<B>Sorg Closes Ohio Mill</B>

Sorg Paper Co. in Middletown, Ohio, closed down the middle of last month. The closure follows an announcement this past spring by its owner, Wausau-Mosinee Paper Corp. of Mosinee, Wis.

Sorg’s three paper machines produced printing and writing, specialty, and tissue grades.

Sorg’s capacity was only 188 tons per day, or about 40,000-45,000 tons per year and couldn’t compete against wider, newer, and more efficient machines, said Stuart R. Carlson, senior vice president of Wausau-Mosinee’s specialty paper group. He said increasing pulp prices added to the strain.

Wausau-Mosinee has moved some of Sorg’s specialty business to other company locations, primarily to its mills in Mosinee, Wis., and Rhinelander, Wis.

However, Sorg’s tissue business will not move. Wausau-Mosinee’s Bay West Paper Corp., also in Middletown, is in a different segment of towel and tissue and is already running full. Sorg’s vice president and general manager, Richard Early, is taking over management of Bay West. Tom Grones, who was in charge of Bay West, has moved to a new position as director of engineering at the company’s mill in Brokaw, Wis.