Pixelle Specialty Solutions, Spring Grove, Pa., announced plans to acquire specialty paper mills in Jay (Androscoggin), Maine, and Stevens Point, Wis., from Verso Corp., Miamisburg, Ohio.
The Androscoggin mill has the capacity to produce approximately 425,000 tons of paper per year, and currently produces flexible packaging papers, release liner base, specialty labels, Kraft papers and linerboard. The Stevens Point mill has the capacity to produce approximately 210,000 tons of paper per year, and currently produces coated flexible packaging papers, release liner base, thermal papers and other specialty labels.
Pixelle produces high-speed inkjet, machine-glazed and machine-finished papers, release liner, thermal base paper, trade book paper, carbonless, greaseproof and coated one side specialties. Pixelle will operate four mills (Androscoggin, Spring Grove, Stevens Point, and Chillicothe, Ohio), three of which have on-site pulp mills, with a total of 12 paper machines and the capacity to produce more than 1 million tons of paper annually. Additional operations will include a converting facility in Fremont, Ohio, and wood fiber sourcing operations in strategic wood baskets in Maine, Maryland, Ohio and West Virginia.
“When we created Pixelle, we stated that we would leverage our differentiated, customized approach to manufacturing to help Pixelle build on its great reputation with customers and strengthen its positions in the specialty paper markets it serves,” says Steven Klinger, executive chairman of Pixelle. “Since then, we have made significant progress, and we believe there are still many opportunities to continue to drive growth and enhance our operations. Through the addition of these two mills, we are positioning Pixelle for the future and look forward to continuing to be the best supplier and partner for our customers.”
“We are very excited about the new specialty capabilities and talented workforce that will be added to our portfolio. With Lindsay Goldberg’s resources, industry experience and management talent, combined with Pixelle’s skilled workforce and world-class assets, we are building a high-performance, specialized business for our customers,” adds Tim Hess, president of Pixelle.
