Domtar Paper

Day International Group has acquired Network Distribution International (NDI). NDI is a national converter of offset blankets and a reseller of ancillary consumable products. In addition to Day's line of offset printing blankets, sleeves and pressroom chemistry, Rockland, MA-based NDI will continue to sell products manufactured by other companies.  Heidelberg hosted its second annual "Brats & Dots" open house recently at its corporate headquarters in Kennesaw, GA. More than 325 attendees were on hand to experience the latest in prepress, press, direct imaging, postpress and digital workflows from Heidelberg, including new systems unveiled at last fall's Graph Expo. The event lets guests inspect and talk to

MONTREAL—Michel Desbiens has been tapped to head Quebecor World as CEO, replacing long-time chief executive Charles G. Cavell, who first announced his retirement late last year. Desbiens is best known in the industry as the former president and CEO of Donohue, a position he held until the company was sold to Abitibi Consolidated in 2000. Desbiens joined Quebecor World as a director in April 2002 and was named CEO of international operations in November 2002. His appointment was widely expected after Cavell announced that he planned to retire later this month. Desbiens has a long history in the industry and his leadership at Donohue reportedly brought him

BY MARK SMITH Predictions of the paperless office may have lost their edge, but not the threat of a paperless printing plant. One only has to go as far back as 1995 to find the last time some printers were faced with shutting down their presses for a lack of paper to run through them. The buyer's market of recent times saw printers, and their clients, being doubly blessed with a ready supply of paper at historically low prices. Everyone knew it was just a matter of time before the market swing came, though. In the case of paper, the more apropos saying would

NEW YORK—Georgia-Pacific announced that it is selling a controlling, 60 percent stake in its Unisource Worldwide paper distribution subsidiary to Bain Capital, a global private investment firm. Georgia-Pacific expects the transaction to result in roughly $850 million after-tax proceeds. Georgia-Pacific will retain 40 percent ownership of Unisource and will provide $170 million in seller financing. Net proceeds of the transaction will be used by Georgia-Pacific to reduce debt. As part of the transaction, which is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2002, Georgia-Pacific will enter into a sale-leaseback agreement with third parties for certain real estate assets now owned by Unisource. These

Capturing a sense of place and event on the printed page is often an important goal for graphic designers. From rock concert venues to battlefields to a city's cultural heritage, designers are asked to create designs that capture both a geographic locale, as well as a place in history. The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) had this in mind when it set out to commemorate its new Millennium Park Garden. To celebrate both the landscape of the new lake-front park and the unique architectural competition that led to its design, the DCA commissioned a commemorative art book to be sold in park

PORTLAND, OR—The art of letter writing is far from dead. Paper manufacturing giants Willamette and Weyerhaeuser are prime examples. In the most recent round of sweet nothings exchanged between the would-be merger companies, Willamette Industries Chairman William Swindells and CEO Duane McDougall sent a letter in October to Steven R. Rogel, chairman, president and CEO of Federal Way, WA-based Weyerhaeuser Co., inviting his company to submit a written offer in the high $50s to spur merger talks. "In view of our desire to put an end to the unproductive and costly stalemate for both our companies and shareholders, we write to offer you a

ATLANTA—The U.S. paper and forest products industry buys and sells more than $400 billion worth of products annually. Some estimates are that at least a third of these transactions will be conducted online within the next few years. With that in mind, Georgia- Pacific Corp., International Paper and Weyerhaeuser Co. have committed funding of $51 million to establish a global business-to-business electronic marketplace for forest products. The entity will be known as ForestExpress. Four other forest products companies—Boise Cascade, Louisiana-Pacific, Mead and Willamette—are reportedly considering taking part, as well. Officials say the goal is to create a common platform to simplify and accelerate

DEERFIELD, IL—Just as the paper and forest products industry was beginning to settle down, another pair of acquisition announcements have roiled the waters yet again. The biggest news came from Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific, which signed an agreement to acquire Fort James Corp., based here, in a transaction valued at approximately $11 billion. The move will make Georgia-Pacific the world's leading manufacturer of tissue products, and while previous industry acquisitions have gone through without much notice from federal regulators, industry watchers have noted that anti-trust officials may look long and hard at this proposal. After the merger, Fort James will be integrated with the existing tissue business