Several U.S.-based coated paper manufacturers, led by NewPage Corp., are asking the federal government to level the playing field by imposing duties on China and Indonesia for subsidizing and dumping certain coated paper. Antidumping and countervailing duty petitions have been filed by Appleton Coated, Sappi Fine Paper North America, as well as the United Steelworkers of America.
AbitibiBowater has been taking action to help combat climate change for several years. Since 2000, the company has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 32 percent per ton. The progress to date can be attributed to a company-wide focus on improved efficiency and to switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. In 2008, AbitibiBowater was 46 percent self-sufficient from renewable sources for its total energy needs. A new biomass boiler at the Fort Frances, Ontario, mill produces 46 MW of “green” electricity. In fact, 66 percent of the fuel used in the company’s boilers is supplied by carbon-neutral biomass such as sawdust and wood residues.
THE ECONOMY may be bad, but that doesn’t mean the quality of your printed materials has to be. Instead of switching to cheaper paper, this is the time to give your publications more impact by using premium papers. “They help you set your printed communications apart,” notes Laura Shore, of Mohawk Fine Papers.
FOR THE second year in a row, ConocoPhillips Creative Services has won Best of Show in the In-Print contest. This time, however, the honor carries much more meaning for the 18-employee, Bartlesville, Okla.-based in-plant. “Last year’s project, it was all printed in-house, but the design was all handled by an outside agency,” notes Mike Cranor, senior printing specialist. The perfect binding was also done outside. This year, though, the winning magazine was done completely in-house, from the writing, photography and design, to the prepress, printing and binding. “So [being] able to bring it all in...that’s just real special to us,” says Cranor.
THERE’S NO sugar-coating it: the paper market is bleak for buyers. The problems lie in both price and availability, and the forecast has almost no bright spots. Here’s a look at how we got here, what you can do today to cope, and what trends may affect paper purchasing this year and beyond. First, it’s easy to be puzzled about how the paper market could change so abruptly and intensely. Paper buyers have seen the dark clouds massing over the mills for years but little has come of it. Why is it actually raining now? In the last five years, we’ve seen several mill
WASHINGTON, DC—November 21, 2007—Yesterday, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), in a 5-1 vote, determined that Coated Free Sheet (CFS) paper imports from China, Indonesia, and Korea were not injuring nor threatening to injure the domestic industry. As a result, the anti-dumping and countervailing duties previously announced by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) will not be imposed on CFS from these countries, and any deposits that have been collected will be refunded. The ITC vote terminates the year-long investigation. The investigation was initiated in 2006 by one U.S.-based paper supplier, NewPage Corporation; the industry as a whole did not petition for this investigation. The
Not everyone is happy with the U.S. Commerce Department’s decision to charge penalty tariffs on glossy paper imported from China. Michael Makin, president and CEO of Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF), had this to say: “PIA is disappointed to learn of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s affirmative preliminary determinations in the ongoing antidumping duty investigations on Coated Free Sheet (CFS) paper imported from China, Indonesia, and Korea. Following the March announcement of affirmative preliminary determinations of tariffs in the concurrent Countervailing Duties investigation, this is yet one more blow to domestic printers sure to be impacted by pricing and supply dynamics of the
Penalty tariffs ranging from 10.9 percent to 20.4 percent will now be levied on imports of glossy paper from China, the U.S. Commerce Department announced. The tariffs result from a case filed by NewPage of Dayton, Ohio, which accused sources in China, Indonesia and South Korea of dumping coated freesheet imports in the United States. Chinese suppliers, NewPage contended, had been receiving improper subsidies from the Chinese government, according to the Associated Press. The tariffs take place on a preliminary basis and will become final after the Commerce Department’s review is completed in June, the AP reported.
THROUGHOUT HIS years as director of materials management for the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dean Gray has always used a mix of coated and uncoated paper. Recently, at the request of a designer, he switched the annual report—traditionally printed on coated paper—to uncoated paper. The results were pleasing. In fact, by printing on uncoated stock, the in-plant met the PCOM marketing department's goal of softening up the annual report's previously stiff and formal look. "It gives an air of less formality and stiffness," Gray notes. For years, using uncoated paper meant taking risks on quality. That is no longer the
Can in-plants advance the use of environmentally friendly papers? The answer is yes. These days, cost, quality and availability are all on your side. By Tyson Miller The paper industry has come a long way in cleaning up its act in terms of mill discharges into waterways, pollution prevention and energy efficiency. Many of these improvements have occurred as a result of laws and government regulations. Similar improvements in forest preservation, though, have yet to be made. The marketplace, not the government, will drive these changes. For that reason, in-plants can be a potent force for continued environmental improvements in paper. There is
