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Waste & Recycling February 27, 2017 12:30:23 PM

International Paper’s Florida mill may take several months to resume full operations

Paul Ploumis
ScrapMonster Author
The explosion occurred around 7.40 pm, which released a mixture of wood fibers and pulp liquor to the surrounding community directly southeast of the plant’s Muscogee Road location, causing an odd odor in the air.

International Paper’s Florida mill may take several months to resume full operations

SPOKANE (Scrap Monster): The recent press release by Memphis, TN-headquartered International Paper states that it may take several months for the company to fully restart operations at its Cantonment, Florida mill, which had undergone significant damages following a boiler explosion which took place on 22, January.

The explosion occurred around 7.40 pm, which released a mixture of wood fibers and pulp liquor to the surrounding community directly southeast of the plant’s Muscogee Road location, causing an odd odor in the air. International Paper had engaged contractors to clean up the discharged material and offered full support and resources to local community and residents in their clean-up activity. The explosion had caused considerable damages to pulp digester machine and the powerhouse at the mill facility. The incident reported no injuries or fatalities, but had brought fluff pulp and containerboard production to a halt. The mill had later partially restarted fluff pulp operations. Incidentally, the mill produces in excess of 500,000 tpy of kraftliner and other containerboard that are sold into domestic and overseas markets.

The 10-K 2016 annual report filed this week by the company noted that digester repair works may take several more months. Assuming that it may take nearly three months for the repair works, the containerboard operations at the mill are unlikely to be fully operational during the first quarter of the current year, International Paper noted. Commenting on the financial impact of the blast, the company noted that a significant portion of the estimated $50 million impact will be covered through insurance. Also, the health impacts of the explosion are yet to be fully assessed.

The cause of the incident is yet to be identified. There are reports that the plant had undergone shutdown on the day prior to the explosion. The company representatives too have confirmed that there has been instability at the mill, which led to a power failure. This could have been the catalyst for the blast, they noted. According to neighboring residents, there has been a significant increase in the sound of operations at the mill.

Earlier in April last year, International Paper had reported fire in its recycling plant at the Phoenix North Gateway Transfer Station and Materials Recovery Facility in the 30200 block of North Black Canyon Highway, Phoenix.

Recently, the company was named by FORTUNE magazine as one of ‘America’s Most Admired Companies’. This is the fourteenth time in past fifteen years that the company has featured in the list. The company had reported net earnings of $904 million in full-year 2016, as compared with net earnings of $938 million in 2015. The fourth quarter earnings jumped higher significantly from $178 million a year before to $218 million in Q4 ’16.

About International Paper Co.

International Paper is a global leader in the paper and packaging industry with manufacturing operations in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and North Africa. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., the company employs approximately 65,000 people and is strategically located in more than 24 countries serving customers worldwide. The company had posted net sales of $21 billion in 2016.

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