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A market overview of the Eastern European disposable paper products industry is provided including sectored market size and per capital expenditure along with other information.

A study was conducted to analyze global paper consumption and the effects of electronic information media from the perspectives of information science and the paper industry. A number of major market segments for printing and writing papers were examined to determine the influence of information technology. Results indicated that paper has never been the best medium for different types of data and information. Findings also showed that environmental issues will significantly affect competition between different information media.

The business managers of the Milwaukee Sentinel and Milwaukee Journal have decided to merge the two newspapers, creating anxiety as well as excitement in the newsrooms. About 200 full-time employees will be laid off during the merger, and management and editorial boards will be reduced. In addition, many jobs will be reassigned and titles will be changed. Senior management is excited about the chance to create a new paper, and marketers believe that advertisers will be happy with the new format and rates.

The disposable paper products market in the Benelux countries, comprising of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, is expected to remain stable in real value terms over the five years to 2002. The Benelux retal disposable paper products market was valued at $1,401 mil in current terms in 1997, a decrease of 6.2% in value against 1996. Market maturity will deter striking relative breakthroughs or decreases at the sector level.

Patti Judd, B. Martin Pedersen, and Bob Salt created a classification system that should simplify the task of artists and designers finding the kind of paper they need for their projects. The Graphis Paper Specifier (GPS) system is comprised of four groups of binders arranged according to general paper types and containing representative sheets for each brand of paper. By the end of 1995, the GPS had ten volumes containing 2000 sample sheets from 39 US paper mills. It is to be regularly updated as more mills agree to participate, and costs $195.

The Spanish market for disposable paper products, comprised of tissues, personal products, and household towels, has experienced value growth due to increased costs of pulp paper. However, demand for disposable diapers has declined due to a low birth rate. Market value was reported at 169,422 million pesetas in 1997, signalling an 18.5% nominal increase in market value. The market is dominated by the personal sector, composed of disposable diapers, feminine hygiene products, and wipes, with a 50.8% market share in 1997.

The Italian retail market for disposable paper products between 1993 and 1997 is dominated by the personal sector, getting a 48.3% of overall value sales in 1997, at L2,329 bil. The overall value sales of the entire industry in 1997 reached L4,823.6 bil, up 2.6% from that in 1996. procter and Gamble and Kimberly-clark dominate the manufacturing sector with market shares of 34.4% and 20.2% in value terms in 1997, respectively. Supermarkets and hypermarkets are the most important retail distribution outlets for the products.

Technical variety in the paper and pulp industry offer four analytical perspectives. One attests that the high standards usually associated with the Finnish industry is not evident in the p & p industry of Sweden and Finland. Also, the innovation process involved behind the Thermopulp technology cannot be considered an industry-wide movement. Another view pertains to the incorporation of old and new technologies to more advanced systems in the installation project in Braviken. Lastly, it has been shown that the industry is geared towards drastic technology changes.

A study is conducted to examine how common stock price is affected by the placement of a company's commercial paper on Standard and Poor's (S&P) CreditWatch list, its removal from the list, and S&P rerating of the paper. Placement on the CreditWatch list means that S&P is reconsidering the rating of a security, while removal from the list means that the rerating process has been completed. The review process may result in a lower rating, a higher rating or an unchanged rating. The findings of the study suggest that financial markets obtain information from CreditWatch placements and S&P reratings. It is found that negative placements on the list and rating reductions result in a statistically negative stock price reaction.

The slow growth of the European disposable paper products market can be attributed to demographics and the relative saturation of the market. Growth in the sector is achieved through product differentiation, where improvements in absorption and comfort. Raw materials price fluctuations were responsible for the low value growth, with the UK posting a 2.3% value growth and 4.5% for the Spanish market. Sales is led by the sanitary products sector followed by disposable diapers.

A study is conducted to examine the costs, benefits and strategic value of the redistribution function in the industrial paper and plastics industry. Specifically, the study seeks to find out what the value-added of the redistribution channel is, how distributors should source their products, how manufacturing companies can use their channel management policies to boost their profits, and how inventory and stock control policies impact the aforementioned issues. Results offer an economic justification for the role of redistributor in the industrial paper and plastics industry. The existence of middlemen in the distribution system is found to be advantageous for all players in the industry. They boost the inventory turns of distributors and allow manufacturers to cater to small distributors. Without redistributors, the costs of distributors would soar.

Supercritical CO2 and propane solvent extraction techniques remove contaminants, such as dioxins and stickies, from recycled paper fibers. The supercritical CO2-induced inactivation of common yeast and mold spores may cost just a few pennies per pound of recycled fiber. Fire hazards associated with CO2-based solvent extraction are less as compared with those in the method using propane. However, supercritical propane allows batch processes to run at lower pressures. The practical use of these methods involves an investigation into their ability to inactivate spiked pathogens.

Paste papers and marbled papers are two types of decorative papers used extensively by graphic and textile designers in calendars, photo backdrops, pillow cases and table cloths. Handmade and hand-decorated papers vary in texture and pattern. Paste and marbled papers display original artwork more cost effectively than photographs or illustrations. Handmade paper is preferred over machine-made paper due to its high acid resistivity and durability.

Research and development (R&D) within the pulp and paper industry of Finland and the US are compared. Chemical and equipment industries are major forces behind Finnish pulp and paper R&D. Contract research is declining because of financial instability within the industry. US pulp and paper R&D is more heavily influenced by environmental constraints than Finnish R&D. Developing technology is an important element in maintaining a competitive edge.

VANCOUVER-BASED Macmillan-Bloedel reached a definitive agreement to sell its MB Paper Ltd. subsidiary for $850 million, Canadian, (U.S. $593.6 million) to an investment group led by Goepel McDermid Inc., also [...]

The recycling of paper is not an environmentally-perfect process, but it does make sense, simply from a landfill capacity standpoint if nothing else. In addition, recycling is a cleaner process than making paper from timber. These and other recycling considerations are discussed.