%PDF-1.4 %âãÏÓ If there was an excess of inventory, the solution was to store it in a warehouse somewhere. In a recent graphics paper industry update for 2021, Millcraft COO, Greg Lovensheimer, shared insights into the effects of 2020 and its impact on the supply chain. startxref Details were scant last week, but Jeff Barclay, Allegany County’s director of economic and community development, said county officials hope the company will soon reopen the facility and reinvigorate the region’s loggers and foresters. Facebook. By Luke Broadwater and Jim Tankersley. 0000009043 00000 n 2020 was fraught with changes, so much so that many suppliers believe the full effects of its fallout have yet to be realized. WCBC radio in Cumberland was reporting Tuesday morning that Verso is close to finalizing the sale of the mill and its wood yard to a company identified as Whiskey River. Google plus. hÞb``àa``½ÅÀÊÀð÷ƒˆ ÅØX8.0,{«ÀÀ°Ö <8*!|Á¤ˆi†çõÄi³/€Ä”””:::ÀòŒ@&X/ð2ð> Òj@¬‘Záp€¡”AɁ!œ5 (¤°€á;ƒüfeFkÁ&=Ά?J LkŒ˜:”˜1h90h3°l0pd`\Â. Chinese company to reopen Kentucky paper mill August 16, 2018 GMT FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A Chinese company says it will buy a shuttered western Kentucky paper mill and reopen it by the end of this year. Founded in 1888 as the Piedmont Pulp and Paper Co., the mill went through many ownership iterations through the years under such names as the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Co. (1899), Westvaco (1969), MeadWestvaco (2001), NewPage (2005) and finally Verso Corp. in 2015. — The pulp mill that papermaker Verso shuttered a year and a half ago may soon reopen. In late August, China-based investment group Global Win Wickliffe LLC acquired an idled Verso Paper mill in Ballard County, Kentucky, with plans to reopen the facility by the end of 2018 after investing in equipment and technology at the facility. 0000002873 00000 n Verso owns the shuttered paper mill, located in Luke, Md., which closed in June after 131 years in operation, with related facilities across the river in Beryl, W.Va. 0000000016 00000 n The industry could not react because there was no longer this giant buffer of inventory in mill warehouses. Picture: Regina King. 285 0 obj <>stream 3 -- LUKE -- For the first time in more than 130 years, the Luke paper mill that once employed 2,000 workers sits idle. Cumberland Times-News (MD) June 03-- Jun. The mill was closed in May of last year by Verso, who took ownership in 2015. 0000010597 00000 n 0000062527 00000 n Thanks to the company and all those who made this project a reality.” Ballard County Judge-Executive Todd Cooper said the project will positively impact more than just the local region. 244 42 0000001651 00000 n The historical financial mindset focused on opportunity costs. July 16th, 2020 by WCBC Radio Any hopes of seeing the former Luke Paper Mill being utilized for significant economic development opportunities are apparently dead at this point- with the mill’s owner, the Verso Corporation, confirming that no offers are in the table. Based on what we experienced in 2020, it is fair to say 2021 will be filled with volatility. The Madison Paper mill closed in May 2016, which put more than 200 people out of work. 0000013338 00000 n 0000117155 00000 n “We’re doing everything we can to support our employees at Luke,” Rowzi said. The Luke Mill encompasses and has two paper machines, two on-machine coaters, four supercalenders, five winders, three sheeters and a carton line. Mills saw a drop off in demand and they curtailed capacity accordingly. Unfortunately in 2019 those rumors for the Luke mill turned to reality. Email. Prior to COVID, Verso the largest NA coated paper manufacturer, closed the Luke, MD mill in 2019 taking out 410K tons and moving those grades over to the Wisconsin Rapids, WI mill. While the lasting effects of COVID have yet to be known, one thing is clear. More than 2,300 mill workers in Maine have lost their jobs since 2011. 0000012565 00000 n VERSO CORPORATION is a leading North American producer of graphic and specialty papers, packaging and pulp. A firm known as Whiskey River is working to purchase the Luke plant from Verso Corp., an Ohio paper manufacturer. The paper mill has no chance of reopening under the current regulatory and political realities in Maryland, the state is 1 election from becoming an East coast version of Oregon. 0 They ultimately announced the closure of Wisconsin Rapids and 520K tons coming out of the market. Add to that the Quinnisec, MI mill taking downtime. %%EOF Our graphic papers portfolio comprises sheetfed, web, digital and inkjet papers used primarily in commercial printing, media and marketing applications, including magazines, catalogs, books, direct mail, corporate collateral and retail inserts. 0000056267 00000 n The historic mill was opened in 1888 by Scottish emigrant William Luke and his sons John and David.