IP’s mill in Bucksport plans 2-week shutdown

BUCKSPORT – Officials at International Paper Co. said Wednesday the mill here will be shut down for more than two weeks beginning Sunday. The shutdown is driven by the same forces that have prompted similar shutdowns over the past two years: a slow market and lack of orders for coated paper, according to IP spokesman Keith Cunningham.

The mill had planned a one-week shutdown and had hoped to keep operating until Dec. 23, Cunningham said. But the lack of orders forced officials to move the shutdown up a week.

The shutdown will affect all areas of the mill, he said, although some areas may remain operating. Mill officials were still working on the details of which sections of the mill might operate through the general shutdown.

Three factors – an already slowing economy, a typical seasonal slowdown in orders and the Sept. 11 attacks – have combined to create the situation the industry finds itself in, he said.

“Typically, the first quarter in any year is a slow time,” he said. “The catalogs are done for the holiday season and companies are waiting for the spring and summer buying season before they spend money on paper.”

After the attacks on Sept. 11, he added, a sharp drop-off in advertising pages took place. Since most publications base the number of pages they print on the amount of ads they have, the drop in advertising resulted in smaller magazines and less paper bought.

Although some industry analysts have forecast a modest turnaround next year, Cunningham said there has been no indication when business might pick up.

The mill is scheduled to restart on Jan. 2.