WestRock to close one mill, idle another

Norcross, Georgia-based WestRock will reportedly close a paper mill in Coshocton, Ohio, and is idling the long-time SP Newsprint (later SP Fiber Technologies) mill in Newberg, Oregon. WestRock had just acquired the Newberg mill in October 2015.

An online article by The Oregonian newspaper pointed to a report traced back to Boston-based RISI that the Newberg mill could be reopened after technical adjustments and investments take place.

The possibility of a restart was not confirmed by WestRock to The Oregonian. The company also has not yet announced a change to either the Ohio or the Oregon mill’s status.

The mill in Coshocton has roots that go back 150 years, according to an online article from the Times Reporter in New Philadelphia, Ohio.

WestRock, formed by the 2015 merger of RockTenn and MeadWestvaco, produces some 12.3 million tons of paperboard annually at 35 mills and related facilities.