By Nicole Walton
Niagara, WI – NewPage is closing its mill in Niagara, Wisconsin sooner than expected. The original April date was switched to this fall, and has been adjusted again to this Saturday, June 21.
Niagara spokeswoman Shelly Ghere says while production of coated paper will cease, that doesn't necessarily mean work will stop immediately. She says some trial runs of uncoated paper will be done at the mill through the end of the month. Ghere says the mill is in the process of evaluating the economics of making uncoated grades on the mill's current machines, and is developing cost models.
NewPage has hired a firm to market and try to sell the Niagara mill, and says it's willing to do so if it produces anything other than coated paper. Ghere says companies in the uncoated paper market have expressed interest in the mill, although no offers are on the table.