Cascades starts operations at Bear Island containerboard plant

Cascades Inc., Kingsey Falls, Quebec, has started operations at its new Bear Island containerboard plant in Ashland, Virginia.

With an annual production capacity of 465,000 tons of lightweight, 100 percent-recycled containerboard, the mill is equipped to strengthen the operational flexibility and geographic footprint of Cascades’ containerboard platform. Cascades says the project created 700 jobs in the region during the construction phase and 180 permanent jobs at the onset of commercial production.

“After the commissioning of the Greenpac mill nearly 10 years ago, the startup of Bear Island marks another historic milestone in the strategic modernization of our mill network," Cascades CEO Mario Plourde says. "More than ever, Cascades has modern and competitive assets that will allow us to pursue long term growth in packaging, on a North American scale."

Cascades purchased the mill in 2018 from White Birch Paper; that mill originally operated a newsprint paper machine. Although Cascades initially anticipated beginning operations in the first quarter of 2021, the company experienced some setbacks during construction of the Bear Island mill, related to labor and material availability.

According to a news release, the Bear Island mill is entering the ramp-up phase of the machine and will gradually increase its production to reach full capacity. The company says it will host an official inauguration in the coming months.

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“Cascades would like to thank all its employees and partners who made this project possible, a feat made even more challenging given the difficult global context of supply chain issues,” says Charles Malo, president and chief operating officer of Cascades Containerboard Packaging. “This project was the second largest in Cascades’ history, and we are very proud to have successfully converted this plant into a state-of-the-art mill that will allow Cascades to grow our market share and enhance service and our portfolio of sustainable solutions for our customers.”

Cascades also says it will shut down paper machine No. 2 at its Niagara Falls, New York, mill, which has been temporarily shut down since November 2022. The machine has a production capacity of 90,000 tons per year. Cascades says that machine would require investments in order for it to remain competitive.

The permanent closure of this machine will impact approximately 40 positions, according to Cascades. Most of those positions are currently vacant or will be subject to attrition to minimize the impact on the employees.