Appleton mill set to return to full production

Appleton expects its West Carrollton paper mill to return to full production within a couple of weeks following the recent collapse of some internal structures of a coal silo at the company’s paper mill in West Carrollton, Ohio. The incident occurred on July 10 and caused no injuries.

While most of the West Carrollton facility was undamaged, the partial collapse of the coal silo reduced the mill’s ability to produce power and steam and resulted in a temporary shutdown of the mill on July 10 and 11. Portions of the mill returned to production on July 12. A combination of repairs and the installation of temporary boilers are underway.

"We are thankful no one was hurt at the mill," said Appleton’s chief executive officer Mark Richards. "Since the incident occurred, our operation, planning, logistics and sales and customer service teams have been very resourceful at managing order demand and leveraging the strength of our network of manufacturing facilities. Our goal is to minimize the impact of the incident on our customers."

Appleton quickly shifted production of some of the carbonless and thermal paper products produced at the West Carrollton mill to the company’s manufacturing facilities in Appleton, Wis., and Roaring Spring, Pa.

Some Appleton customers, primarily those who purchase carbonless rolls, may be affected by the incident at the West Carrollton mill. Those customers have already been contacted directly by the company. Appleton has adjusted schedules for the mill’s production crews while repairs are underway at the mill. No jobs will be lost at the mill as result of the incident.

Appleton believes the incident will have no material impact on its financial performance nor will the incident significantly affect the company’s ability to fulfill current or future order for its paper products.