International Paper to lay off 650 employees
International Paper intends to lay off 650 employees, the company confirmed Wednesday.
About 400 of the layoffs will be employees based in Memphis, Tennessee, where IP’s corporate headquarters is located. And 89 people will be laid off as of Nov. 18 at a corrugated sheet plant in San Antonio, according to a WARN notice filed with the state of Texas on Oct. 10. That facility will close, according to the San Antonio Express-News. IP did not comment on where the other layoffs would occur or if any other facilities would close. READ MORE.
As companies work toward meeting regulatory requirements for sustainable packaging, they will significantly increase usage of post-consumer resin, compostable materials and certified recycled paperboard, an industry analyst said at Pack Expo International this week in Chicago.
And although plastic remains the dominant material, bio-based and compostable options are expanding, especially in the food, beverage and personal care sectors, said Rebecca Marquez, director of custom research at the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, which produces the annual event and still goes by an earlier acronym, PMMI. The expo runs Nov. 3-6 with an expected 45,000 attendees. READ MORE.
4 manufacturing issues to watch under a new Trump administration
In the wake of former President Donald Trump’s reelection last week, industry leaders across the country are preparing for what changes the new administration could bring.
During his campaign, Trump talked frequently of his plan to raise tariffs across the board as a way to boost U.S. manufacturing. READ MORE.
Sylvamo and International Paper end Georgetown mill supply agreement
Sylvamo and International Paper are mutually terminating a supply agreement for uncoated freesheet, bristols and specialty papers at the Georgetown, South Carolina, mill. The agreement will terminate Dec. 31, 2024.
“Looking ahead, we are confident in our future and our strategy to grow earnings and cash flow by continuing to invest in high-return projects in our mills and processes.”
Sylvamo is successfully transitioning many paper grades from Georgetown to its Ticonderoga, New York, and Eastover, South Carolina, mills to continue supplying customers. International Paper has announced plans to discontinue operations at the Georgetown mill. READ MORE.
FTC appeals Texas noncompete ban decision to 5th Circuit
The Federal Trade Commission on Friday asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review a Texas district court’s decision setting aside its ban on noncompete agreements in employment contracts.
Judge Ada Brown issued the decision in Ryan, LLC v. Federal Trade Commission in August, holding that FTC’s ban violated the Administrative Procedure Act and exceeded the commission’s statutory authority. Specifically, Brown said the statute gives it some authority to issue rules to preclude unfair competition methods but that FTC lacked the authority to create substantive rules like the noncompete ban.
It’s the second such appeal for FTC, which last month appealed a Florida district judge’s decision enjoining the ban. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, one of the plaintiffs named in the Ryan suit, did not respond to a request for comment. READ MORE.
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