Paper

GP Harmon changes name to Georgia-Pacific Recycling

Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific's Harmon Recycling has changed its name to Georgia-Pacific Recycling. According to a Georgia-Pacific news release, the name change more directly reflects that “the recycling business is an integrated part of a large, stable and respected organization.”

Georgia-Pacific Recycling, Jericho, New York, operates six recycling centers in the United States. Georgia-Pacific acquired the business in 2000, and until now it has operated under the Harmon name.

“While the Harmon name is well-known in the marketplace, more formally adopting the Georgia-Pacific name reflects that we are committed to being a preferred partner in the recyclable commodity industry,” says Marc Forman, president of Georgia-Pacific Recycling. “To say that the recycling industry is experiencing a lot of change is an understatement. Our new name reflects that we are a stable company with a commitment to innovative solutions,” he continues.

With nearly 50 years of experience in the recycling industry, the team helps customers reduce their waste streams and maximize recyclables, according to the company’s news release. In addition to supplying recovered paper to Georgia-Pacific tissue and containerboard mills, Georgia-Pacific Recycling is a global marketer of recyclables. It sells more than 6 million tons of paper and 450 million pounds of plastics annually.

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Nine Dragons highlights expansion plans in FY2019 interim results

Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Ltd., Hong Kong, has announced consolidated interim results for the company and its subsidiaries for the six months ended Dec. 31, 2018. According to a Nine Dragons news release, it achieved a revenue increase of about 18.2 percent compared with the corresponding period of its 2018 fiscal year.

The group’s total designed production capacity across its mill network as of Dec. 31 was 15.3 million tons per year, comprising about 7.6 million tons of linerboard, 3.4 million tons of high- performance corrugating medium, 2.6 million tons of coated duplex board, 1.1 million tons of printing and writing paper and 0.6 million tons of high-value specialty paper and pulp products.

Nine Dragons also reports that its new paper mill in Chongqing, China, began production in February 2019, adding another 0.55 million tons per year to the group’s overall production capacity.

During the period, ND Paper LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary, completed the acquisition of two pulp mills—one in Fairmont, West Virginia, and the other in Old Town, Maine. Together with mills in Rumford, Maine, and Biron, Wisconsin, ND Paper acquired in fiscal 2018, these four mills in the United States are expected to offer access to high-quality raw material for the group’s primary business, with significant synergies, the company says.

Nine Dragons Paper says it is actively pursuing the goal of completing the construction of four new paper machines at its mills in China in 2019, including three at its Shenyang, Hebei and Quanzhou mills that are expected to start production in the second quarter of 2019. Also, a new paper machine at the Dongguan mill is expected to start production in the third quarter of 2019. Upon the start of production, these four paper machines will add 2.05 million tons per year to the group’s total designed production capacity.

ND Paper plans to implement equipment upgrades and expansion projects at its four pulp and paper mills in the United States, which could be completed and begin production before the end of 2021, its parent company says. By then, the company’s production capacity in the U.S. will increase by 1.4 million tons per year, bringing its global total production capacity to more than 19 million tons, Nine Dragons says.

“It is expected that China will continue to implement stringent environmental policies, making the advantages of large enterprises becoming more prominent,” says Cheung Yan, chair of Nine Dragons. “Yet, the group is confident about the fundamental of domestic consumption and industry demand in China and believes that there is some growth potential in market demand.”

He adds, “Meanwhile, the group remains cautiously optimistic and positive about the [China-U.S.] trade war.”