The Fedrigoni Group - a leading global player in the manufacturing of specialty papers for luxury packaging and other creative applications, self-adhesive labels and graphic materials, as well as RFID and connected solutions - announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire a majority stake in POLI-TAPE Group, internationally recognized for the production of high-quality materials for graphic applications, including textile, signage, digital printing and specialties. The POLI-TAPE Group, founded in 1993 and headquartered in Remagen, Germany, employees 370 people located in Germany (incl. two production sites), Italy (incl. two production sites) and Oklahoma, USA (focused on distribution); while its products are distributed in more than 90 countries. Its majority shareholder is the Möhren family along with the Bitburger Group as minority shareholder. The Möhren family will retain a significant share to ensure a smooth transition, during which the POLI-TAPE Management team led by Mark Wehrmann will continue to serve its long-standing customers and partners globally.

Questions remain on exact details of Appleton Coated's sale to Industrial Assets Corp. after a marathon six-hours-plus hearing Monday in Outagamie County court. Questions also remain on exactly what its 600-plus employees can expect – or hope for – in the long run. It appears the mill has dodged the bullet of an immediate shutdown and liquidation, but might only operate in a limited capacity for 45 days with a staff of 195, about a third of its workers. Still, that's a victory some are celebrating. “We get a second chance,” said Tom Nelson, Outagamie County executive. Nelson had initially objected to the mill's sale to the liquidator and petitioned for more time for a different buyer to come forward in a joint statement with Combined Locks village president John Neumeier. Click Read More below for more of the story.

Against a backdrop of a persistently volatile and challenging macroeconomic environment Sappi delivered EBITDA excluding special items of US$731 million for the year ended September 2023. The widespread disruption caused by ongoing geopolitical instability, weak global economic growth, rising interest rates, and an underperforming Chinese economy negatively impacted markets for our products. The South African business delivered record EBITDA (in ZAR) and North America the second highest ever EBITDA. The group generated significant cash which enabled a further reduction of net debt at year-end to US$1,085 million, the lowest level in 30 years.