Packaging firm’s summary for November-to-January quarter includes reference to high OCC prices.
United Kingdom-based packaging and containerboard producer DS Smith PLC says its financial quarter that concluded Jan. 31 witnessed “continued momentum [with] good progress in profitability and cash generation.”
In a “trading update” released March 10, the company says the three-month period covering November, December and January was marked by “volume growth and continuing packaging price increases [that] have more than offset ongoing input cost increases with overall trading in line with our expectations.”
The company says its good cardboard box volume growth was “driven by fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) customers.” DS Smith said it experienced “above-average growth with our larger customers and good momentum behind more sustainable packaging solutions.”
Miles Roberts, group chief executive of the global company, remarks, “We have been shocked and appalled by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and I am very proud of the level of support, focus and performance of everyone who works at DS Smith.”
The company says its “only involvement in these countries is a minority investment in a Ukrainian business, which serves customers predominantly in Ukraine with limited sales in Russia. Production in these operations is currently suspended.”
Within Europe, DS Smith adds, its Eastern region “has been our fastest growing, reflecting business mix and relative growth rates in the comparative period.”
The company says it also is experiencing “continued strong growth in North America has been driven by increased customer demand driving greater utilization of our Indiana plant.”
The company’s fiscal year ends April 30, 2022, and DS Smith states, “We expect mid-single-digit percentage like-for-like volume growth for the year to April 30, 2022.”
Regarding increased input costs, DS Smith points to energy and labor costs that continued to increase, and adds that “OCC (old corrugated containers) prices remain high, reflecting ongoing strong demand levels.”
DS Smith says its costs are being “recovered through increased packaging pricing” and it has access to OCC and other recovered fiber grades thanks to “long-term supplier relationships [that] have ensured security of paper supply throughout the year.”
Adds Roberts, “Despite the increasing macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty, the outlook for the year remains unchanged by recent events with the second half of the year continuing to show good momentum. Our geographic footprint, secure supply chain and customer offering focused on innovative sustainable packaging solutions remains compelling to our resilient customer base of FMCG multinational companies and has driven continued good volume growth, despite the strong comparatives.”
He concludes, “We have successfully managed the inflationary cost pressures experienced in the market, and this, together with raising packaging prices and growing volumes, is driving the anticipated increased profitability and cash generation. The structural growth trends for corrugated packaging are stronger than ever, and we have strategically positioned the business well to capture these drivers, underpinning our confidence in progress for the remainder of the period and into our next financial year.”
Winning poster focuses on tire processing and recycling.
The Washington-based Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) and its affiliated JASON Learning project have announced the winners of the 2021-2022 Youth Recycling Video and Poster contest. Contestants in grades K-12 submitted original posters or videos designed to communicate one central theme: Recycling can make a positive impact on climate challenges.
Mark Monteleone and Joei Tarrazi, high school seniors from Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) in Highlands, New Jersey, are this year’s poster winners. Monteleone and Tarrazi focused their entry on how rising sea levels affected their coastal New Jersey community and how recycling rubber tires can be a solution.
The poster identifies the problem and provides steps local residents can take, such as donating old tires to local manufacturers or processing the tires into a gravel substitute, wastewater treatment filter or garden mulch.
Ani Nishanian and Namira Meghla, fifth-graders from Willow Springs Elementary School in Fairfax County, Virginia, were awarded this year’s winning video entry. The winning video was designed to inform young people about the growing problem of climate change, the importance of recycling, and actions citizens can take in their own communities.
“This year’s entries for our Youth Recycling Awareness contest were outstanding, but the four winners went above and beyond to reinforce the essential message of recycling,” says ISRI President Robin Wiener. “They creatively combined STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] education with imagination to identify problems and craft solutions. Congratulations to our four winners on a great job.”
“Beyond educating the future generation on recyclable materials and best practices, the Recycling Video and Poster contest helps students develop foundational STEM skills and empowers them to be environmental stewards,” says Dr. Eleanor Smalley, president and CEO of JASON Learning. “Fun efforts like these help introduce kids to STEM skills utilized in environmental careers and inspire them to be lifelong recyclers.”
ISRI partners with JASON Learning annually on the video and poster contest for grades K-12 that features recycling-related themes. Winners will receive their awards on March 24 as part of the ISRI2022 Convention and Exposition in Las Vegas.
U.S. government statistics show overseas buyers remained in the market for aluminum, copper and ferrous scrap.
Scrap traders may have encountered additional inspection systems and quality requirements in recent years, but trade figures continue to demonstrate that nations with fast-growing economies continue to pursue scrap metal generated in the United States.
U.S. status as a scrap surplus nation means data gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau and aggregated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) portray that ports remain open to receive inbound scrap metal.
Those figures show the U.S. sent out some 2.1 million metric tons of aluminum scrap to other nations last year. Malaysia (which has recently enacted a scrap inspection system and new quality standards) was the No. 1 buyer of U.S. aluminum scrap, accepting 520,000 metric tons, or nearly 25 percent of outbound scrap.
The other major buyers of outbound U.S. aluminum scrap were India, 442,000 metric tons; South Korea, 284,000 metric tons; China (now including Hong Kong), 220,000 metric tons; Mexico, 167,000 metric tons; and Canada, 99,200 metric tons.
Ferrous scrap is the volume leader among scrap metals, a status upheld by the 17.9 million metric tons that flowed from the U.S. to overseas destinations last year. There is some crossover with aluminum in terms of leading buyers but also some different cast members.
In 2021, the leading overseas destinations for U.S. ferrous scrap were Turkey, 3.47 million metric tons; Mexico, 3.10 million metric tons; Malaysia, 1.45 million metric tons; Vietnam, 1.44 million metric tons; Taiwan, 1.42 million metric tons; and Bangladesh, 1.36 million metric tons.
Finally, high-value copper-bearing scrap in 2021 traveled many of the same routes. In the first 10 months of 2021, the most recent figures compiled by USGS, the largest buyers of U.S. copper-bearing scrap were China and Hong Kong, 216,700 metric tons; Malaysia, 134,210 metric tons; Canada, 97,600 metric tons; South Korea, 53,700 metric tons; and India, 41,880 metric tons.
Wisconsin-based U.S. Gain will supply renewable natural gas to Southern California county’s waste and recycling fleet.
Appleton, Wisconsin-based U.S. Gain says it has entered into a supply agreement, after a competitive bidding process, with the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD). U.S. Gain will provide what it calls renewable natural gas (RNG) to fuel LACSD-owned fleet vehicles at two maintenance yards.
As part of its sustainability goals, LACSD received a Carl Moyer Program grant in partnership with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and South Coast Air Quality Management District to work toward guidelines for reduced air pollution. As part of the grant, LACSD solicited proposals to help support its emission reduction goal, improve fleet operations and find alternative solutions for fleet fueling.
“LACSD is very appreciative of the Carl Moyer grants received from the South Coast Air Quality Management District,” says Dave Bolderoff, LACSD’s fleet manager. “These grants have helped our agency replace older vehicles and engines with newer, cleaner-burning equipment and install alternative fuel infrastructure, thus helping us further fulfill our mission of protecting public health and the environment.”
A condition of this grant was finding a supplier that had RNG ready within a short time frame. U.S. Gain, which describes itself as a leader in the development and distribution of alternative fuel and renewable thermal energy, says its ability to supply fuel immediately “was a differentiator.”
“Demand for RNG continues to skyrocket within the California transportation market, serving as an affordable, clean solution that supports immediate emission reduction goals,” says Scott Hanstedt, U.S. Gain’s director of sales. “Our vertical integration and ability for expedited turnaround allowed us to act quickly and provide RNG on day one to comply with the grant requirements.”
LACSD describes itself as a public agency focused on converting waste into resources like recycled materials, recycled water and energy. The agency consists of 24 districts serving about 5.6 million people in Los Angeles County.
U.S. Gain says it develops renewable natural gas at farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants and is building out “a platform of alternative fuel solutions that enable the polyfuel future [that] fleets demand.
The company says its Allison 3000 RDS transmission offers greater versatility for customers in 4x2 refuse, tank and dumping applications.
Mack Trucks, Greensboro, North Carolina, has announced the launch of the Allison 3000 RDS transmission for the Mack MD Series models. The company made the announcement during the 2022 Work Truck Show, March 8-11, at the Indiana Convention Center.
According to a news release from Mack, the transmission adds more options for applications that require more power but are best suited for medium-duty vehicles.
“Mack is pleased to now offer the Allison 3000 transmission as an option,” says Dayle Wetherell, vice president of medium-duty sales at Mack. “The transmission enables customers to haul more payload and utilize a live power takeoff (PTO), both of which are critical for our customers desiring a medium-duty vehicle that can handle demanding applications.”
The company says the Allison 3000 RDS transmission offers greater versatility for customers in 4x2 refuse, tank and dump applications. The MD Series equipped with an Allison 3000 RDS transmission is approved at a 33,000-pound gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) for refuse and recycling applications, allowing the Mack MD to haul more. The Allison 3000 also allows for a live power PTO for MD Series tanker trucks delivering heating oil, water, fuel and propane and dump trucks, enabling the vehicle to move while using the PTO at the same time.
“The ability to have a direct-drive PTO is extremely important for some of Mack’s medium-duty customers because they can lift and lower a dump body while driving without worrying about what gear the truck is in,” says Tim Wrinkle, construction product manager at Mack. “It’s also important for snowplows and salt spreaders that need to work at the same time.”
The Allison 3000 RDS also offers a higher gross combination weight rating (GCWR), allowing customers to drive the Mack MD Series model and pull utility trailers with small excavators. The Mack MD Series equipped with an Allison 3000 RDS will have a GCWR of 45,000 pounds.
The Mack MD Series can be specified to be a Class 6 with a GVWR of 25,995 pounds and a Class 7, with a GVWR of 33,000 pounds. With the MD Series, Mack now offers a lineup of vehicles from Class 6 to 8. Both MD Series models are exempt from the 12 percent federal excise tax.
The MD Series meets a wide variety of needs for medium-duty trucking applications, including dry van/refrigerated, stake/flatbed, dump and tank truck vocations. The Class 6 model does not require a commercial driver’s license to operate for nonhazardous payloads.
Customers interested in the Mack MD Series can visit Mack booth No. 3523 at the Work Truck Show in the Indiana Convention Center, their local Mack dealer or click here.