Total printing-writing paper shipments decreased five percent in March compared to March 2017. U.S. purchases of printing-writing papers decreased seven percent in March. Total printing-writing paper inventory levels decreased two percent from February 2018. Imports of printing-writing papers increased six percent compared to February 2017 imports, while exports increased five percent compared to February 2017. •Coated mechanical (CM) paper shipments declined year-over-year for the tenth consecutive month. Imports of CM increased 21 percent compared to February 2017. Exports of CM decreased five percent in February compared to the same month in 2017. •Shipments of coated free sheet (CFS) paper in March declined year-over-year. U.S. imports of CFS papers increased two percent year-over-year in February. Exports of CFS papers decreased five percent year-over-year in February. •Uncoated free sheet (UFS) paper shipments in March 2018 decreased year-over-year for the first time in 2018, following two months of year-over-year increases; meanwhile, shipments of uncoated mechanical (UM) papers decreased year-over-year in March 2018 for the 21st consecutive month.

Sappi Limited announced today that the intended sale to Aurelius Group of its Maastricht Mill in the Netherlands, its Stockstadt Mill in Germany and its Kirkniemi Mill in Finland (the “Transaction”) has not materialised within the agreed timeframe of the contractual agreement and therefore the agreement has lapsed. The mills included: Sappi Maastricht Mill produces 260,000 ton per annum (tpa) of coated woodfree paper and paperboard mainly sold to printers and packaging converters globally. Sappi Stockstadt Mill is an integrated pulp and paper mill located in Germany, producing 145,000 tpa of pulp which is used to produce 220,000 tpa of coated and uncoated woodfree paper mainly sold into the European print market. Sappi Kirkniemi Mill is an integrated pulp and paper mill located in Finland, producing 300,000 tpa of bleached mechanical pulp which is used to produce approximately 750 000 tpa of a variety of coated mechanical paper grades used in the print publication industry globally.

Back at high speed, the Hunkeler Innovation Days in Lucerne, Switzerland will be held from February 27 to March 2. Over the past three years, where the pandemic prevented this industry event from happening, high speed inkjet printing continued to evolve and will continue to do so according to the 2021 Smithers report “The Future of Print Equipment Markets to 2026”. For both types of high-speed presses – reel fed and sheet fed – the market is growing. In Europe, inkjet reel fed installations are expected to grow by around 50% between 2021 and 2026. Still, sheet fed inkjet installations top these figures as they are expected to grow by 126% in Western Europe and by 288% in Eastern Europe in the same period. Mondi Uncoated Fine Paper – part of the international packaging and paper group Mondi – developed the largest selection of high-speed inkjet papers in close collaboration with renowned OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers). The papers feature ideal gamut, reels as well as sheets in grammages ranging from 60 to 300 gsm and various surface treatments.