According to the latest figures from the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI), the last 12 months have shown positive results across all grades with both the graphic and packaging sectors performing well.
For the second consecutive quarter, a record paper and board output was achieved. The total production of 22.7 million tonnes was over 700,000 tonnes higher than the previous quarter's result. Production has now increased in each consecutive period since the fourth quarter of 1998.
Total pulp production also increased to an all-time high of 9.7 million tonnes in a quarter, more than 200,000 tonnes over the previous high recorded in the first quarter of 1998.
Graphic grades were 2.7% up on the previous quarter, sanitary and household rose by 3% and packaging grades grew by 4.9%. The only grade to record lower production than in the previous quarter was newsprint, where output fell by 2.1%.
Uncoated graphic grades (woodfree 7.6%, mechanical 5.6%) showed a higher trend growth than coated grades (woodfree 1.5%, mechanical 2.9%).
Paper and board mills in Europe, with an increase of 8% in production in the first quarter compared with the same period in 1999, out-performed their major global competitors.
The US saw its output rise by 2.7%, with increases in all grades bar newsprint. In Canada, production increased by 2.6%, but this hides a large (13%) rise in graphic output, particularly uncoated mechanical, counterbalanced by falls in most other grades. Japanese manufacturers raised output by 5.3%.