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The PM40 closed Thursday, 2 July 2026, at 5220.

Get the latest PM40 updates by listening to the weekly Nips show and the PM40 Daily Show on Pulp & Paper Radio International.

The PM40 closed 2 July 2026 down 3.9% from the 3 July 2025 level.

In this issue of Disconnected Comparisons, we evaluate Clearwater Paper and UPM Kymmene.

The Trump Administration's executive orders cut across dozens of industries. This searchable tool breaks down the orders and their impact.

I am trusting that some of you will get the connection between BYD and the pulp and paper industry. There will be many that don't--that will be the same crowd that when I quote Henry Ford, who said, "Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right" say, "I don't get it."

Once operational, the paper machine is expected to become Asia's largest extensible bag paper production line.

Intelligent automation and robotics unlock new finishing opportunities optimizing the entire post-press production chain.

In spray-drying applications, including powder production, within hygienic processing industries, incomplete cleaning of hard-to-reach surfaces can lead to contamination risks, product loss, and costly downtime. To address these challenges, Alfa Laval today announces the launch of the Controlled Rotating Retractors, designed to effectively remove residues and contaminants from ducts, pipes, tanks, and enclosed areas.

The digital transformation at Södra's pulp mills has been ongoing for many years.

Solenis, a leading global provider of water treatment, process and hygiene solutions, has entered into a strategic agreement with Dow as an approved service provider within Dow's Coolant Care Network for Data Centers.

As a result of last year's acquisition, Toscotec remains the sole, exclusive, and legal owner of all rights related to the "Recard" brand, including but not limited to know-how, technical documentation, patents, trademarks, designs, and any other intangible assets associated with the former Recard technology.

Severn will now be integrated into the Flow Control business area.

The solution enables high-capacity, fast production of high-quality, three-dimensional fiber-based packaging, offering packaging producers a competitive end-to-end solution to meet the increasing demand for sustainable alternatives to plastic.

Valmet launches new Valmet Advantage NTTe technology that enables the production of a completely new type of tissue paper with exceptional softness and a distinctive textured appearance.

Three tailored variants available to meet customer requirements in refining applications.

Tero Kokko to assume the position of President & CEO Voith Paper effective October 1, 2026.

The campaign will run from July 1 through August 9.

The prestigious ranking measures global impact and financial strength and is determined by criteria including sales, assets and market value.

Company reports nearly 1.9 billion plastic packages replaced over two years and continued progress toward Better by 2030 goals.

Huhtamaki has been recognized on TIME and Statista's World's Most Sustainable Companies list for the third time.

The prestigious "A" rating in the 2025 Supplier Engagement Assessment (SEA) recognizes the effectiveness of the Group's supply chain decarbonization strategies.

Among more than 150,000 companies assessed, only the top one percent achieved Platinum status.

The series explores how American businesses have shaped the nation's economic and technological progress since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. LP's segment highlights the company's role in the evolution of residential building materials.

Smurfit Westrock's ordinary shares are now solely listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

$3.4 billion joint venture between Suzano and Kimberly-Clark launches independent operations and reveals key corporate details

Federal investigators have embarked on the monthslong probe into the fatal disaster at Nippon Dynawave Packaging, interviewing workers and reviewing company records as they seek to answer why a 900,000-gallon tank containing a caustic chemical failed so catastrophically.

The other mills are Smurfit Westrock, which is also in Longview, and Port Townsend Paper Company in Port Townsend.

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown's office has been granted authority to help investigate whether any criminal activity contributed to last month's deadly disaster at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging paper mill in Longview.

The installation of the new equipment, a $15 M investment, will take place over a period of 9 months. This builds on a $14 M investment made in recent years, for a total investment of $29 M.

State-of-the-art facility to create 125 jobs and expand LP's growing ExpertFinish network.

Stora Enso strengthens its focus on specialised pulp grades by investing EUR 19 million in fluff pulp production increase at its Skutskär production unit in Sweden. This investment will cater to the growing consumer demand for hygiene products. As a result of the ongoing change negotiations, the company has also decided to permanently close softwood pulp production on fiberline 3 (L3).

Lackawanna, New York, facility adds 50 new jobs and doubles production capacity for the brand's Surestone technology decking products

PinkWood will retain its name and operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Canfor.

Completion of the acquisition brings Molpus Woodlands Group into Gresham House's global forestry platform, creating one of the world's largest timberland investment managers.

Krawczyk most recently served as President of Huber Engineered Materials, where he led the growth and operational transformation of a $1.3 billion global industrial and specialty chemicals portfolio.

The appointment of Mike Doss as CEO of Global Cellulose Fibers comes as a class action lawsuit questions his actions during his final year at the helm of Graphic Packaging International.

The company plans to cease its preprint operations at its Richwood, KY facility, and close its Aurora, IL sheet plant and converting plants in Elk Grove, CA and Barrington, NJ by the end of the third quarter 2026.

Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. announced the completion of the grant of the employment enducement award to Daniel M. Krawczyk, President and Chief Executive Officer, as previously disclosed in the Company's current report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") on June 22, 2026.

Cecilia has extensive experience in the finance area. She most recently held the position of Chief Financial Officer at Öresundskraft and has previously held similar roles at IKEA and Findus, as well as having many years of experience at McKinsey. She holds a Master of Science in Engineering from Chalmers University of Technology.

Sale by Tiger and partner Can-Am Machinery features pulping, drying, baling and other assets from a fiber-processing and pulp-production plant in Chesapeake, Virginia.

McKinsey & Company recently made the case for resetting cost competitiveness in pulp and paper packaging through the use of AI.

Södra is taking the next step towards more circular flows in timber packaging. By switching to a new plastic solution, the share of recycled material increases from 50% to 70%, while strengthening the supply chains.

Stora Enso's first global project with fully electric truck deliveries of Sylva™ cross-laminated timber (CLT) elements has been taken place in Sweden.

Representing an investment of €86 million, this new facility, designed to produce green energy, replaces the old natural gas boilers, enabling a drastic reduction in the site's carbon footprint.

Mercer International Inc., a global forest products company with operations in Germany, the U.S., and Canada, announces that its German pulp mill, Mercer Rosenthal, will extend its maintenance shutdown.

Beech Island fire crews responded to a confirmed fire at the Kimberly-Clark facility in Beech Island Thursday afternoon, June 25,according to officials.

When crews arrived, they found heavy fires burning in the "bag house" silos outside the building and immediately began attacking the blaze. As additional personnel arrived, firefighters entered the facility and located fire in the plant's sander machine.

One person was taken to the hospital Wednesday morning, July 1, after what initially appeared to be a hazardous materials incident at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company facility in Longview, the site of a deadly chemical tank implosion in May.

Smurfit Westrock has notified the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development that it plans to permanently close its Lebanon facility, affecting 52 employees.

The UPM Kaukas pulp mill will be temporarily shut down as of August 3, 2026 for approximately six weeks. In addition, a potential temporary shutdown of the UPM Pietarsaari pulp mill is being planned for October.