Fire at Sappi's mill in Stockstadt, Germany, delays coated-paper output on PM No. 2 for eight weeks, but company's other mills expected to cover shortfall

Jan 11, 2010 — Forestweb

LOS ANGELES, January 11, 2010 (Forestweb) — Sappi Fine Paper Europe estimated, after it more closely assessed the Dec. 20 fire damage to its PM No. 2 at the Stockstadt Mill in Germany, that coated paper production will now be delayed by eight weeks, Graphic Repro On-Line reported Jan. 11.

PM No. 1, the mill's uncoated paper production line, resumed operations the day after the fire and other production facilities were not affected.

Sappi did not anticipate any interruptions to customer deliveries because its other paper mills were expected to be able to cover any shortfall while the Stockstadt mill’s coating operations are curtailed, reported Graphic Repro On-line.

Graphic Repro On-line reported Dec. 21 that the fire at the woodfree paper mill halted production, with coating operations expected to remain down until early 2010, Forestweb noted Dec. 22.

Stockstadt mill produces 200,000 tonnes per year of uncoated woodfree paper and 230,000 tonnes/year of coated woodfree paper. The operation also has an integrated 160,000 tonnes/year pulp facility, reported Graphic Repro On-line.

Parent company Sappi Ltd. is based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The primary source of this article is Graphic Repro On-line, St. Petersburg, Russia, on Jan. 11, 2010.

All news reports are copyrighted by the respective papers.