Consumables-Paper - Digital

When supply chain issues force your in-plant to use a substitute paper, take steps to inspect the physical and optical properties.

The supply and demand curves have crossed, and the paper mills are in charge. While labor strikes and supply chain disruptions have shifted pricing leverage to the mills, one trend not likely to reverse is the conversion of papermaking machines from printing paper grades to packaging grades.

In a recent webinar, I.T. Strategies' Marco Boer and Midland Specialty Paper & Film's Mike Ratcliff discussed the state of the paper supply chain and how to face the problem head on.

The Finnish Paperworkers’ Union issued a new strike, which shut down Finland’s ports and brought paper production and transport to a complete standstill. As an agreement is yet to be settled, industries are at further risk of severe disruptions to their supply chains.

In an industry driven by print quality, speed, and application performance, printers who strategically select and optimize the substrates they use for digital inkjet and toner-based print production will find themselves at a distinct advantage in their markets.

BillerudKorsnäs entered into a merger agreement to acquire Verso Corporation for a purchase price of approximately $825 million in cash. The acquisition is part of BillerudKorsnäs' strategy to drive profitable growth in paperboard and its ambition to expand into North America.

Though improvements to the current paper supply and delivery challenges are likely in 2022, that isn’t the same as a return to pre-COVID-19 business practices. It may be nearly impossible for printers looking to enter new markets to obtain paper inventory.

Hunter Bliss runs a small, innovative printing business based in Shenzhen, China, called Pebble Printing Group. It specializes in radical sustainability, with an emphasis on stone paper.

In another of our free online PRINTING United Expo Preview days, we focus once again on the in-plant industry by talking with two in-plant managers about the logistics of adding wide-format printing equipment, and discussing substrate shortages and future availability with two experts.

For a decade, mills have been shutting their doors to try to control the supply-demand equation. Today, however, mill operating rates are well above 95%, they have put customers on allocation to prevent hoarding, and they have little to no flexibility in scheduling. What can you do?