NewPage Corp.

Group Visits KBA’s German Head­quarters RADEBEUL, GERMANY—KBA North America invited a select number of U.S. and Canadian printers, as well as industry journalists, to visit its headquarters and sheetfed press manufacturing facility here recently. The group was treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the factory assembly hall; the R&D facility; product demonstrations on the new-generation, 41˝ Rapida 105 five-over-five perfector press and the large-format, 56˝ Rapida 142 four-over-four perfector; and visits to several area printers that are utilizing KBA presses in sophisticated markets. Time was also spent sightseeing in Dresden and Leipzig. “Our open house in Germany provided printers with an in-depth education on

HELSINKI, FINLAND—Paper manufacturer Stora Enso Oyj said it has been acquitted of charges in the United States that it participated in a paper price-fixing conspiracy. The company reported that it had been found not guilty by a federal grand jury in Hartford, CT. Last December, Stora was indicted for its alleged anticompetitive conduct in connection…

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI—June 21, 2007—Stora Enso (NYSE: SEO) today announced effective June 1, the Centura®, Productolith® gloss, dull and matte sheets, and the Arbor™ line of products meet the chain-of-custody certification requirements for the following: • Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), SW-COC-1930; • Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI), BV-COC-209961-A; and • Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), BV-COC-209961-B. In May, Stora Enso announced that six of its North American mills achieved third-party chain-of-custody certifications for SFI® and PEFC, becoming the first coated paper manufacturer in North America to achieve SFI chain-of-custody certification. The SFI and PEFC certifications complement the FSC chain-of-custody certification achieved last year. “We recognize that many

WASHINGTON, DC—June 8, 2007—The U.S. Department of Commerce recently announced its affirmative preliminary determination in the ongoing anti-dumping (AD) investigation of imported Coated Free Sheet (CFS) paper, setting rates ranging from 23 to 99 percent in China, 0 to 30 percent in South Korea, and 10.85 percent in Indonesia. Following the March announcement of affirmative preliminary determinations of tariffs in the concurrent Countervailing Duties investigation, this is yet one more blow to domestic printers sure to be impacted by pricing and supply dynamics of the CFS paper market. The investigation was initiated by one U.S.-based paper supplier, NewPage Corporation; the industry as a whole

Same High-Tech Press, Same Super Success, Very Different Printers LOS ANGELES—The Komori Lithrone LS40SP Super Perfector with double coater technology—so new, there are only a few operating in the United States—inspired Komori to sponsor a media junket to California in April to see two of the presses in action. The Super Perfector, based on Komori’s successful Lith-rone S40 series, is a tangible example of the company’s commitment to create presses from the user’s perspective, employing their input in the development of its products. Zarik Megerdichian, president and CEO of Glendale-based 4Over Inc., who runs an all-Komori shop, claims he’s one of those end

Rising postal rates. Ever-increasing energy prices. Add the cost of obtaining coated free sheet (CFS) paper to the list of runaway costs being experienced by the printing industry. After socking China and Indonesia with 20-plus percent countervailing duties (CVD) and assessing a smaller tariff (1.76 percent) on South Korea in late March, the U.S. Department of Commerce stood poised to release its final ruling this month, though the ultimate word on the CVDs could come later in 2007. Barring an 11th hour reversal by Commerce, the U.S. paper manufacturing sector’s gain will be the U.S. printer’s loss. Hardest hit will be West Coast printers,

Viewing On Demand BOSTON—Changing locations continues to be part of the story from the On Demand Conference & Expo, which last month completed its 2007 run at the (nearly) new Boston Convention & Exposition Center (opened in 2004). The event first moved from its long-standing home in New York City to Philadelphia for a two-year stint and now on to Boston through 2008. Close to 200 exhibitors had booths in the On Demand portion of the show floor, which the event continues to share with the AIIM Expo. New, or at least now commercialized, color printing systems added up to the largest category

WASHINGTON, DC—Penalty tariffs ranging from 10.9 percent to 20.4 percent will now be levied on imports of glossy paper from China, the U.S. Commerce Department announced. Lesser tariffs were levied against South Korea and Indonesia. The tariffs result from a case filed by NewPage, of Dayton, OH, which accused sources in those three countries of dumping coated free sheet imports into the United States. Chinese suppliers, NewPage contended, had been receiving improper subsidies from the Chinese government, according to the Associated Press. The AP reported that U.S. coated paper imports from China were roughly $224 million in 2006, compared to only $29 million in 2004. The tariffs

MAN Roland Hosts Printers for Press Premier OFFENBACH, GERMANY—The world premier of a “next generation” sheetfed printing platform isn’t an everyday occurrence, so MAN Roland extended its recent festivities to more than a week to allow for bringing in several groups of select printers, journalists and its own employees from around the globe. The stars of the show were HiPrint and DirectDrive versions of the new Roland 700 sheetfed printing platform. To make the most of the trip, the contingent from North America was additionally treated to tours of a local DirectDrive beta site, MAN Roland’s foundry and its manufacturing/assembly facilities for sheetfed presses.

ENDING A 23-year-old policy of not applying anti-subsidy laws to non-market economy (state-controlled) countries like China, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) recently determined that two Chinese producers and exporters of coated free sheet paper received countervailable subsidies ranging from 10.9 to 20.35 percent from the Chinese government in the form of tax breaks, tax forgiveness and low-cost loans. In response, tariffs have been enacted for coated free sheet paper imported from China, as well as for the same glossy grade being imported (in lesser amounts) from Indonesia and South Korea. The preliminary decision, which will likely be challenged by China in U.S. federal