The Rockwall Economic Development Corporation ("REDC") announced the expansion of Pratt Industries corrugated box plant in Rockwall, Texas. According to the REDC, the expansion will add approximately 346,000 square feet to the existing facility resulting in a total building size of approximately 736,000 square feet. The project is expected to bring $90 million in capital investment along with the creation of 100 new jobs. Pratt initially opened its state-of-the-art corrugating facility on approximately 30 acres in the Rockwall Technology Park in 2017.

The global biodegradable paper packaging materials market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of close to 11% from 2017 to 2021, according to a new market study from Technavio. The study covers the present scenario and growth prospects for global biodegradable paper packaging materials and also lists bioplastic packaging materials and paper packaging materials as the two major application segments, of which bioplastic packaging materials dominated the global market in 2016, accounting for 54% of the market share in 2016.

Metsä Group's pre-engineering project for a potential commercial-scale Muoto™ fibre product plant is progressing as planned. After the pre-engineering phase, Metsä Group may consider making an investment decision. The partners selected for the pre-engineering project are Elomatic, SRV, Valmet Technologies and A-insinöörit Suunnittelu. SRV will act as project management contractor for the construction project and will also be the engineering design partner for the building services. Elomatic has been selected as the main design partner for the design of the factory structure and facilities and will assist in the cost planning and construction schedule. Valmet will act as process engineer for the fibre product in the project. A-insinöörit Suunnittelu Ltd has been selected as the plant construction design partner for the project.