Seattle, USA. November, 2009. Wood fiber supply to Canadian pulp mills has shifted from lower-cost residual chips from local sawmills to higher-cost wood chips manufactured from roundwood. The low operating rates for many sawmills has decreased the availability of relatively inexpensive residual chips, which has forced many pulp mills to either reduce production or to furnish their mills with high-cost fiber.

Lumber production in Canada has been substantially lower in 2009 as compared to earlier years. However, production levels in both western and eastern Canada are probable close to the bottom, and with the US lumber market predicted to improve in the latter half of 2010, Canadian sawmills are likely to be running at higher operating rates a year from now.

Because lumber production has declined by about 50% over the past three years but pulp production has only fallen by 25%, many pulp mills throughout the country have increasingly had to rely on more expensive chips manufactured from roundwood.

Residual chip prices, in Canadian dollars, have stayed practically unchanged the past three quarters through all provinces of Canada, according to the North American Wood Fiber Review. In British Columbia and Alberta, where softwood residual chip prices are often linked to the market pulp price (NBSK), fiber prices reached bottom this summer and are likely to move up in the 4Q. In the Eastern provinces, wood chip prices have remained flat this year while roundwood costs have declined slightly and were in the 3Q, 5-8% lower than a year ago.

Many Canadian paper companies sell their products into the US market and are therefore competing with the US domestic pulp and paper manufacturers. Pulp mills in Eastern Canada have been at a big disadvantage the past few years, partly because of having substantially higher wood fiber costs. In the 3Q/09, pulp mills in Eastern Canada had approximately 70 percent higher conifer fiber costs than the low-cost region of North America, the US South. As a result, many pulp and paper mills in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces have been forced to reduce production more than other regions of North America the past 12 months.

Pulpwood and wood chip market updates are included in the 24-page publication North American Wood Fiber Review. The report, established in 1982 and with readers in most of the large forest companies in North America, tracks wood chip and pulpwood prices in 15 key markets of the US and Canada.

Contact Information
Wood Resources International LLC
Hakan Ekstrom
info@wri-ltd.com
www.woodprices.com

— WebWireID108040 —

Among the many features of the new Zipbox is a press-to-close zipper on top that allows for easy opening and closing. An airtight seal configuration on the package bottom eliminates the need for an additional liner to maintain product freshness. The zippered pouch folds down after filling for efficient sealing and shipping, and is easily opened when the top flaps are lifted up by the consumer.

The liner-less design also provides for a minimum of 10% additional content, or source reduction, when compared to traditional bag-in-box packaging, and up to 40% in some cases. In addition, the Zipbox's rectangular 'footprint' offers better space efficiency than stand-up pouches and canisters all the way from manufacture to retailer shelves.

According to T.H.E.M. CEO, Neil Kozarsky, 'This unique package responds to the critical need for better cube utilization, allowing more product to be shipped and displayed on the shelf. We're very excited about the possibilities Zipbox offers for numerous products like snack foods, cookies, crackers, cereals and dried fruits. Frozen items are also ideal candidates for Zipbox.' Kozarsky added that non-food items like powdered laundry detergents can also make extensive use of this new form of packaging.

Recent consumer testing of the Zipbox design has proved very positive. People found the packaging to be exceptionally convenient and highly functional. More than 85 percent of the participants cited 'liking' or 'loving' zipper-top packages as a main reason for responding positively to the Zipbox.

Kozarsky stated that he was 'impressed and pleased by the positive response from the research. The consumer's understanding and appreciation for the benefits and advantages of the Zipbox indicates a high degree of acceptance for more effective re-sealable packaging in their cupboards.'

With a proven machinery and material supply team in place, pilot production of the Zipbox is expected to begin in early 2010 within T.H.E.M.'s Marlton, NJ facility.

Zipbox is yet another example of T.H.E.M.'s history of successful package introductions. Most recently, the company was recognized for introducing U.S. audiences to the flexible Stick Pack, a single-serve solution for 'on-the-go' consumers, and an increasingly popular package option for powdered beverage brands. One leading packaging journal acknowledged T.H.E.M. as 'one of the industry's most influential companies' for its role in making Stick Pack a commercial success.

About T.H.E.M. Founded in 1973, Marlton, NJ-based T.H.E.M. has served as the gateway for North American companies to find innovative packaging solutions. By monitoring packaging trends globally, T.H.E.M identifies innovations from all over the world for application in a diverse range of industrial and consumer product companies in North America. For more information, please visit: www.them.net.

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One of Weatherchem's customers, Del Sol Food Company, has won the 2009 Package of the Year award from the Association of Dressings and Sauces (ADS), an international trade association of salad dressing, mayonnaise, mustard and other condiment sauce manufacturers and suppliers. Del Sol Food Company won the award for the unique capabilities and design of its BRIANNAS Dressing package, which was made using Weatherchem's innovative LiquiFlapper® closure.

Jerry Brown, President of Del Sol Food Company, complimented Weatherchem for its contribution to the award-winning package.

'Our search for improved packaging and functionality is continuous,' said Brown. 'The challenges of package aesthetics, process compatibility, environmental impacts, pricing and drip free dispensing were all met by Weatherchem's LiquiFlapper cap.'

The LiquiFlapper closure was designed for pourable products such as salad dressings and sauces. The cap is 10% lighter than competitive squeezable flip-top closures and is produced on energy efficient electric presses, and the one-piece design has a durable hinge, opens easily, and closes with a signature audible 'snap' to signify locked-in freshness. The LiquiFlapper features a unique tear-drop shaped orifice and sharp cut-off lip to provide controlled directional flow of liquids.

'Helping our customers develop excellent consumer packaging is why we're in this business,' said Jennifer Altstadt, President of Weatherchem Corporation. 'It's always a great feeling to help one of our customers win international recognition for one of their packages, and this award is well-deserved. Del Sol Food Company is an innovative, forward-thinking, family-owned salad dressing manufacturer with keen instincts for consumer needs and a rigorous approach to process improvement. Weatherchem salutes them for winning the 2009 Package of the Year award.'

Alstadt also thanked TricorBraun, a global leader in packaging distribution, for their efforts in creating the award-winning package. TricorBraun representatives worked with Del Sol Food Company to develop the overall packaging concept for BRIANNAS Dressing, and first suggested the Weatherchem LiquiFlapper cap as an option to include.

'TricorBraun is one of our partners in delivering packaging solutions to our customers, and we thank them for helping to create this award-winning relationship with Del Sol Food Company,' said Jennifer Altstadt. 'As one of the world's largest packaging distributors, the TricorBraun team knows a good closure product when they see it – and we're pleased that they saw the potential of the LiquiFlapper cap and introduced it to Del Sol Food Company.'

About the Package of the Year Award
The Association of Dressing and Sauces Package of the Year award was announced during the association's annual meeting, held October 10-12, 2009 in Dana Point, California. Past recipients of the Package of the Year award include Kraft Foods pourable salad dressing (2008) and Unilever Foods Hellmann's 'Easy Out!' mayonnaise squeeze bottle (2007). More information is available at http://www.dressings-sauces.org/pressroom_poty.html.

About Del Sol Food Company
Based in Brenham, Texas, the Del Sol Food Company is a family-owned and operated maker of BRIANNAS Salad Dressings, which have developed a reputation over 25 years as some of the world's most popular and sought-after salad dressings. More information is available at http://www.briannassaladdressing.com.

Weatherchem Corporation is an innovative manufacturer and marketer of convenient plastic dispensing closures and controlled access packaging. As the creators of the original Flapper® dispensing closure, Weatherchem now offers one of the industry's most innovative closure product lines. In addition to LiquiFlapper® these include: NutraFlapper®, FlapMate®, Grinder NR, NutraGen II®, and Agricap®. Whether designing or selecting packaging for a new product or revamping the design of an existing product, Weatherchem has the closures that consumers love.

For more information about Weatherchem Corporation, please contact Whitney Swamy in the Marketing Department at 800.680.3412 or e-mail wswamy@weatherchem.com.
Website: www.weatherchem.com

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As part of a technical paper on polyetheramines as polyurea raw materials, Dr. Stephan Goettke, Project Manager New Business Development Polyurea in BASF's Intermediates division, will discuss the product category of polytetrahydrofuranamines. This class of amines developed by BASF enables the production of coatings that are highly elastic and that also exhibit enhanced mechanical properties in contact with water and humidity.

Cees Moorman, Business Team Leader in BASF's polyurethane system house at Boxtel in the Netherlands, will report on the development of a sound-absorbing polyurea coating. He will also explain how polyurea coatings can help to meet new legal requirements in hazardous goods storage facilities.

BASF is a strong partner for formulators and users in the polyurea business. The company offers raw materials as well as ready-made formulations. As a major world supplier of chemical intermediates, BASF has an extensive range of polyetheramines, cycloaliphatic amines and isocyanates. A new cycloaliphatic amine branded Baxxodur® PC136 is especially interesting: This chain extender enables the final properties of the polyurea coating, like high elasticity and resistance to extreme temperatures and loads, to be achieved much faster than with traditional products. Through its polyurethane system houses BASF offers its portfolio of Elastocoat© C branded systems as customized solutions for the most diverse applications, from roof coatings to containment bunds. Along with its specific formulations, the company provides technical support to acquaint first-time users with the new technology.

Diverse applications for polyurea systems

Polyurea systems are used as spray coatings in various industrial applications. For example, the systems lend themselves to the construction of industrial buildings, roads and bridges; to hard landscaping and interior fitting. Unlike other spray coatings, polyurea technology offers the advantage of being able to be applied in humid and low-temperature outdoor conditions. Polyurea coatings cure within a matter of minutes and are particularly resistant to chemicals, high temperatures and mechanical strain. Thanks to their elasticity, they readily bridge cracks and adhere superbly to a wide variety of surfaces.

About BASF Polyurethanes

BASF is the leading supplier of polyurethane basic products, systems and specialties. With its global network of more than thirty polyurethane system houses and its comprehensive product and service portfolio, BASF is the preferred partner of its customers in many industries. In the extremely service-oriented business with polyurethane systems and specialties reliability, experience and competence are in demand. Through its system houses BASF provides fast local support – from technical service and sales to marketing – during the development of customized solutions. With its world-scale plants BASF secures its leading market position in the manufacture of polyurethane basic products in all regions of the world. Polyurethanes make life more comfortable, safer and more pleasant – and they help to save energy sustainably. They contribute towards an improved insulation of buildings and a more attractive and more light-weight design of cars. The manufacturers of shoe soles, mattresses and household as well as sports equipment use the manifold opportunities and advantages of this special plastics material together with the knowledge and expertise of the polyurethane experts of BASF world-wide.

About the Intermediates division

The BASF Group's Intermediates division develops, produces and markets around the world a comprehensive portfolio of more than 600 intermediates. The most important of the division's product groups include amines, diols, polyalcohols, acids and specialties. Among other applications, intermediates are used as starting materials for coatings, plastics, pharmaceuticals, textile fibers, detergents and crop protectants. Innovative intermediates from BASF help to improve the properties of final products and the efficiency of production processes. The ISO 9001:2000-certified Intermediates division operates plants at production sites in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Around the globe, 2,655 employees of the division generated sales of about €2.5 billion to third parties in 2008. For more information, go to http://www.basf.de/intermediates .

About BASF

BASF is the world's leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals and oil and gas. As a reliable partner BASF helps its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of more than €62 billion in 2008 and had approximately 97,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

— WebWireID107011 —

Seattle, USA. October 2009. Global trade of wood chips has increased on average four percent per year from 2004 to 2008 reaching a record 32 million tons last year. This upward trend was broken in 2009 with trade being down 26% during the first half of the year as compared to 2008. The drop in shipments was the direct result of the global financial crises and the reduced demand for paper products worldwide.

This year, only an estimated 25 million tons of wood chips will be shipped worldwide, which is the lowest volume since 2002. Japanese pulp mills are still the major destination for the world's chips vessels; the country imported 53% of globally traded hardwood chips and 15% of softwood chips. Other countries in Asia, including China, Taiwan and South Korea, accounted for 12% of global imports, while the Nordic Countries have imported 14% of traded chips this year.

The biggest plunge in shipments has been that of wood chips to Japan. During the first six months, the country imported 34% less chips than the same period last year, with the biggest decline being that of softwood chips. Practically all major importing countries have reduced their purchases this year. The only countries that have increased their reliance on imported wood fiber are Turkey (softwood), China (hardwood), Sweden (hardwood) and Portugal (hardwood).

The countries that have reduced exports the most in 2009 are Australia, South Africa, Vietnam and Uruguay. Australia, the world's largest exporter, has reduced shipments from 3.1 million tons the 1H last year to 2.3 million tons during the same period this year, reports the market report the Wood Resource Quarterly. Uruguay has cut back exports 65% this year, while shipments from South Africa have declined 40%. With pulp production slowly increasing this fall and energy companies in Europe searching for additional sources of woody biomass, it is likely that trade with wood chips will increase in the coming year.

On March 16-17, 2010, the 4th Global Wood Fiber Conference: Trade in Wood chips and Biomass will take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The conference will focus on developments in woodchip markets worldwide, European demand for pellets and biomass chips, outlook for plantation wood chip supply, ocean freight costs and wood chip price trends.

Following the conference, there will be a two-day field trip to visit forest plantations and chip export facilities. For more information, please go to www.pulpwoodconference.com

Contact Information
Wood Resources International LLC
Hakan Ekstrom
info@wri-ltd.com
www.woodprices.com

— WebWireID106598 —

In accordance with the revised strategy, Ahlstrom's operations will be based on two distinct business models resulting from different competitive situations, market growth potential and possibilities to differentiate in various product lines. The first business model is based on providing customers with added value products and the second on operational excellence.

The value-added business will be the company's primary growth engine, developing through organic growth and possibly by making small acquisitions. Innovative new products that help Ahlstrom's customers become more competitive will create the foundation of success. The cluster will include the Fiber Composites segment's Advanced Nonwovens and Glass & Industrial Nonwovens business areas as well as the transportation and liquid filtration media in the Filtration business area.. It will also include crepe papers and vegetable parchment from the Technical Papers business area of the Specialty Papers segment.

The operational excellence business will be key to support the growth of the company. The main focus will be to develop cost effective products serving customer needs, through for instance, alternative raw materials or new technological solutions. The cluster covers the Release & Label Papers business area and the majority of the Technical Papers business area in the Specialty Papers segment. In the Fiber Composites segment, it will include the Home & Personal Nonwovens business area and air filtration media in the Filtration business area.

The long-term target of the strategy is to strengthen Ahlstrom's competitive position and generate returns that are in line with the company's financial targets. One of the most important indicators is return on capital employed (ROCE), which should reach its target level of 13%. In January-September ROCE was 1.5% and in July-September 4.8%. Measures to reach these targets will be continued with regard to the product lines and units falling below the target level.

Ahlstrom in brief
Ahlstrom is a global leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of high performance nonwovens and specialty papers. Ahlstrom´s products are used in a large variety of everyday applications, such as filters, wipes, flooring, labels, and tapes. Based upon its unique fiber expertise and innovative approach, the company has a strong market position in several business areas in which it operates. Ahlstrom's 6,000 employees serve customers via sales offices and production facilities in more than 20 countries on six continents. In 2008, Ahlstrom's net sales amounted to EUR 1.8 billion. Ahlstrom's share is quoted on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. The company website is at www.ahlstrom.com.

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Rochester, NY, Committed to ongoing innovation in package printing, Kodak introduces a new addition to the KODAK FLEXCEL NX Digital Flexographic System that enables significantly smoother and more consistent transfer of ink on press. The application of new KODAK DIGICAP NX Screening to the entire image area allows printers to produce KODAK FLEXCEL NX Digital Flexographic Plates that improve print quality throughout the full tonal range and expand the achievable color gamut. Users can now enjoy stronger colors and outstanding visual appearance in solid areas, in addition to the fine highlight detail and print consistency delivered by the award-winning KODAK FLEXCEL NX System.

This new feature, applied in the KODAK TIFF Front End Software, utilizes the unique high resolution capabilities of KODAK SQUARESPOT Imaging Technology and the 1:1 reproduction capabilities of the FLEXCEL NX System to create micro-texturization of the printing surface. The resulting improvements in ink transfer deliver enhanced print quality, as well as production efficiencies, allowing flexo platemakers to more easily mix areas of solids and halftones on the same plate. Additionally, the new feature helps to reduce set-up time on press with plates that come to color more quickly.

'Extensive trials in the flexible packaging market have yielded excellent results. Customers have been delighted with the gravure-like appearance of the solid areas and amazed that they can now enjoy higher ink densities while still maintaining the finest highlight detail,' said Emma Schlotthauer, Global Marketing Manager for Flexo Plates, Kodak. 'One user commented that, in their opinion, they were witnessing the biggest step forward in wide web flexo in the last 10 years.'

Kodak has been recognized numerous times by the flexographic industry for its technical innovation. The FLEXCEL NX System was named this year as the sole recipient of the 2009 Flexographic Technical Association Technical Innovation Award. It also received the 2008 PIA/GATF InterTech Technology Award and the Flexographic Pre-Press Platemakers Association Technology Innovator of the Year Award.

Designed to dramatically enhance the quality and efficiency of flexographic printing for applications such as tags and labels, folding cartons, and flexible packages, the FLEXCEL NX System enables offset class, gravure quality results for packaging printers and their brand owner clients, as well as improved productivity, and unprecedented simplicity and predictability on press.

"The beauty of this new development is that it builds upon the core benefits of the 1:1 image reproduction and flat top dot structure that characterize the KODAK FLEXCEL NX System,' noted Schlotthauer. 'Users of the new feature are reporting plate, ink and substrate savings, with printed results that are impressing clients and helping to drive new business.'

KODAK Products are backed by KODAK Service and Support. KODAK Service and Support is made up of more than 3,000 professionals reaching more than 120 countries. It is a leading multi-vendor integrated services provider, delivering consulting, installation, maintenance and support services for the commercial printing, graphic communications, document imaging and data storage industries. KODAK Service and Support professionals are uniquely qualified to provide services that control costs, maximize productivity, and minimize business risk.
About Kodak

As the world's foremost imaging innovator, Kodak helps consumers, businesses, and creative professionals unleash the power of pictures and printing to enrich their lives.

To learn more, visit http://www.kodak.com and follow our blogs and more at http://www.kodak.com/go/followus.

More than 75 million people worldwide manage, share and create photo gifts online at KODAK Gallery—join today at www.kodakgallery.com

In the graphic communications market, Kodak offers the broadest portfolio of integrated solutions to help customers grow their business. For more information, visit www.graphics.kodak.com. For downloading photos and videos from Kodak's image library, visit www.kodak.com/go/gcimages.

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