This is the second of the mill's five paper machines to be brought back online following a work stoppage initiated on Aug. 27, 2015, by the AWPPW union, Local 153. The first machine to resume operations was PM10, the mill's largest machine.
PM10 produces containerboard primarily for KapStone's corrugated box plants in the Pacific Northwest region. It was restarted on Monday, Aug. 31 after a maintenance outage that followed the work stoppage.
PM 11, KapStone's most flexible machine, produces a broad range of kraft paper products for external customers both in the U.S. and abroad. A number of the company's specialty products are produced on this machine, including its unique line of extensible kraft papers.
The mill began shipping products to customers according to its contingency plan shortly after paper machine #10 was brought back online. It continues to ramp up production, now with both its #10 and #11 paper machines.
President of the Kraft Paper Division, Randy Nebel, said that employee teams from across the country are working together to ensure a smooth return to full production according to the company's contingency plan. "We continue to live up to our commitment to provide customers with a broad range of products and services, despite the strike," he said.
KapStone operates 4 paper mills throughout the U.S. with a total of 11 paper machines. It is temporarily diverting some of the product it normally produces in Longview to its sister mills.
KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation is the fifth largest producer of containerboard and corrugated packaging products and is the largest kraft paper producer in the United States.
