Overview of the hottest light coated paper Market

Overview of light coated paper market (Part 1)

LWC paper and market demand are always growing, partly due to the competition of varieties, changes in market conditions and progress in technology. When manufacturers try to provide good services to the market and enter the market in the most appropriate way, the output, quality and cost reduction are regarded by manufacturers as the premise to achieve the goal. LWC paper market competition has become increasingly fierce, because coated paper without wood pulp and uncoated paper with high added value also participate in the competition. The continuous demand for improving product performance and reducing costs has driven the development of light coated paper market. In today's mature industry, it is crucial for light coated paper manufacturers to be faster, better and more reasonable

at present, paper mills prefer to produce paper of equivalent quality at a lower cost. Large machines with high speed, new paper varieties, spraying, industrial alliances, strategic alliances, waterless printing, sales networks, fiber supply, Internet surfing, new currencies, brand sales, a large number of rules and regulations, and even the debate of paperless society all exist in this mature industrial society. Now it is an era of accelerating the pace for the coated paper industry, especially for light coated paper which belongs to daily necessities

the definition of light coated paper is a little vague, but in a broad sense, coated paper containing ground wood pulp, including No.4 and No.5 (generally containing at least 10% of ground wood pulp). Generally, the coating amount accounts for 30% of the whole paper weight. In addition to the lower ration, the lower coating amount, lower adhesive dosage and more starch in the formula make the light coating more competitive than other paper types

this paper briefly reviews the light coated paper market and discusses some major trends in the light coated paper market. That is, mergers and acquisitions, downscaling, the adoption of new pigments, new coating methods, new finishing methods and the development of varieties. In order to achieve the aforementioned competitiveness, companies have carried out global cooperation, but the pace is difficult and slow. In order to speed up the mailing speed and obtain higher income, the quantity of coated paper is reduced to some extent, but at the same time, the base paper and coating are affected. The amount of adhesive used in gravure paper and offset paper has also been reduced. Other trends include changes in the pigment system (such as new special pigments, talc powder and increased CaCO3 consumption). In terms of production technology, advanced coaters and finishing equipment make the paper machine bigger and faster. In short, the light coated paper market is under double pressure from No.3 paper (low-cost coated paper without ground wood pulp) and uncoated paper with ground wood pulp (its price is lower). With the development of varieties, the difference between paper varieties has become less and less obvious. The quality of light coated paper mainly depends on the base paper, which makes it more vulnerable in the increasingly competitive market

I. light coated paper market

from 1993 to 2010, the annual growth rate of global paper demand is expected to be 2.8%. In 1998, the global demand for light coated paper increased by 3.3%, while that for coated paper without wood pulp increased by 5.8%. In 1996, the global demand and production capacity of light coated paper were 1.35 million tons and 1.5 million tons respectively. North America, Western Europe and Japan account for about 90% of the global consumption of light coated paper. In Western Europe, the demand for light coated paper greatly exceeds its production capacity, followed by North America, Japan and some other countries. In 1996, Finland had the strongest production capacity in terms of printing paper containing ground wood pulp. The production capacity of manufacturers with an annual output of more than 200000 tons accounted for 51% of the total production capacity (while the United States accounted for only 16%)

5 largest exporters of coated paper containing ground wood pulp, whose export volume accounts for 41% of the global demand. The United States imports more coated paper containing ground wood pulp and has increased. The production of coated paper containing ground wood pulp in the United States is expected to reach 4.5 million tons by 2001. In North America, light coated paper is mainly used for magazines (55%), catalogues (30%), and tickets (7%). By 2010, the consumption of magazines will remain stable and the catalogue is expected to increase, due to the reduction of leisure time for adults, the development of new markets and the introduction of new products (such as computer communication technology). However, due to the reduction of other better products and the quantitative reduction of paper, the consumption of ticket paper is expected to decrease

by 2002, it is expected that the demand of No.5 paper in the United States will account for the largest part. No.5 paper accounts for about 40% of the coated paper produced, of which No.5 paper with a quantitative weight of pounds/ream accounts for more than 80% of the coated paper containing ground wood pulp. Most papers are glossy finished and printed in roll form.

II. Trend of light coated paper

1. Mergers and acquisitions

as mentioned above, although coated paper continues to grow globally, meager profits are an issue to be considered by all papermaking parties. In the past 10 years, only two pulp and paper companies have exceeded the average level of the stock market. Today efficiency is the name of this competition. In order to make profits, coated paper mills are giving up non core assets, limiting the consumption of funds, and working together to achieve economies of scale. Global integration has become very popular. For example, manufacturers are considering complementary capabilities, raw material supply, financial benefits, basic integration of consumers, rapid delivery, and three different types of new displacement sensors? HRA: when the hardness obtained by 60kg load and diamond cone indenter must be verified respectively, and the specified technical indicators must be reached respectively to meet the requirements of the new regulations for high temperature creep extensometer, the development cycle of products and other factors, efforts should be made to improve economic benefits. From 1975 to 1994, 100 companies in the global forest products industry implemented mergers and acquisitions

in, the average number of sales, mergers and acquisitions was, while in, the mergers and acquisitions of global paper forest products reached US $80billion. In North America, the 15 largest paper companies invested $2.7 billion in reconstruction in 1977 and only $644million in 1996. The trend of mergers certainly brings cost pressure to smaller manufacturers. Industrial consolidation is emerging not only in paper mills, but also in printing and ink mills

the merger has led to the emergence of super manufacturers in the European pulp and paper industry. For example, seven of the top 20 manufacturers in 1994 were European companies, while only two in 1986. The largest company in Europe is growing much faster than that in North America. From 1990 to 1996, the shares of the top 10 manufacturers in Western Europe increased by 30%, while those in North America increased very little

there are two forms of merger in paper companies. The merger of paper companies can enable them to provide a complete range of paper types, or specialize in the production of designated paper types or several major paper types to enhance their competitiveness. Although this trend is mostly seen only in the high-end paper and paper market, the merger of light coated paper manufacturers has also begun and is expected to continue

2. Quantitative reduction

quantitative reduction is a global trend. If the quality of paper remains stable, such as there is no difference in hand feel, then reducing the quantity can obtain higher benefits (or a larger surface area per ton of paper). In North America, the quantitative trend tended to decrease from 1973 to 1983, while in Europe, this phenomenon appeared earlier. Due to the different cost structure of fiber and the difference in quality requirements for paper, it is more and more important to reduce the quantity in Europe. Before 1982, the market price of coniferous wood in Europe was higher than that in North America. At the same time, in 1983, Europe reduced the average quantity of light coated paper. In 1993, the price of coniferous forests in North America was higher than that in Europe, and then the average quantity of paper in North America was reduced in

the rise in postage and freight is one of the primary reasons for the reduction of paper weight in the United States. The proportion of light coated paper less than 51g/m2 is expected to reach 35% in 2002, compared with 18% in 1992. Due to the emergence of short dwell applicator (peaked in the 1980s), the quantitative development towards a lighter direction. Nowadays, metrological sizing, pressing and soft calendering can make the paper get a cantilever impact testing machine under a given quantity. It is to place the specimen vertically and clamp it in the impact testing machine to impact the elastic testing machine to a higher opacity and loose thickness

reducing the quota can not only directly save postage, but also increase circulation without adding additional postage. However, low weight paper generally does not work well. The base paper with poor strength is easy to break, especially when producing light coated paper with high coating speed, poor printing quality is also a defect. Due to the low thickness of the paper with low weight, the opacity, optical properties and stiffness of the paper are poor. If low weight paper has the same printing quality and appearance, papermaking and ink manufacturers will adhere to the use. Ink manufacturers point out that if low weight paper needs more ink when printing, it is impossible to save a lot of money

3. Pigments

from the past development, the whiteness of European paper is much higher than that of North America, and the whiteness and opacity of light coated paper in Europe and North America are different. The higher whiteness of European light coated paper is due to the use of high whiteness base paper and more CaCO3. Many coating factories have used neutral papermaking, so CaCO3 can be used to fill and coat. In 1996, more CaCO3 was used in Europe than in North America. By 2002, about 40% of paper containing ground wood pulp in North America will become neutral paper. Because grinding CaCO3 is easy to obtain and inexpensive, Europe aspired to alkaline papermaking as early as the 1970s. In the 1940s, due to the problem of paper brittleness in libraries and Archives (mainly due to the oxidation of fibers caused by the residue of rosin acid sizing), the development of medium/alkaline paper making and alkaline sizing agents was promoted. In North America, the growth of neutral light coated paper has promoted the use of CaCO3 in light coated formula. The use of grinding CaCO3 in light-weight coated offset paper is as high as 50% - 60%, while some European light coated paper manufacturers have used 20% CaCO3 in the formula of gravure printing paper. In addition to whiteness, increasing the amount of CaCO3 can also reduce the amount of adhesive and have good rheological properties (because its structure is rhombic crystal structure, which allows a higher solid content). However, at the same solid content, the reduction of stiffness and gloss is its defect. Neutral or alkaline papermaking will continue to be used worldwide, especially when waste paper (containing CaCO3) is used

in the formulation of light coated paper, structural pigments have been developed to a certain extent. Some of its advantages are that it increases the coverage (such as transparency and roughness), and can be customized according to user requirements. Through thermal treatment and chemical treatment, the ultrafine particles in kaolin can be selectively condensed, which is conducive to improving the light scattering coefficient. These structured or special pigments increase the loose thickness of the coating due to their high porosity. The density of some pigments is only kg/m3. However, they are generally expensive and have rheological problems. Other new pigments include Brazilian porcelain clay, which has narrow particle size distribution and good loose thickness. Hollow sphere plastic pigments have been used to improve light scattering and loose coating thickness. When the paper weight is reduced, these low-density pigments are expected to be used more in light coated paper. Another development direction of pigments is how to play a prominent role in further improving the solid content of coatings, accelerating the curing of coatings and increasing the amount of fillers in the original slurry

talc powder has a large morphology ratio, and its evaluation is increasing. In Europe, talc powder has been widely used in gravure printing paper because of its patented technology to better disperse and wet hydrophobic talc powder. It is reported that customers who use talc powder only