Smurfit-Stone Container

CHICAGO--Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. has announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell all of the assets of its consumer packaging segment to a company formed by Texas Pacific Group (“TPG”) for approximately $1.04 billion in cash. Texas Pacific Group has arranged fully committed financing for the transaction, which the parties expect to complete by the end of the second quarter. The businesses to be sold employ approximately 6,600 employees and include: * Four coated recycled boxboard mills; and * 39 consumer packaging converting operations in the United States including folding carton, multiwall and specialty bag, flexible packaging, label, contract packaging and lamination businesses; and *

THE SHEER SIZE and impeccable registration of the Domaine Chandon Brut corrugated preprint entry captured the attention of the 2003 Excellence Awards judges and this year's Best of Show prize. The package, produced by Inland Paperboard and Packaging, stands 75˝ tall with six panels printed across the web—a difficult undertaking, remarked Cordes Porcher of Smurfit-Stone Container and a 2003 Excellence Awards judge. "The registration across the web is very consistent," Porcher said, "and the size of the repeat is very large. As a result, the job was very difficult." Excellence Awards judge Roy Webb of Mark Andy added, "Because of the big sheet it

Inland Paperboard and Packaging's Domaine Chandon Blanc de Noirs stood its ground in pP's 16th Annual Excellence Awards competition, notching out a first place and Best of Show. THE PACKAGING FOR Domaine Chandon Blanc de Noirs goes to show that sometimes, bigger is better. Standing at about 75˝ tall, Inland Paperboard and Packaging (a Temple-Inland Co.) designed this display packaging to draw on the wine's deep colors and unique style. Like many of this year's entries, the Chandon package stood out as one of the industry's best. "Considering the size and complexity of this job, the printer held amazing register," commented Excellence Awards

Though some negative factors are afoot, carton converters continue to eke out profits. by Susan Friedman, Editor The slowing economy, coupled with board price pressures and rising energy costs, have prompted many bigger players in the folding carton market--Caraustar, International Paper, and Mead among them--to issue decreased end-of-2000 earnings projections in recent months. In December, Mead revised its fourth quarter earnings estimates for its paper and containerboard businesses due in part to unfavorable pricing conditions, and announced its Packaging Division had been negatively affected by soft market conditions and weak foreign currency. International Paper's revised projections announcement cited energy costs, particularly natural gas

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