Finch Paper (NY) is proud to announce that it has been named the winner of the 2009 Pulp & Paper International (PPI) Award for Efficiency Improvements! Presented this week at the inaugural awards ceremony in Munich, Germany, the award was accepted by Finch Paper Environmental Control Manager Sandra LeBarron.

The Efficiency Improvements of the Year Award goes to the mill that has surpassed itself in the area of production efficiency and that has either, by new investments, or management systems, turned around efficiency and transformed its performance.

This Pulp & Paper International Award was granted to Finch Paper based on the success of its mill-wide Continuous Improvement Initiative, through which the company has reduced its energy consumption by 4% and $2 million, reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 13%, and achieved nearly $4.2 million in savings through manufacturing-related efficiency improvements.

"This award is shared by every Finch employee for contributing great ideas and working hard to improve our efficiencies, reduce our costs and deliver unsurpassed value to our customers," says Finch Paper President & CEO Joseph F. Raccuia. "Through our employees' world-class efforts, we are positioning Finch Paper to be a successful business, a first-rate employer and an active member of our community for many years to come."

About the 2009 Pulp & Paper International Awards
The inaugural Pulp & Paper International (PPI) Awards honor the leadership, vision, innovation and strategic accomplishments of companies, mills and individuals within the pulp and paper industry. Judging for the PPI Awards was done by a panel of internationally known industry representatives. PPI is one of the leading trade publications for pulp, paper and paperboard manufacturers in North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.