New owner closes paperboard mill in Jonquière

Graphic Packaging International Canada has closed a mill in Jonquière, Que., that it acquired from Cascades just a few months earlier. The thermomechanical paperboard mill in Jonquiere ceased production on July 13. The closure will affect approximately 140 employees.

“The closing of the Jonquiere facility was a difficult decision. We are working closely with the affected employees to provide support and assistance,” said Mike Doss, president and chief operating officer of Graphic Packaging. The company says the decision “was made as a result of a thorough assessment of the facility’s manufacturing capabilities, associated costs and market demand for its products.”

Local media stories noted that the Jonquière facility produced an innovative recyclable board, called Respak by Cascades, destined for the fast food sector. The provincial member of the national assembly, Sylvain Gaudreault, complained that the mill was purchased for its technology, and now that technology will be relocated.

Based in Atlanta, Ga., Graphic Packaging Holding Company is one of the largest producers of folding cartons and holds a leading market position in coated-unbleached kraft, coated-recycled boxboard and specialty packaging. It operates four other facilities in Canada, and workers from Jonquiere have been offered the possibility of relocating to another Graphic Packaging site.