Sonoco closes Hutchinson Paper Mill, 116 employees affected

A notice filed with the state of Kansas confirms local reports that Sonoco Products Co. is permanently closing its Hutchinson Paper Mill, affecting 116 employees who were informed of the closure Monday, March 6.

The Hartsville, South Carolina-based recycled packaging producer filed a WARN notice Monday informing the state of its intentions to close the facility. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN), according to the Department of Labor, helps ensure advance notice in cases of qualified plant closings and mass layoffs, requiring employers to provide notification 60 calendar days in advance.

Tucker Allen, business services director of Kansas WorkforceOne, told the Hutchinson News March 6, “Separation begins today. The way I understand it is the hourly employees are all gone. They’ve already been let go as of today.”

Recycling Today has reached out to both Kansas state officials and Sonoco for comment.

The Hutchinson facility has been in operation for more than a century. It opened in 1909 and had been through several owners before Sonoco purchased the plant from Republic Paperboard Co. in 2001.

The mill consumed about 320 tons of mixed paper and old corrugated containers per day and produced about 295 tons per day of finished product.

KansasWorks says it will deploy a rapid response team to Hutchinson to assist employees impacted by the closing.