News Packaging
Greenpac and Norampac Niagara Falls start shipping again after fire

Operations have partially resumed at the Greenpac and Norampac containerboard mills in Niagara Falls, NY, following the fire that occurred in the exterior old corrugated containers (OCC) stock piles on Sept. 20. Both mills have begun shipping…

Operations have partially resumed at the Greenpac and Norampac containerboard mills in Niagara Falls, NY, following the fire that occurred in the exterior old corrugated containers (OCC) stock piles on Sept. 20. Both mills have begun shipping finished products manufactured prior to the fire.

Production equipment at the Greenpac mill was not damaged during the fire and the company said on Sept. 23 that the mill was expected to resume normal production within 48 hours. Start–up of the Norampac mill will not be determined until damage to the stock preparation equipment is fully assessed. Employees of both mills are now back to work to help out with various tasks in preparation for start-up.

Production at Norampac’s box plants was unaffected by the unplanned shutdown of the two mills as Norampac was able to compensate containerboard demand with shipments from its other mills.

The fire occurred on Saturday, September 20, in the old corrugated containers (OCC) stock piles located outside of the mills. Both mills were quickly evacuated with no injuries to personnel. The causes of the fire are currently unknown, but local authorities are investigating to determine the potential causes of this event.

Damage to the Greenpac Mill is limited to the OCC stock pile and the OCC conveyor. Damage to the Norampac Niagara Falls mill, while more extensive, is limited to the OCC stock pile, pulper and stock preparation.

Norampac and Greenpac manufacture different types of containerboard that is used in the production of corrugated boxes. Norampac, a division of Cascades, manufactures 100% recycled medium at the Niagara Falls site and has 137 employees. Greenpac Mill is a brand new state-of-the-art mill that manufactures 100% recycled linerboard.  It has 118 employees and is owned at 59% by Cascades, with three other partners.