Further to the information posted this morning, February 9th, we received the following responses from Fibre Excellence. As a reminder, the group's two mills are facing a combination of factors that are significantly impacting their competitiveness.
Global paper producer Sappi has commissioned ABB’s fiber measurement technologies to enhance energy efficiency and increase productivity and profitability at its Maastricht mill in the Netherlands.
More than 90 years of tradition in the manufacturing of packaging paper
A demonstration in support of Fibre Excellence Saint-Gaudens took place on January 31st, drawing several thousand people. Local elected officials also wrote a letter to the Prime Minister to alert him to the urgency of the situation. This mill, which produces market pulp, was shut down for five weeks last November. Today, according to the local press and the letter signed by the elected officials, it is threatened with closure by March 15th. The same applies to the group's other site, Fibre Excellence Provence. In November 2025, Fibre Excellence explained in a press release that it had "invested more than €55 million in the Saint-Gaudens mill over the past three years to improve its performance and competitiveness. However, production costs are currently heavily impacted by high input costs. The French price of pulpwood has increased by 50% compared to 2022. The pulp market is international and highly competitive. This market is currently experiencing a decline in demand and prices.…
Valmet expands its automation solutions portfolio in the process industries and announces the release of Valmet FlexBatch® 8, the latest version of its advanced batch automation and recipe management software. Valmet FlexBatch was originally developed for Valmet D3 automation system and with the newest version, it is fully integrated both with Valmet DNAe and Valmet D3 automation solutions.
According to the local press, three candidates remain in the running to take over the Condat plant (Lecta Group). They presented their bids yesterday, February 4, to the Bordeaux Commercial Court. These are the Société de Participation de la Braye (SPB, the only one to submit a complete proposal), the Czech company Finesta, and Condat Papers, a subsidiary of the Scic (Société Coopérative d’Intérêt Collectif – Cooperative Society of Collective Interest) supported by the CGT union. SPB's offer envisions the industrial conversion of the site but would initially retain only about 20 of the 202 current employees. Specializing in the energy sector, Finesta would like to continue paper production (and possibly restart PM4) and develop waste recovery using the boiler. Condat Papers has also requested an extension to refine its offer.
By driving decarbonization at the heart of its operations, Smurfit Westrock is enabling a stronger circular economy and delivering packaging solutions that support its customers’ climate goals.
Sappi Europe, a leading producer of high‑quality graphic papers, today announces a price increase of €50/ton on its Woodfree Coated (WFC) sheets portfolio, effective 16 March 2026.
Metsä Group’s parent company Metsäliitto Cooperative (Metsäliitto) and Japanese trading company Itochu Corporation (Itochu) have completed a transaction on 4 February 2026, in which Metsäliitto acquired a 5.1% stake in Metsä Fibre Oy (Metsä Fibre) from Itochu.
This year's funding application period for nature restoration and management projects aimed at strengthening the state of Finnish nature is open from February 1 to April 30, 2026.
TAPPI announced that Arthur J. Ragauskas, Ph.D., has assumed the editor-in-chief role for TAPPI Journal. Ragauskas is a professor at the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville, TN, and has been a member of the TAPPI Journal Editorial Board since 2011. As a member of the Editorial Board, he has curated eight special issues on a range of topics, including nanocellulose, lignocellulose, lignin valorization, and the forest biorefinery.
Norske Skog is pleased to announce the appointment of Christoffer Bull as Senior Vice President Business Development, effective 1 January 2026. Upon assuming this position, Mr. Bull will resign from his role as a member of the Norske Skog Board of Directors.
ABB has introduced its Automation Extended program, a strategic evolution of its distributed control systems (DCS), designed to help industries modernize without disruption. Building on ABB’s long-standing leadership with the world’s largest DCS installed base and vision in process automation, Automation Extended outlines how future automation capabilities can be introduced progressively – preserving system integrity while enabling the flexibility, scalability and efficiency needed for the next era of industrial operations.
Fedrigoni Group Special Papers of NA (FSPNA) in Waterford, New York has integrated Cristini’s FiberScan microwave sensors into closed control loops on both paper machines to manage sheet consistency on the forming fabric. Installed under the forming fabric in strategic placement along the Fourdrinier , FiberScan sensors continuously measure sheet consistency in real-time. This data is then used to maintain target consistency by adjusting vacuum elements upstream of the sensor. Variations in furnish have a direct impact on drainage, therefore it is important to maintain tight consistency control for good sheet formation and other key attributes.
After years of significant impact and historic growth within the French and Belgian markets for Röchling Industrial Oepping, Jörg is transitioning into a new professional chapter.
Big Sampson Wind Project is First Offsite Renewable Energy Project for Sonoco Will represent over 83% of Sonoco U.S. electricity needs
The Navigator Company will be implementing a 30 USD/t price increase in Uncoated Woodfree (UWF) Papers in Overseas markets. The new pricing is effective immediately.
SCA delivered a total of 93.2 million seedlings in 2025. Of these, 49.2 million went to private forest owners, while the remainder were planted in SCA’s own forests. Roughly every fourth seedling planted in Swedish forests comes from SCA.
A 20-page Retrospective on the 2010–2020 decade: major events, mill and supplier news, market and technology trends, highlights on Copacel and ATIP leadership, a look back at the ATIP "Palmes d’Or" awards, and more.
“I would like to extend my warm thanks to Petteri for his valuable contributions and strong commitment to SCA during his time with us, and wish him every success in his future career,” says SCA’s President and CEO, Ulf Larsson.
Accelerating path to profitable growth by building two scaled, regional packaging solutions leaders in North America and EMEA
Fedrigoni Special Papers will be present at Paris Packaging Week (5 - 6 February 2026, Paris Expo Porte de Versailles – Pavilion 1, Booth Q100) to present the latest developments across its premium packaging portfolio. The stand will highlight key product ranges, including Carte à Parfum, the collection designed for the fragrance industry; Freelife, a wide range of uncoated papers and boards with recycled content; and Bagassa, made from residual fibres of sugar cane processing. Solutions dedicated to shopping bag applications will also be presented, alongside other materials and services supporting luxury brands in combining creativity, performance and sustainability.
TotalEnergies and SWM, a major player in the paper industry, announce the signing of a contract for the supply of renewable electricity with a constant delivery profile (Clean Firm Power) to SWM’s three plants in France (Papeteries de Saint Girons, PDM Industries, and LTR Industries).
We are pleased to announce that, effective 1 February 2026, Project Logistics Alliance GmbH will officially take over and manage the Pulp & Paper Alliance.
