Ecorr September 12, 2007


	September 12, 2007 Contents Out of the Box: Industry News News from TAPPI Sponsored by Additional Resources TAPPI BUYER'S GUIDE TAPPI CALENDAR OF EVENTS CORRUGATING INTERNATIONAL JOIN TAPPI For information on sponsoring this newsletter or other sponsorship opportunities with TAPPI, contact Eric Fletty at efletty@tappi.org or by calling +1 770-209-7535. Explore TAPPI's updated website for the latest in news, products and services, and all of your member needs at www.tappi.org. TAPPI assumes no responsibility for statements of fact and opinion; they are not intended nor should they be construed as a solicitation of or suggestion by TAPPI for any agreed-upon course of conduct or concerted action of any kind. Tell a friend to subscribe to TAPPI CI E-Corr or send a blank email to subscribe-ci_ecorr@list.tappi.org.	OUT OF THE BOX THE LEAN CHAMPION WORKSHOP For the Packaging Industry, to be held Sept. 24 -28 at host facility Calpine Corrugated in Fresno, Calif, will train participants to move an organization from mass production to lean, more profitable manufacturing. Being presented by P-Squared and co-sponsored by TAPPI, the workshop, customized for the packaging industry, is designed to help printers, suppliers, prepress, and end users understand how to maximize profitability from production and administrative processes. Course participants will learn the essential tools of Lean Implementation. Classroom learning will be balanced by daily field study where experience is gained in plant benchmarking, Value Stream Mapping, Visual Workplace (5S, 7S), and Kaizen event management. Participants will also learn how to best use their leadership skills to ensure lasting success. The focus is on results, so participants build action plans and are teamed with coaches. Coaching will extend beyond the workshop to ensure successful implementation of a participant's action plan. More information is available online. Online registration is available at www.psquare.com. Hotel accommodations have been arranged with Radisson Hotel Fresno (call 559-268-1000 or go to www.radisson.com/fresnoca and use code psquar). BOISE CASCADE'S PACKAGING BUSINESS, along with its Newsprint and White Papers businesses and Boise Cascade Transportation Holdings, will be acquired by Aldabra 2 Acquisition Corp. for approximately $1.625 billion, of which about $1.338 billion will be paid in cash (less $38 million in cash contributed by Boise Cascade to the Combined Paper Businesses at closing) and the balance in shares of Aldabra common stock. Boise will retain 100% ownership of its Wood Products and Building Materials Distribution businesses. At closing, Aldabra will be renamed Boise Paper Co. (BPC). Boise's packaging business supplies corrugated sheets, boxes, and newsprint in North America with LTM segment revenues of some $784 million. FBA (Fibre Box Assn.) recently released its 2006 Operating Ratio Survey of Independent Sheet Plants. This annual report lists operating expense line items as a percent of net sales and groups them within sales ranges, and also includes a five-year sales history. The 2006 report involves 22 companies representing 35 sheet plants, and is available online for participating members. For more information or to learn how to participate in next year's Operating Ratio Survey, contact Peggy Lacy at placy@fibrebox.org. FRITZ PETERS GmbH in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, will upgrade its No. 1 linerboard machine by an extension of its drying and dewatering facilities. The company's project "2010" will be carried out in several steps, with a capacity increase from 180,000 metric tpy to 250,000 metric tpy. As a first step to increasing drying capacity, Voith Paper reports that it has been commissioned to deliver a total of eight RapidDryer units for the machine's pre-dryer section, representing the first commercial application of the RapidDryer technology. Startup is scheduled for this December. PM 1, delivered by Voith Paper in 1971-72, has a wire width of 5,400 mm and produces testliner as well as grey and yellow board in a basis weight range of 120 - 220 g/m². Its design speed is 1,000 m/min. The RapidDryer is a drying cylinder featuring an increase of heat flow--depending on certain machine parameters--of up to 25% compared with usual drying cylinders. MEADWESTVACO has been selected as a member of the 2007/2008 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. The company is included on the Index for the fourth consecutive year based on its success integrating environmental sustainability and social values into core business objectives and economic performance. MeadWestvaco also ranked best-in-class in the Containers & Packaging group for the third straight year, demonstrating outstanding leadership in criteria such as risk and crisis management and standards for suppliers. Launched in 1999, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes are the first global indexes tracking the financial performance of the leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide. IN OTHER MEADWESTVACO NEWS, the company reports that it has acquired Keltec Dispensing Systems, a manufacturer of foamer and airless dispensing systems in the personal care, health care, cosmetic and home care markets. Keltec, based in Drunen, The Netherlands, will become part of MeadWestvaco Calmar, the company's pump and spray packaging solutions business acquired in 2006. Calmar will integrate Keltec's technology into its production facilities in North America and Asia, and will expand activity in the Drunen facility. M-REAL has announced a price increase for its Kemiart coated and uncoated white top kraftliner grades, effective October 15. The increase will be EUR 40 per metric ton in Continental Europe and GBP 30 per metric ton in the UK. The company says the price increases are necessary to cover the recent variable cost hikes in white top kraftliner production NORAMPAC, a division of Cascades Canada, reports that it will sell its Red Rock linerboard mill in North West Ontario, and as part of the deal has agreed to pay the purchaser, North American Logistic Services, $10 million to help finance the startup of a new production line at the facility. The Red Rock mill was shutdown indefinitely on Oct. 3, 2006, due to unfavorable economic factors. Norampac owns seven containerboard mills and 26 corrugated products plants in the U.S., Canada, and France. With an annual production capacity of more than 1.3 million tons, Norampac is the largest containerboard producer in Canada and the seventh largest in North America. Founded in 1964, Cascades produces, transforms, and markets packaging products, tissue paper, and fine papers, composed mainly of recycled fibers. PREGIS CORP., a manufacturer of protective packaging products and specialty packaging solutions, has appointed D. Keith LaVanway as its VP and CFO, effective September 19. LaVanway has more than 20 years of accounting and financial management experience in building materials, medical products, and public accounting. He joins Pregis from Associated Materials Inc., a Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio-based building materials company, where he held the position of CFO for the past six years. LaVanway will be replacing Timothy Cunningham, who has served as the company's VP and CFO since May 2006. Cunningham will continue to work with Pregis until the end of 2007 to assist with the transition. Pregis' specialty-packaging operations include 45 facilities in 18 countries around the world SMURFIT-STONE CONTAINER CORP. will discontinue operations at its Buffalo, N.Y., corrugated container plant and retool the facility as a dedicated sheet feeder in a joint venture with Jamestown Container and Norampac, to be called Niagara Sheets LLC. Existing corrugated container business will transition to the Smurfit-Stone plant in North Tonawanda, N.Y. The decision to close the Buffalo plant and enter into the joint venture is part of Smurfit-Stone's strategic realignment effort focused on improving overall performance and customer satisfaction. The closure will affect some 19 salaried and 80 hourly employees. Smurfit-Stone's investment in the converting capabilities of the North Tonawanda plant will allow uninterrupted and improved service to its packaging customers in Upstate New York. IN OTHER SSCC NEWS, the company has appointed Steve Strickland, senior VP of sales, to head the national and local sales organizations, along with the display and graphics groups, for the company's corrugated container division. Jim Nolan, VP of corporate sales, strategic merchandising solutions and graphics, has announced his plan to retire in April 2008 after 12 years of service. Also, Ed Mirynowski has joined the company as VP, national accounts. Mirynowski held positions of increasing responsibility at Georgia-Pacific, most recently VP, North American Foodservice Channel. He replaces John Caplice, who left the company. TETRA PAK has launched a new converting plant in Russia. Located in the town of Lobnya (Moscow region), the new plant will become the largest in Russia and Eastern Europe to produce packaging material for liquid food products. With a planned capacity of four billion packages per year, the facility will be a strategic addition to Tetra Pak's existing capacity. It accommodates state-of-the-art production facilities, offices, and a warehouse. NEWS FROM TAPPI Chicago TAPPI hosts program on Flexo-die cutting Chicago TAPPI will host an evening program on flexo-die cutting titled "Controlling the Enhanced Graphics Process through Testing and Constant Evaluation." The event will take place Tuesday, October 2, 2007, with expert speaker Cordes Porcher. The program will include a brief look at the market for enhanced graphics, and a discussion of how to assess your press capabilities to reproduce them. Porcher will also examine the techniques and processes used to constantly monitor the chosen process, variables, and related trouble-shooting techniques, with a heavy emphasis placed on the use of printing/converting targets. Bring pen and paper for this interactive program. Porcher is a Graphic Specialist in enhanced graphics on corrugated for Packaging Corporation of America (PCA). He has 17 years of teaching and testing experience, with the last 15 spent in printing. He is best known for his work as the Facility Director for Clemson University's Printing and Converting Research Center, where he developed and delivered training and testing programs for the post-print corrugated industry and directed day-to-day operations. The venue for this single-evening program is the Marriott Oak Brook in Oak Brook, Illinois. The evening begins at 5:00 p.m. with networking, followed by dinner at 6:15 p.m. and the program at 7:15 p.m. To register, or for more details, visit the Chicago TAPPI website or contact Karen Small at: 1 708-467-0729. 2007 CPC features "State of the Art" presentations The TAPPI 2007 Corrugated Packaging Conference and CorrExpo will take place October 30 - November 1, 2007, in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, at the Indianapolis Convention Center. Approximately 400 of your industry peers, from box plants and corrugated converting companies across the country, are expected at these important events. The 2007 Corrugated Packaging Conference will follow the same format of hands-on training and problem solving that made the 2006 event such a success. Presentations will again concentrate on Corrugating/Corrugating Maintenance, Converting/Converting Maintenance and HRD/Safety. Special hour-long presentations will be added to the technical program this year, focusing on Industry Innovations. Topics include "Lean Manufacturing," presented by Kirt Patel, Georgia Pacific; "Robotics," by Dave Ahrendt, Alliance Machine Systems; and "Digital Printing," by Phil Dempsey, Poteet Printing Systems. These presentations will be free to all box plant employees, even if they are not paid conference attendees. So plan to bring your problems and ask the experts to help you solve them! One low price - one great deal If you're looking for a way to invest in training for your box plant crew with excellent payback and proven results, look no further than the TAPPI 2007 Corrugated Packaging Conference and CorrExpo. This year's special Box Plant Discount admits an unlimited number of attendees from the same location for a single payment of only $1095! The events will take place October 30 - November 1, 2007, in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. In addition to three excellent programming tracks, the What's New Technology Showcase presents the latest developments from top industry suppliers; and two separate Keynote Presentations by popular speaker Joel Weldon will help attendees discover how to creatively implement the great ideas they gain at the conference. Bring your entire crew - you can't afford to miss this incredible training value. Suppliers: Don't miss your chance to be a part of CorrExpo 2007 There is no better place to reach a corrugated audience than TAPPI's 2007 CorrExpo®, October 30 - November 1, 2007, in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Held in conjunction with the TAPPI 2007 Corrugated Packaging Conference, hundreds of corrugated packaging professionals - include plant managers, production teams, individual operators, production managers, and purchasing managers - are expected to attend. Exhibit space is still available for this exciting and popular event! However, space is limited. For details please view the exhibitor prospectus/application and CorrExpo® 2007 floor plan. To reserve your exhibit space today, contact Jamie Cavanaugh, Questex Media Group Inc, +1 617-219-8379, jcavanaugh@questex.com. Plan now for SuperCorrExpo®2008 The Largest Corrugated Packaging Machinery Show in the Western Hemisphere is on its way! AICC and TAPPI will present SuperCorrExpo®2008 on September 22-26, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. To date, 129 exhibitors have already purchased almost 77,000 square feet of exhibit space--which they will fill with the newest products, hottest ideas, and best new services available. You will NOT want to wait another four years to be a part of it. Get a first hand look at all the excitement experienced at SuperCorrExpo®2004 by viewing the SuperCorrExpo® video. Or, read the 2004 show wrap-up published in E-Corr. Visit www.supercorrexpo.org to learn about sponsorship opportunities, conference registration, and more - then add that address to your favorites and check back for program updates. New TAPPI Member benefit: Reduce Utility Costs Power Systems Group (PSG) -- TAPPI's new utility cost reduction affiliate -- is beginning a pilot program with converting operations to offer utility cost reduction services and energy industry information. These services will be offered on a pay-for-performance basis at a significantly discounted rate for TAPPI Members. This new benefit of TAPPI Membership can help converters achieve important savings in energy costs, and improve their "green" profile for even greater benefit. Benefits to the member's company include: Retrospective audit of possible past overpayments Discovery of options for savings going forward Detailed report showing all options for cost reduction. Unlock federal, state, local, and utility rebates and incentives Turn waste streams into profit centers No risk or upfront cost PSG will offer its utility cost reduction services to members of TAPPI at a special discounted rate. There is never any cost if no savings are found or implemented! For more information, and to receive the special TAPPI membership discount, contact gcampbell@psgenergy.com. Corrugated Packaging Division Calendar of Events September 24 - 28, 2007 Lean Champion Workshop for the Packaging Industry Presented by P-Squared and Co-sponsored by TAPPI Hosted by Calpine Corrugated, Fresno, CA October 2, 2007 Chicago Local Section Meeting - Flexo-Die Cutting Marriot Oak Brook Oak Brook, IL October 30-November 1, 2007 2007 Corrugated Packaging Conference and CorrExpo Indianapolis Convention Center and RCA Dome/Westin Hotel Indianapolis, IN September 22-26, 2008 SuperCorrExpo2008 GWCC - Atlanta, GA, USA

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