Apr 07, 2009. /Lesprom Network/. MeadWestvaco reportedly will take market related downtime on the No. 8 paper machine at the company's Covington mill in Virginia "for at least a month," as PaperAge informed Lesprom Network. About 80 hourly workers will be laid off on April 20 for at least a month, according to a local news report. Kelly Rucker, a spokeswoman for the Covington plant, said reduced consumer spending has played a role in decreased demand for packaging made from the plant's paperboard. The No. 8 machine produces approximately 530 tons of paperboard per day, she said. The Covington mill employs about 1,400 people and is the largest employer and taxpayer for both the city and Alleghany County.