Leading Stories

The Company is postponing the planned extended spring maintenance shut at Northwood Pulp Mill until later this year, and instead will curtail the mill for three weeks during the period the turnaround was originally scheduled to occur. This will result in a reduction of approximately 35,000 tonnes of Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft pulp production.

The COVID-19 pandemic is creating disturbance in Huhtamaki's global trading conditions and the demand for food-on-the-go packaging is being significantly impacted.

In response to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic West Fraser is taking additional steps to respond to changing operating and market conditions.

This adjusted operating configuration will initially result in a 25% reduction to Norbord's currently operating North American mill capacity.

As a provider of goods and services that consumers and businesses rely on for their everyday needs, Kruger Inc. announced that it will be maintaining all of its operations that have been declared essential by Canadian and U.S. authorities or COVID-19 government guidelines, including the manufacture of tissue products, food packaging and containerboard, newsprint, publication and specialty papers, as well as recycling services, the bottling of beverages and the production of electricity.

Pratt said his facilities were hiring more staff to cope with surging demand. Visy has had to radically adapt. Staff are getting temperatures checked daily, social distancing is in place and office staff are working split shifts to minimise contact.

Resolute Forest Products Inc. provided an update on the impact of the COVID-19 situation to its business.

Sappi has declared force majeure on the Vulindlela expansion and upgrade project at its Saiccor Mill in alignment with the South African Government's declaration of a nation-wide lockdown to combat the COVID-19 Epidemic.

We feel a huge responsibility during the COVID-19 crisis, says the mill's president.

Now 420 employees remain at the plant after 102 have been temporarily laid off because of a drop in demand caused by the coronavirus.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö has announced it is not affected by the decree issued by the Italian government and that all of its plants are operational worldwide.

Suspension is temporary; project involves about 4,500 professionals.

Paperitalo Publications is here to help. We will continue reporting the news. Later this week, we will be conducting a more in-depth survey.

Officials told International Paper management that COVID-19 patients no longer have to self-isolate when both of two conditions are met.

3M has doubled its production of coronavirus-protecting N95 respirator masks over the last two months - to a rate of more than 1.1 billion a year, or almost 100 million a month, according to a report.

The shelves of some stores may not have products like diapers, but they are weaving through the supply chain, according to International Paper CEO Mark Sutton.

The shelves at the local grocery stores may be empty, but U.S. toilet paper manufacturers are adamant: We've got this.

Clearwater Paper (CLW +10%) says it's experiencing a significant increase in demand for its retail tissue products and an increase in demand for paperboard used for packaging food and pharmaceutical products.

Ben Lauren also worked as a maintenance planner at Verso Paper in Escanaba.

The story of a WestRock worker who was concerned he might be a coronavirus carrier fueled union complaints that local mill management is not taking the threat of the disease seriously.

"As the global outbreak of COVID-19 continues to spread, we wanted to share how Mondi is addressing the challenge to ensure that the safety and health of our employees and their families is prioritized. We also recognize the importance of business continuity and serving our customers with products that are needed to sustain the public and the communities where we operate."

Nova Scotia's last major mill will curtail buying wood in April and scale back planned deliveries in May as it deals with ongoing market decline, compounded by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The move is the latest blow to a forestry industry struggling to maintain a toehold following the loss of its major player.

Spending and production to be cut.

Interfor has announced it will implement a number of initiatives in order to adjust its business to operating conditions being impacted by COVID-19.

Lecta says it has decided to stop production at the Cartiere del Garda woodfree coated paper mill in Italy amid the rising number of coronavirus infections in Europe and related industrial and logistical issues.