Coated paper shipments make a strong start to the year;freesheet,mechanical operations show diverging trend

摘要

Coated paper shipments started 2006 strongly in North America with a 5.7% increase in freesheet volumes and an 8.2% gain for mechanical grades in January,according to the Pulp and Paper Products Council.But the coated markets diverged when it came to demand and operating rates.Demand for coated mechanical in January rose 7.1% while coated freesheet demand rose only 1.8%.Also coated mechanical mills operated at 93% efficiency,while coated freesheet operating rates were merely 84%.