Catalyst Paper announces indefinite closure of machine at BC paper mill

VANCOUVER (Scrap Monster): Richmond, B.C-based Catalyst Paper has decided to indefinitely close No 9 paper machine at its Powell River, B.C paper mill. The company cited shortage of orders as the sole reason for the closure of one of the three machines, which is feared to lead to loss of nearly 50 jobs.

The No 9 machine had manufactured specialty paper grades. According to the company, the market for the product has declined with barely any new order being received by the company since long time. The company had temporarily halted operations during late-October last year. Now it has decided to permanently close the machine. Joe Nemeth, President and CEO, Catalyst Paper called the decision to be challenging yet unavoidable under current circumstances. He further added that the company is committed to align its mill operations to market demand.

In addition to specialty paper, the Powell River mill produces newsprint and uncoated mechanical specialty papers that are used in catalogues, magazines, newsletters, inserts, flyers and high-volume weekend newspaper magazines.

Catalyst Paper is western North America's largest producer of mechanical printing paper. It manufactures a broad range of high quality products such as newsprint and pulp. With three mills and a distribution facility in strategic proximity on Canada’s Pacific coast, Catalyst has a combined annual production capacity of 1.5 million tonnes.