Burrows Paper recently announced plans to shut down a paper machine in July and reuse the machine's components and space to enhance the productivity and efficiency of an adjacent paper machine at the company's Mill Street paper mill in Little Falls, New York.
The project, which is estimated to cost about $7 million, is part of the company's “Innovate and Invest” global strategy.
Rose Mihaly, President and Chief Operating Officer, said the investment will both advance Burrows market position and yield operational efficiencies.
“In July, Burrows will shut down its 90-inch wide paper machine, PM2, and begin repurposing the machine components and space to the adjacent paper machine, PM3, at the same facility. By dismantling and redeploying the smaller paper machine, we will realize a series of improvements including better traffic flow, safety enhancements, increased productivity on PM3, and the ability to dedicate other equipment to meet special customer requests.
“Our goal is for the transition to have little or no effect on employment levels,” Mihaly said.
“This has been a collaborative process with our union leaders, from planning to arriving at an implementation schedule. Employees assigned to PM2 [on Jan. 23] will continue as usual through later this year. During the transition, we will work closely with each person to align skills and interests with job opportunities in our Mill Street and Mohawk Valley mills, and in other Burrows facilities” Mihaly added
The upcoming machine project is similar to company investments in its Mohawk Valley mill, where an older machine was removed to allow for facility improvements, creating production efficiencies and opportunities for product development.
Following installation of new equipment this summer, Burrows will launch a new patented product for which it has already secured commercial orders.
The conversion and expansion project is expected to be completed by the end of 2014.
