book paper during Q2 of 2026. The new product, branded NOR Book, will be offered in standard qualities pertaining to bulkiness, brightness, and shade.
OptiGroup, a leading European distribution group, has acquired CreaPak Oy, a Finnish packaging distributor specializing in solutions for the food and building industries.
Packaging Corporation of America has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase the containerboard business of Greif, Inc. for US$1.8 billion in cash (see full story on page 36).
Sofidel has acquired the assets of Royal Interco, LLC, following the Asset Purchase Agreement based on a “stalking horse” bid announced last April. The acquisition adds four new facilities to Sofidel’s North American operations.
The ST Group has acquired a paper mill in Barnwell County, SC, from Cascades Inc. The Barnwell mill’s tissue machine has an annual capacity of 30,000 tons; the mill also houses a 40,000 tpy recycled fiber deinking mill, enabling production of both virgin and recycled tissue.
UPM has renamed its UPM Raflatac business to UPM Adhesive Materials. The name change supports the business area’s strategy to accelerate its growth beyond label materials into graphics solutions and specialty tapes.
SUPPLIERS
Kadant has completed the acquisition of Babbini S.p.A. and G.P.S. Engineering S.r.l., two Italy-based companies specializing in industrial dewatering and engineered power transmission solutions. Both companies will become part of Kadant’s Industrial Processing segment.
Solenis and NCH Corporation have entered into a definitive agreement to merge the NCH business with Solenis. Under the terms of the agreement, Solenis will acquire 100 percent of NCH stock, creating a more diversified, customer-centric provider of water and hygiene solutions.
SUN Automation Group will supply a Kolbus BX Motion system to Corrugated Partners LLC in Arlington, TX.
Toscotec will supply an AHEAD 2.2 tissue line to the multi-Latin company GrandBay Group at its production base in Pereira, Colombia.
Valmet:
- will deliver an IntelliTissue 1600 machine (TM 5) to Fabryka Papieru i Tektury Beskidy Sp. z o.o. in Wadowice, Poland.
- will deliver key pulp mill technology to Shandong Sun Paper’s new Yandian pulp mill in the Shandong province in China, which will produce 600,000 metric tpy of pulp and is scheduled to start up during Q4 2026.
- has received an order from Saica Group to supply a biomass boiler and flue gas cleaning system for its plant in El Burgo de Ebro, Zaragoza, Spain. Completion is scheduled for Saica the end of 2026.
Voith has launched an innovative recycling concept for press felts in collaboration with its partner Aquafil. The newly developed Infinity +Green press felts have been specially developed for recycling, with particular attention to the homogeneity of the product.
PEOPLE
The Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI), the leading trade association representing the UK’s paper-based industries, has appointed Alex Veitch as its next chief executive.
Green Bay Packaging Executive Vice President (EVP) Bryan Hollenbach has retired as of August 31; Matt Szymanski, formerly vice president of Mill Operations, has been promoted to EVP, succeeding Hollenbach.
Kemira’s has named Ulrika Dunker executive vice president, People & Culture, and a member of the Group Leadership team. She will start in her new role at the beginning of 2026.
Kruger Products has appointed Michael Urlick senior vice president, Business Development. He will work closely with leaders across all business units to drive strategic initiatives, identify new business opportunities, and support long-term planning.
Metsä Group’s new President and CEO Jussi Vanhanen has assumed his new role; Vanhanen succeeds Ilkka Hämälä, who is retiring after a distinguished career.
Valmet has appointed Jon Jested-Rask executive VP, Tissue Business Area. He will report to President and CEO Thomas Hinnerskov and is a member of Valmet’s Executive Leadership Team.
Progroup AG welcomed Vinzenz Heindl to its board of directors as chief sales officer as of August 1, 2025.