Newsprint Production Continues Slump

The production of newsprint by mills in North America continues to slump. Recent figures from the Pulp and Paper Products Council show production standing at 1.241 million metric tons for May, a 3.5 percent drop from last May’s figures.

The figures for the month brought the five-month production total to 6.319 million metric tons, a 4.5 percent drop from figures the same time last year.

Reflecting difficult market conditions, the operating rate at newsprint mills stands at 93 percent of capacity during May, compared to 94 percent last May. For the first five months the operating rate stands at 94 percent of capacity, compared to last May’s figure of 96 percent of capacity.

Production at Canadian mills posted a 2 percent drop for May and a 3 percent decline over the first five months. The total for the month stands at 747,000 metric tons, while total production the first five months stands at 3.730 million metric tons.

U.S. newsprint mills posted bleaker numbers for the month and first five months. For May, production stands at 493,000 metric tons, a 5.6 percent drop, while production the first five months declined by 6.6 percent to 2.590 million metric tons.

Reflecting the difficult environment for newsprint, the shipment of finished product for May stands at 1.203 million metric tons, a 5.5 percent drop from last May. For the first five months newsprint shipments declined an even sharper 6.2 percent to 6.194 million metric tons.

Shipments from U.S. sources plummeted by 9.8 percent for the month and declined by 8.5 percent the first five months. Canadian newsprint sources also declined, although the figure was far less. For May shipments slipped by 2.6 percent, while shipments the first five months dropped by 4.5 percent.