Smurfit-Stone to keep linerboard mill open in Frenchtown, Montana, through Jan. 5 because of demand

Dec 29, 2009 — Forestweb

LOS ANGELES, December 29, 2009 (Forestweb) — Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. will continue operations at its linerboard facility in Frenchtown, Montana, through Jan. 5, after the company announced earlier that it would permanently shut down operations on Dec. 31, the Missoulian reported Dec. 29.

The closure was extended because of immediate demand for the mill’s paper product, the Missoulian reported.

Mike Mullin, Smurfit’s corporate spokesperson, said the extension was ordered last week because the mill has inventory it needs to take care of, along with other issues related to an orderly permanent shutdown. Mullin said there will be no further extensions after Jan. 5, the Missoulian reported.

The millworkers' union leader, Roy Houseman, called the news “bittersweet,” saying the workers were told the mill's paper is really needed, but for just a short period of time. Houseman said the Frenchtown mill has a significant supply of woodchips to use up.

Houseman said workers were told some of the orders are “must-haves” for customers, they have to get out, and the Missoula mill could get the job done.

While Smurfit has decided to close the linerboard plant permanently, it is still drawing up plans on how to best close the facility and has not yet decided what will happen to it, Mullin said, the Missoulian reported.

For now, the company is concentrating on the coming weeks and an orderly shutdown, said Mullin, adding that the last workers will likely be on the job until late January.

Smurfit-Stone will pay workers through Feb. 11 in keeping with the federal WARN (Worker Adjustment And Retraining Notification) Act, whether they produce paper or not, said Houseman. Reaction from the workers has been all over the board, Houseman said, adding the switch from a permanent shutdown date to an extension is hard.

The primary source of this article is the Missoulian, Missoula, Montana, on Dec. 29, 2009.

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