http://life-like-the-flower-of-summer.spoonylife.com SpoonyLife fr-FR http://life-like-the-flower-of-summer.spoonylife.com/north-interbay-group-seeks-to-loosen-industrial-zoning-15432.html Industrial Pipeline Developers like Thompson just want to make more money on theirgambles in industrial real estate, he charges. "This is all aboutinstantaneous gratification." The City Council could take up the Interbay NeighborhoodAssociation's proposal this fall. North Interbay is a triangular sliver of the city, boundedgenerally by West Dravus Street, the BNSF railroad yards and busy15th Avenue West. It's a jumble of vacant lots, storage yards and mostly olderfactories and warehouses. Most who work in the area or live nearby agree it's rundown. "It's dead here. Just dead," says Chuck Read, whose companymanufactures custom cutting boards. About one-third of the area, mostly along Dravus and 15th, is zonedfor commercial uses. The Interbay Neighborhood Association is pushing for big changeshere, too a rezone to allow condo or apartment towers up to125 feet tall. The city's Department of Planning and Development last monthproposed towers not top 85 feet. Planners said taller buildingswould be incompatible with nearby industry. North Interbay's industrially zoned blocks hold businesses thatmanufacture doors and cabinets and musical instruments. There's a steel-products warehouse, a marine-equipment supplyoperation and several machine shops. Other businesses don't really qualify as industrial: adog-obedience school, a fitness club, a company that rents partytents and canopies, another that markets sex toys. The Interbay Neighborhood Association cited that mix in itspetition to trim the area from BINMIC. The neighborhood already lacks the intensity of "hard-core"industrial uses that should define a manufacturing/industrialcenter, proponents argue; deleting it would just reflect reality. The city's restrictions on nonindustrial uses "lump me in with100-acre tracts in South Seattle that are pouring steel," saysRead. "Every area has different needs and different requirements." Thompson, Nitty Gritty's developer, contends mixed-use projectslike his would create "a more upgraded environment for industrialuses and a more respectful environment for customers." But just 12 percent of the land in Seattle is zoned industrial. AndAakervik, of the BINMIC Action Committee, says North Interbayoffers the access to rail and water that industry needs, and thatfew other areas offer. Industrial development in the area has been stymied, he says,because property owners aren't satisfied with its potential returnsand are speculating that zoning changes will make them richer. Dave Gering, executive director of the Manufacturing IndustrialCouncil of Seattle, says a project like the Nitty Gritty wouldcause him more heartburn if it were proposed in a heavy-industrystronghold like Georgetown or SoDo, rather than North Interbay. Gering's organization supported the limits on nonindustrial usesthe City Council approved last December. Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:17:00 GMT http://life-like-the-flower-of-summer.spoonylife.com/lme-copper-indian-copper-futures-gave-up-early-gains-and-eased-on-tuesday-after-rising-inventories-dampened-sentiment-analysts-said.-at-4.50-p.m.-the-benchmark-june-copper-mccm8-on-the-multi-commod-15431.html Metal Fabricator The company fabricates metal for power plant ducts, structuralsteel, conveyors, hoppers and stainless steel scrubbers for coalplants, Mr. Parker said. The company also manufactures powertransmission lines for the Tennessee Valley Authority, he said.Another large customer is Georgia Power. Mr. Parker said he started his business in 1995 with a building andan acre of land. He expanded twice, and bought five acres adjoiningthe site two years ago, and then bought another tract on BrownStreet. The road closure also would benefit his company and a neighboringbusiness by preventing theft, Mr. Parker said. Both companiesfrequently have break-ins, he said. "I'll sit out here at night and they'll circle the block lookingfor something to steal," Mr. Parker said. The commission approved a request by former planningcommissioner Mike Price to grant a road-width variance at the ElderCove subdivision in Tiftonia. The request was not on the Mondayagenda. Mr. Price, owner of MAP Engineers, said he had filed thevariance with the planning agency, but the case was not scheduledto be heard until the July meeting. The Elder Cove developers are installing roadside drainage in thesubdivision and needed to reduce the road's width. The projectwould have been held up if the developers had had to wait until theJuly planning commission meeting, Mr. Price said. Planning agency director Barry Bennett said after the meeting thatwhile granting a request that's not on the agenda is unusual, itcan be done under extreme circumstances. Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:17:00 GMT http://life-like-the-flower-of-summer.spoonylife.com/india-copper-eases-on-rising-lme-15430.html lme copper Indian copper futures gave up early gains and eased on Tuesday after rising inventories dampened sentiment, analysts said. At 4.50 p.m., the benchmark June copper MCCM8 on the Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) was down 0.39 percent at 344.25 rupees per kg. Copper inventories on the London Metal Exchange were up 1,500 tonnes to 123,550 tonnes on Tuesday. "Rising inventories pushed down copper after it gained in the morning but it should rise again because the outlook continues to be strong," said an analyst from Motilal Oswal Commodities Broker Pvt Ltd. Prices found support earlier after China reported a 25.6 percent surge in urban investment in the first five months of the year which indicated a positive demand outlook for metals. Copper prices also found support from falling Chinese imports. China is importing less copper, despite domestic demand, and expectations are that the local shortage will push traders to buy the metal over, supporting prices China's imports of unwrought copper fell 25 percent in May from April. Prices also rose on fresh supply concerns from Peru, where protestors blocked a mine belonging to Southern Copper (PCU.N: Quote, Profile, Research) (SPC.LM: Quote, Profile, Research), the country's largest copper producer [nN16263028]. Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:16:00 GMT http://life-like-the-flower-of-summer.spoonylife.com/control4-introduces-standards-based-ip-entertainment-15429.html lighting wire Control4 Corporation, a leader in affordable IP-based controland entertainment systems, today announced the release of Control4 ? Suite Systems, a customized version of the company ' s popular home automation and entertainment control technology forthe hospitality market. The Control4 Suite Systems provides aplatform of innovative convenience and automation for the in-roomenvironment by enabling hotel guests to control lighting, roomtemperature, television/video systems, music, draperies andrequests for services through a single Control4 ? remote. "We' ve worked closely with the industry to develop a fully customizedroom automation platform that is incredibly easy to use, installand maintain, " said Will West, Chief Executive Officer at Control4. " The Control4 Suite Systems truly transforms the guest experience byproviding completely new functionality that significantly enhancesthe customer ' s stay and provides differentiation for the destination. Thehospitality market represents a huge market opportunity forControl4 ? technology and we look forward to applying our expertise forcontinued innovation. " Control4 Suite Systems provides the hospitality industry apractical, reliable automation operating system that is affordable.For new property construction, operators will see significantsavings in construction costs because the Control4 Suite Systems ' wireless features eliminate virtually all in-room, low-voltagewiring, and require less conduit, labor and materials for controland lighting systems than traditional wire-based systems. The Control4 hospitality solution also offers a non-obtrusive andeasy way to save money by managing precious resources such asenergy, water, money and time. Control4 Suite Systems can beprogrammed to automatically put a room into unoccupied status uponcheckout turning down or off the heating/cooling system, televisions,lights and any appliances. According to Green Lodging News,lighting accounts for up to 35 percent of a hotel ' s energy bill, while up to 50-70 percent of a hotel ' s energy bill is attributed to heating and cooling. "The Mandarin is renowned for offering personalized comfort andconvenience for our hotel guests, " said David Heckaman, VP Technology, Mandarin Resorts. " Control4 Suite Systems provides a technology platform that takesthat personalized experience to an entirely new level. Bothcorporate and leisure guests will delight in this highlysophisticated, yet easy-to-use service that makes the roomenvironment more relaxing and enjoyable. " Control4 Suite Systems is also easy to install. Wired and wirelesssolutions are available for installation in both new constructionand most retrofits of properties meeting LEED certificationbuilding standards. To facilitate interoperability and integration between partnerproducts and Control4 ' s digital home platform, Control4 is licensing its operating systemthrough the C4iQ ? certified partner program. C4iQ ? approved technology enables companies to embed the Control4operating system into a range of products, such as televisions,routers, receivers, etc. Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:15:00 GMT http://life-like-the-flower-of-summer.spoonylife.com/magnetic-sensor-ignores-large-local-fields-15428.html Small MagnetResearchers at the Fraunhofer Institute have developed a novelmagnetic sensor that they claim for the first time detects tinyfluctuations in a small magnetic field even when there is astrong magnet right beside it. The sensor can therefore be utilised even in places where powercables generate an interference field for instance, in acar's side mirror. In the car mirror application, if there is a change of driver it isnormally required to adjust the position of the mirror and theseat. To provide automatic adjustment for each driver, a tiny chip in thekey or a corresponding button on the dashboard can be pressed,enabling all adjustment to be performed very easily. There is a tiny magnet in the mirror and another in the seat, whoseposition is detected by a magnetic sensor and which enables themirror to be correctly adjusted. The only problem with this systemis that the cables supplying the power for heating the mirror andcontrolling the stepper motor also generate a magnetic field. The sensor therefore sees not only the field generated by themagnet, but also that of the power cable and errors can bemade. Up to now, therefore, such magnetic field sensors have had tobe screened. This is difficult and expensive. A new type of integrated 3-D magnetic field sensor from theFraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS) in Erlangen,Germany, can work without screening. The researchers have arrangedseveral sensors in a pixel cell in such a way that they can measureall three components of the magnetic field in one place. If two ofthese pixel cells are placed on a chip, the sensor measures notonly the magnetic field as such, but also how the position of themagnetic field changes. IIS team leader Dr Hans-Peter Hohe states:"This sensor enables us for the first time to identifymagnetic interference fields as such and to separate them from theuseful field. The sensor works perfectly even when the interferencefield is considerably larger than the useful field. There istherefore no need for shielding." Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:14:00 GMT http://life-like-the-flower-of-summer.spoonylife.com/crm-s-cdc-softwareschneider-electric-says-upgrade-15427.html Hardware Supply CRM vendor CDC Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of China's CDC Corporation, has announced that Schneider Electric (News - Alert) has gone live with its upgrade to cWMS Release 10, a warehouse management system part of the CDC Supply Chain suite. With more than 2,000 employees and revenue in excess of the equivalent of $977 million, Schneider sells electrical distribution and automation control products and services in the country and has rapidly expanded its logistics operations over the past 10 years. Since first implementing an earlier version of CDC Software's (News - Alert) "cWMS" 10 years ago, Schneider consolidated two of its warehouse sites, while at the same time expanding capacity to 50 tons of throughput per day, covering 14,000 product lines, resulting in cost savings and higher productivity. Andrew Holdroyd, logistics projects manager, said the company "needed to upgrade our warehouse functionality and systems to support our growing business volume and new distribution service in a multi-brand environment." Michael Shrimplin, logistics development analyst for Schneider, said while the initial go-live "covered an ‘as-is' upgrade, the latest version of cWMS will allow us to implement additional functionality... these include capabilities such as cartonisation, which will help improve item scanning, picking accuracy and overall quality control." CRM vendor CDC Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of IT company CDC Corporation, has announced three multi-million dollar contracts recently. Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:12:00 GMT http://life-like-the-flower-of-summer.spoonylife.com/reliance-steel-purchases-pnagroup-for-1.1bln-15426.html Platinum Bar Reliance Steel et Aluminum Co. said Tuesday it agreed to buy PNAGroup Holding Corp., a steel service center group owned by PlatinumEquity, for about $1.1 billion. Shares of Reliance rose $6.82, or 4.7 percent, to $74.43 shortlyafter the opening bell. The deal is expected to close within 60 days, pending regulatoryapprovals. Los Angeles-based Reliance Steel expects to finance the dealthrough its existing credit facility and by raising about $750million by issuing new debt and equity securities. Reliance, which processes and sells products to aerospace, energyand construction companies, said it expects the deal to immediatelyboost earnings. Through its subsidiaries, PNA Group processes and distributesprimarily carbon steel plate, bar, structural and flat-rolledproducts. PNA subsidiaries include Delta Steel LP, Feralloy Corp.,Infra-Metals Co., Metals Supply Company Ltd., PrecisionFlamecutting and Steel LP and Sugar Steel Corp. PNA had 2007 sales of about $1.6 billion. Reliance reported saleslast year of about $7.26 billion. PNA has 23 steel service centers in the United States, five jointventures and seven service centers in the U.S. and Mexico. Reliancehas about 180 locations in the U.S. and about 37 across Belgium,Canada, China, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This materialmay not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:11:00 GMT http://life-like-the-flower-of-summer.spoonylife.com/reliance-steel-aluminum-co.-signs-deal-to-acquire-pnagroup-15425.html including aluminum Reliance Steel et Aluminum Co. (NYSE:RS) announced today thatit has reached an agreement to acquire the outstanding capitalstock of PNA Group Holding Corporation, a national steel servicecenter group owned by Platinum Equity. The transaction is valued atapproximately $1.1 billion. PNA ' s subsidiaries include the operating entities Delta Steel, LP,Feralloy Corporation, Infra-Metals Co., Metals Supply Company,Ltd., Precision Flamecutting and Steel, LP and Sugar SteelCorporation. Through its subsidiaries, PNA processes anddistributes primarily carbon steel plate, bar, structural andflat-rolled products. 2007 and first quarter 2008 revenues for PNAwere about $1.6 billion and $474 million, respectively. PNA has 23steel service centers throughout the United States, as well as fivejoint ventures that operate a total of seven service centers in theUnited States and Mexico. The transaction is expected to be consummated within the next 60days, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, includingobtaining required regulatory approvals. Reliance expects tofinance the transaction, including the replacement of PNA ' s existing debt, through a combination of borrowings under Reliance ' s existing credit facility and by raising approximately $750million through the issuance of a combination of new debt andequity securities. " The PNA operations complement our existing business and add newproducts in many geographic areas that further enhance thecustomer, product and geographic diversification of our business.Through the PNA joint ventures, we also gain entry into a newmarket for us in Mexico, " said David H. Hannah, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Inregard to the financing, Hannah stated, " We expect that this transaction, including the impact of theexpected financing, will be immediately accretive to our earnings,with the dilution from any new shares issued offset by the earningsfrom PNA and savings from our lower cost of capital. Additionally,we expect our balance sheet and liquidity to remain strong. " Reliance Steel et Aluminum Co., headquartered in Los Angeles,California, is the largest metals service center company in theUnited States. Through a network of more than 180 locations in 37states and Belgium, Canada, China, South Korea and the UnitedKingdom, the Company provides value-added metals processingservices and distributes a full line of over 100,000 metalproducts. These products include galvanized, hot-rolled andcold-finished steel; stainless steel; aluminum; brass; copper;titanium and alloy steel sold to more than 125,000 customers invarious industries. Reliance Steel et Aluminum Co. ' s press releases and additional information are available on theCompany ' s web site at www.rsac.com . The Company was named to the 2007 " Fortune 500 " List and the Fortune 2007 " 100 Fastest Growing Companies " List and the Fortune 2008 List of " America ' s Most Admired Companies " and the 2008 Forbes " Platinum 400 List of America ' s Best Big Companies. " This release may contain forward-looking statements relating tofuture financial results and the proposed acquisition and relatedfinancing of PNA. Actual results and events may differ materiallyas a result of many factors over which Reliance Steel etAluminum Co. has no control. These risk factors and additionalinformation are included in the Company ' s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007and other reports Reliance Steel et Aluminum Co. has on filewith the Securities and Exchange Commission. Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:09:00 GMT http://life-like-the-flower-of-summer.spoonylife.com/staples-offer-upper-limit-of-fair-price-12764.html office chairs The final $2.7 billion offer for the Dutch stationer Corporate Express was near the upper end of what the Staples believed was a fair price, Tootoo.com has learned from a company insider. Dan Davidowitz, a portfolio manager with Polen Capital Management, which holds about $18 million worth of Staples shares, made the comments upon the announcement of the deal on June 11.If European regulators approve and the deal closes as expected next month, the U.S. firm would also assume about $1.7 billion in Corporate Express' debt, in addition to buying up the company's shares. "We like the deal, especially now that it's friendly, and the companies can move quickly to get it done and integrate," Davidowitz said. Staples shares rose $1.23, or 5.3 percent, to $24.38. American Depositary Shares of Corporate Express rose 38 cents, or 2.7 percent, to $14.38. With a combined 94,000 employees, the company will be bigger than Delray, Florida-based Office Depot Inc. and Naperville, Illinois-based OfficeMax Inc., were those two companies to combine their work forces of 49,000 and 35,000, respectively. The Staples-Corporate Express combination also would exceed the two smaller firms in combined annual revenue, with more than $27 billion $19.4 billion for Staples last year and $8.8 billion for Corporate Express compared with $24.6 billion for Office Depot and OfficeMax. One analyst said an Office Depot-OfficeMax tie-up could eventually be on the horizon as the rivals try to compete against a newly enlarged Staples, which would add Corporate Express' 18,000 employees to its 76,000, and be less reliant on its core retail business. "Office Depot and OfficeMax might someday be thinking about that," said Anthony Chukumba, a U.S. securities analyst with FTN Midwest Securities. With Staples' addition of Corporate Express' business serving large companies that receive office supplies under contract, "Now, suddenly, Office Depot and OfficeMax will have to compete with Staples in the contract business," Chukumba said. Shares of the chief U.S. office products suppliers declined last year as the slumping U.S. economy hurt retail sales. But Staples, with a 14 percent stock decline, didn't do as poorly as its rivals, with Office Depot dropping 64 percent and OfficeMax 59 percent. And while Staples has suffered disappointing U.S. retail sales, the chain of more than 2,000 stores has enjoyed strong international results, and growth in its delivered office products for mostly small and mid-sized businesses. Corporate Express sells only to companies, with a focus on big corporations. The combined company will sell office products in 28 countries, up from Staples' current 22, and give Staples a bigger presence in Europe, as well as entry into Australia and New Zealand. Corporate Express Chief Executive Peter Ventress will head Staples' international operations, which will be headquartered in Amsterdam. Corporate Express said Staples agreed under Wednesday's agreement "that they have no plans to make material reductions to the overall work force." Sargent said Staples faces no specific prohibition limiting job cuts to a certain number in a deal he said would help both companies become more efficient without large cuts. The companies have little operational overlap where job cuts could be made, other than in U.S. contract office supplies, Sargent said. We're not handcuffed at all," he said. Until the deal closes, Sargent said he could not offer predictions on how much in savings the companies expect from pairing up, or when the deal might add to Staples' earnings. Sun, 15 Jun 2008 07:21:00 GMT http://life-like-the-flower-of-summer.spoonylife.com/staples-delivery-business-set-to-benefit-12628.html Office-supply and office furniture retailer Staples Inc.'s acquisition of Dutch office supply retailer Corporate Express will put its North American delivery business on par with the size of its retail business, an executive told Tootoo.com upon the closing of the deal. Staples Chief Operating Officer Mike Miles made the comments, which were webcast, at the PiperJaffray consumer conference in New York. Early Wednesday, Staples said Corporate Express NV accepted its buyout offer of about $2.7 billion - a bid which the US stationer raised three times in a dogged effort to seal the deal. The takeover is expected to be completed in July. Staples North American retail business now has about $10 billion in sales annually, and its North American delivery business - which includes contracts with businesses as well as catalog and web site orders - now has about $6.6 billion in sales. Corporate Express makes about $4 billion in North America delivery sales annually. Staples is the world's largest seller of office supplies due to its strength as a retailer in the U.S. market. Corporate Express is the largest distributor, selling only to companies. "When the deal is done, we will be as big a player in delivery as we are in the retail space in North America," Miles said. Miles said the deal will help Staples by establishing a contract business in Europe and Canada and integrating vendor agreements, sales forces and logistics such as delivery services. The company also plans to save on general and administrative expenses, Miles said. He said integration will take about three years, and said consolidating distribution and sales forces will take longer than other areas. Shares of Staples rose $1.02, or 4.5 percent, to $24.18 during midday trading Sun, 15 Jun 2008 04:10:00 GMT http://life-like-the-flower-of-summer.spoonylife.com/office-depot-us-contracts-investigated-12626.html ballpoint pen Florida's attorney general is investigating Office Depot Inc. for alleged bad business practice in its office supplies contract with state and local agencies. Tootoo.com learns the accusation is that Office Depot bid low but sold high. The state is looking into whether the company offered low-price items in its contract but later sold higher-priced alternatives. The civil inquiry comes on the heels of similar investigations in at least four other states where auditors have questioned the Delray Beach retailer's pricing, citing frequent overcharges for pens, envelopes, scissors and other supplies. "The Office Depot investigation is active and ongoing," said Sandi Copes, spokeswoman for the Florida Attorney General's Office. "We investigate when we believe there may be violations ... particularly when there is a discernible pattern of alleged behavior that would violate the law." Office Depot spokesman Brian Levine said Friday that the company would cooperate with any state agencies if asked. He called the pricing allegations "baseless," citing a "tremendous amount of misinformation." "We work very hard each and every day to ensure that we are fully compliant with our contractual arrangements, and we pride ourselves on our commitment to pricing integrity," Levine wrote in an e-mail. At issue is Office Depot's four-year contract with Florida worth a potential $180 million. There is no guaranteed dollar value in the contract but sales totaled $46 million in 2007, the first year of the agreement, said James Miller, a spokesman for the state Department of Management Services. That includes sales to state offices, cities, counties, airport authorities and other government agencies. The attorney general's inquiry was prompted in part by complaints from a former Office Depot employee who managed government contracts for the retailer for 11 years. David Sherwin of Fort Myers, a self-described whistle-blower who says he was fired in April when he took his concerns to management, has sent information to local, state and federal officials alleging that the retailer has fraudulently overcharged more than 500 government agencies by millions of dollars over the past several years. Sun, 15 Jun 2008 04:09:00 GMT http://life-like-the-flower-of-summer.spoonylife.com/the-us-states-at-center-of-investigation-12625.html office stationery Five US states have brought office supplies contracts with Office Depot Inc. to the attention of their respective State authorities. North Carolina: In May 2007, the state auditor reviewed its contract with Office Depot and found pricing errors. In response, Depot credited the state about $41,000. Georgia: The state canceled its $40 million, 11-month-old contract with Office Depot in February, saying the retailer frequently mispriced items. An analyst hired by independent office products dealers estimated that the state was overcharged by more than $1.2 million; an auditor hired by the state said the errors totaled about $200,000. California: State officials launched an audit in March in response to concerns that the state was overpaying. State legislators questioned company executives last month about the concerns. Nebraska: The state auditor said in April that Office Depot had overcharged by as much as 400 percent on some items. The state is seeking new bids for its office supplies contract. Florida: The attorney general is investigating concerns raised by a former Office Depot employee accusing the company of "bait and switch" in its contract with the state. Sun, 15 Jun 2008 04:08:00 GMT http://life-like-the-flower-of-summer.spoonylife.com/us-recovered-paper-exports-up-25.8-12624.html U.S. recovered paper exports in the first quarter of this year totaled 5.233 million metric tons, up 25.8 percent from a year earlier, Tootoo.com has learned from the U.S. Dept. of Commerce (DOC). These numbers have caused confusion within the paper recycling industry because for months now shipping containers for recovered paper have been in short supply. China's orders continue to be robust. In March recovered paper exports to this country were up year over year by 18.1 percent, to 940,702 metric tons, bringing the year-to-date total to 3.332 million metric tons, up 34.3 percent from a year ago. For the first quarter of this year China represented 63.7 percent of the total market for U.S. recovered paper exports, up from 59.7 percent a year ago. Among the top five markets for U.S. recovered paper, the only one down through the first quarter is Canada, but only by 3.8 percent, to 476,754 metric tons. Turning to old corrugated containers (OCC), U.S. exports of OCC posted an 18 percent year-over-year increase in the first three months of this year and totaled 1.445 million metric tons, reports the DOC. China remains the number one consumer with 737,049 metric tons received from the U.S., up 15.3 percent, or nearly 98,000 metric tons, from first quarter 2007. India remains in second place, with a 30 percent increase in shipments, to 140,261 metric tons. Sun, 15 Jun 2008 04:08:00 GMT http://life-like-the-flower-of-summer.spoonylife.com/nalco-to-increase-paper-chemicals-30-12622.html Nalco Holding Co. Monday said it increase prices of its paper industry chemical products in North America, effective July 1, because of higher energy and raw material costs, tightening availability of some raw materials and rising freight costs. The company said pricing for most Nalco programs will increase by up to 20%. Select programs, including the use of defoamers, gluteraldhyde, phosphate and polyphosphate chemistries, pulp mill surfactants, antiscalants, and pitch control surfactants, will increase 30%. Nalco said it plans to raise prices in other regions of the world. The amount of those increases will reflect local cost growth, the company said. Sun, 15 Jun 2008 04:07:00 GMT http://life-like-the-flower-of-summer.spoonylife.com/paper-maker-insists-prices-must-rise-12619.html Finnish papermaker M-real have blamed recent price rises for its paper products upon rising wood and energy prices, Tootoo.com reports. In a press-release announcing a 10% hike in European prices (below), the paper merchants claimed "price increases are needed to improve profitability." M-real Press Release Profitability in the board and paper industry has been sliding for a number of years. Costs have been rising heavily. The increase has been especially strong in wood and energy prices. At the same time, sales prices have not compensated for the cost escalation despite price increases for some grades. It is clear that price increases are needed to improve profitability. In Finland, where the folding boxboard production units of M-real are located, production costs have risen 20 per cent since 2005, annual cost increase being 6-7 per cent. We have already announced new price increases in the USD and GBP markets. In the Euro markets the needed price increase of folding boxboard is minimum 10 per cent at the first stage. We will revert to the folding boxboard price increases in the near future. M-real has announced a price increase for coated magazine papers between 6-8 per cent depending on product and market, and the implementation is ongoing. For uncoated fine papers prices were increased in April and May. Further actions are under evaluation. The price increase needs are greatest in coated fine papers. M-real plans to increase prices of its coated fine papers by a minimum of EUR 50 per ton. Negotiations are ongoing with customers Sun, 15 Jun 2008 04:06:00 GMT