Members of Unifor Local 10-B voted 80 per cent in favour of a new four-year contract that helps secure the future of the pulp mill with significant investments over the next two years. "Our new collective agreement is good for workers and good for the community," said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. "We're proud to work with Domtar to ensure a future for this mill and hundreds of good jobs that Kamloops can rely on." The new collective agreement commits the parties to finding solutions on retiree health benefits, it also works on retention and training of trade workers, and streamlines administration while improving benefits. Unifor says that these gains will be important for the next generation of mill workers as a wave of retirements creates openings. "The collaborative working relationship we have with the union is something that I'm very proud of" stated Jean-Claude Allaire, General Manager of the Domtar Kamloops Mill. "It's our commitment to finding innovative solutions that resulted in a meaningful agreement for both parties". The framework of the new contract is built on Unifor's Western Canada pulp and paper pattern agreement. Click Read More below for additional detail.

ANDRITZ Inc., a member of international technology Group ANDRITZ, has been selected by Domtar Corporation to provide equipment and technical services for conversion of a power boiler and a recovery boiler at their Kingsport paper mill, in Kingsport, TN, USA. As part of this state-of-the-art conversion, the Kingsport Mill needed to repurpose their steam generation equipment. ANDRITZ will convert an existing recovery boiler into a natural gas-fired power boiler with back-up fuel oil capability by supplying the main equipment, including low NOx burners and associated fuel and air systems. ANDRITZ will also provide equipment for the mill to modify an existing bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) power boiler so that it can accommodate a change in fuels from wood and sludge firing to corrugated cardboard (OCC) rejects, natural gas, and fuel oil firing. The scope of supply also includes boiler cleaning devices, pressure part upgrades, material handling equipment, air/flue gas system upgrades, and environmental equipment to enable the mill to meet the highest environmental standards.

Klabin, Brazil's largest paper producer and exporter, the leading manufacturer of paper and board for packaging, corrugated board packaging and industrial bags, and the only company in Brazil to produce hardwood, softwood and fluff pulp in the same plant, registered its 24th consecutive quarter of growth in financial results. The company recorded adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of R$595 million in the second quarter of 2017, which is 11% higher than in the same period in 2016. In the second quarter of the year, the company highlights in its balance sheet the strong and sustained performance of the Puma Unit which, after the annual maintenance shutdown at the end of March this year, concluded the ramp-up process and recorded pulp sales volume of 337,000 tons in 2Q17, 12% higher than in 1Q17.Of the total sales volume in the second quarter of this year, 252,000 tons were hardwood pulp and 85,000 tons were softwood and fluff pulp. Click Read More below for additional details.