Pulp & Paper Council: The Pulp & Paper Council reported on Thursday August 25, that the North American and Canadian newsprint industry experienced a drop in demand for newsprint from last year to date.  This trend poses reasons for concern for the future supply of ONP for our molded fiber industry. IMFA is looking at alternative fiber supply chains and fiber processing systems.

Cascades Forma-Pak, Inc.: IMFA member Cascades Inc., Kingsey Falls Quebec, Canada, has forecast increased demand for its specialty products for the next quarter of 2011.

EnviroPAK Corp. Receives Green Partner Certification Renewal From Sony: EnviroPAK Corporation, St. Louis facility, has received renewal of Green Partner certification from Sony for the third consecutive time. Given Sony’s global span and strict standards, the Green Partner certification is one of the most highly regarded of such programs. Bill Noble, Vice President of EnviroPAK Corporation, said “We are extremely proud and honored to have been certified by Sony for the third consecutive time…The green movement is here to stay and we are proud to partner with companies like Sony”.

Foxconn in China: The world’s largest manufacturer of electronic equipment (iPad etc.), Foxconn in China has announced a three year program to increase the use of automation in manufacturing processes. Their CEO said, in a speech, in their plant in Shenzhen, that Foxconn will implement the use of 1mm robots within the next two years, a two-thirds increase from today. He also announced that employee salaries rose between 30 and 40 % last year and is expected to increase 20 to 30% annually for the next two years.  A researcher at J.P. Morgan indicated that the cost of labor in China is no longer lower than the cost of capital. 

Replacements for Petroleum Based Material: Replacements for petroleum based materials are being heavily researched by many industries.  Battlelle, a manufacturer of baby diapers, working with the United Soy Bean Board (USB) and the Ohio Soy Bean Council (OSC) has made advancements to economically produce diapers replacing some petroleum material with soy based material. A spokesman for the USB said, “That soy hydrogel could be a replacement for a significant portion of items using petroleum based products…”

Wal-Mart: pursuing “local” sourcing in response to current customer interests. Driving Wal-Mart is the demand for “fresh” foods, as well as, low prices. Shipping products from long distances consumes fuel and is undesirable from some environmental standpoints. In addition to transportation costs, refrigeration, which also consumes energy, needs is reduced with local food product sourcing. With the changes in buyers habits and interests, it is not unreasonable to expect that the “local sourcing” concepts for food could be applied to other products purchased by Wal-Mart and other large retail outlets.