M-real to Start Shipping into Port of Philadelphia

Late last month, M-real USA Corp. signed a long-term contract with Penn Warehousing & Distribution, Inc. that will enable it to focus its North American distribution of paper and paperboard in the Port of Philadelphia for years to come.
Since February 2006, M-real’s North American operations have been based out of the Port of Baltimore, where it consolidated its shipping operations pursuant to a six-year agreement entered into with the Maryland Port Administration and BalTerm LLP. During its time in Baltimore, M-real experienced a productive working relationship with its partners and saw a doubling of local imports annually.
With the sale of its Graphic Papers division to Sappi Ltd. in December 2008, M-real’s warehouse and logistics needs changed substantially, leading to a total re-evaluation of its North American logistics operations.
Mindful of the need to continue to focus on cost savings in the current economic climate, and after much consideration of various possible locations, M-real determined that returning to its former port of entry in Philadelphia was the ideal solution. 
A new 115,000-sq-ft, state of the art warehouse, recently completed by the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, will be designated for shipping, receiving, and stocking of M-real’s paper and paperboard.
M-real’s contract with Penn Warehousing will become effective in May, and will run concurrently through January 2012 with M-real’s existing agreements with the Maryland Port Administration and BalTerm, during which time M-real will be transitioning its operations from Baltimore to Philadelphia.