Gorham Paper and Tissue taking downtime on all four paper machines at its mill in Gorham, New Hampshire; one machine might restart later this week but all four are being run day-to-day, says union official, noting challenging market conditions
Debra Garcia
LOS ANGELES
,
July 10, 2014
(Industry Intelligence Inc.)
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All four paper machines at Gorham Paper and Tissue LLC’s paper mill in Gorham, New Hampshire, have been idle since July 7, said a union official on July 9, reported The Berlin Daily Sun on July 9.
Since the mill announced a temporary restructuring in December 2013, only one or two paper machines have been operating at the same time, based on orders, said Eddy Deblois, head of United Steelworkers Local 75.
The mill continues to struggle because of the competitive market. Tissue production capacity has increased, and the mill has suffered from sharp cuts in tissue prices in the past few months, he said.
A few years ago, Patriarch Partners decided to install the mill’s new tissue machine because tissue was considered a growing market at that time, said Deblois, The Berlin Daily Sun reported.
Gorham Paper and Tissue CEO Mike Cummings is investigating strategies to improve the mill’s profitability, focusing on raising the value of products the mill makes, said Deblois. Cummings was not available for comment.
The tissue machine shut down on July 4, while the towel machine started up July 5 and ran through July 6, Deblois said, noting the hope was that one paper machine would start up later this week.
With orders up and down, mill workers have become adept at shutting down and starting up paper machines, even numerous times in a single day, he said reported The Berlin Daily Sun.
The primary source of this article is The Berlin Daily Sun, Berlin, New Hampshire, on July 9, 2014. Click here to view full version of primary source's original article.
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