AbitibiBowater Inc.

IF THIS magazine chose to hand out an award for the biggest newsmaker of the year, the 2008 honor would go to Quebecor World (QW), hands down. One might contend that the attention, while merited, is not the type of exposure a company would want: Financing issues, trying to sell an unprofitable venture and muddling through with bankruptcy in two countries. But Quebecor World is a printer for our economic times, the No. 2 in North America at a time when market leaders (Circuit City, AIG, Lehman Bros.) have come crashing down.

MONTREAL—AbitibiBowater plans to permanently close four paper mills and suspend operations at others. These actions will reportedly result in the loss of about 2,600 jobs as the company vies to save $375 million by 2009. The move by the newly formed company—created by the merger of Abitibi-Consolidated and Bowater Inc.—will lower its newsprint and commercial printing paper production capacity by about one million metric tons annually. Three of the mills to be permanently closed are located in Canada: Shawinigan, Quebec; Dalhoisie, New Brunswick; and Thunder Bay, Ontario. The fourth manufacturing facility is located in Lufkin, TX. Production is also being halted indefinitely at mills

MONTREAL—AbitibiBowater plans to permanently close four paper mills and suspend operations at others. These actions will reportedly result in the loss of about 2,600 jobs as the company vies to save $375 million by 2009. The move by the newly formed company—created by the merger of Abitibi-Consolidated and Bowater Inc.—will lower its newsprint and commercial…

Neenah to Obtain Fox River ALPHARETTA, GA—Neenah Paper has signed a definitive agreement to purchase Fox Valley, which owns Fox River Paper. Terms of the deal, which had been expected to close in the first quarter, were not revealed. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions and is pending approval by Fox River shareholders. Neenah Paper will bolster its fine papers offering with Fox River brands that include Starwhite, Sundance, Esse and Oxford. Cadmus Nabs LN Printing RICHMOND, VA—On the heels of its acquisition by Cenveo Inc., Cadmus Communications has entered into an agreement to obtain LexisNexis’ conventional printing operations in Charlottesville, VA, and its digital

MONTREAL—Abitibi-Consolidated idled its Fort William paper mill in Thunder Bay, Ontario, citing market conditions, high production costs and the need to reduce costs. Its 265 mill employees, and 88 more associated with the woodlands operations, are impacted by the shutdown.Abitibi-Consolidated has tried to sell the Fort William mill, which has suffered several market-related shutdowns in…

GREENVILLE, SC—Abitibi-Consolidated of Montreal and Bowater Inc., based here, have agreed to combine in an all-stock merger of equals. The company will be called AbitibiBowater and will boast annual revenues of approximately U.S.$7.9 billion.The deal makes AbitibiBowater, which will have a leading position among publication papers producers, the third largest publicly-traded paper and forest products…

Landmark 500th CTP Device Installed ROCHESTER, NY—Morris Communications has purchased a thermal CTP newspaper solution from Kodak for its flagship newspaper, The Augusta Chronicle. The transaction marks the 500th Kodak Trendsetter News thermal CTP platesetter device sold. The Kodak solution being installed at The Augusta Chronicle includes two Kodak Trendsetter News devices, NewsManager workflow software, a Prinergy Evo PDF processor and Staccato screening software. Essex Products Group (EPG), a manufacturer of integrated color control systems, reports that Helga Kollegger has been named sales administrator. Kollegger is now the first contact for both current customers and sales inquiries. Punch Graphix plc regrets to announce the death

Lingerie clad women carrying chain saws sounds like a scene out of a B-movie horror flick, not a topic for a story on trends in paper usage. Which is the point, in a sense. In late 2005, environmental activists were able to grab headlines by dressing in lingerie for a series of protests outside Victoria’s Secret stores. The organizers sought to call attention to what they considered irresponsible and wasteful use of paper by the company in its catalog marketing program. They challenged the clothier to stop using paper that tracked back to trees from the Great Boreal Forest in Canada, to buy

Cenveo Plans Cost Savings ENGLEWOOD, CO—Cenveo announced a comprehensive plan to reduce operating expenses and streamline management functions, a plan that includes the elimination of about 125 jobs—mostly managerial positions. Through these moves, the company expects to save $9 million in 2005 and generate annual savings of $20 million. After having his May 6 formal proposal to take over Cenveo rejected, veteran print executive Robert Burton of Burton Capital Management informed the troubled printer that he will seek a special meeting of shareholders with the intention of removing the existing board members and replacing them with a slate that will "affirmatively act in the best

BY MARK SMITH On paper, the interplay of supply and demand looks like a straightforward model for the forces that shape a market. When it comes to predicting the outlook for paper, though, lately it seems as if one might be better off reading tea leaves. Paper makers have gone to great lengths in a collective attempt to rationalize the supply. Unfortunately, the demand side of the equation hasn't performed in the way that was hoped. The industry also has been buffeted by developments beyond any company's control. Quarterly financial reports from major manufacturers have included a mixed bag of earning declines, losses