Boise Inc. said it has decided to indefinitely idle its D-2 newsprint machine at its mill in DeRidder, Louisiana. The D-2 machine has been idled since February 9. The company will continue to operate the D-3 newsprint machine and the D-1 linerboard machine at the DeRidder mill. Boise began selling newsprint on March 1 of this year, transitioning away from a marketing agreement with AbitibiBowater.
The D-2 machine, with an annual production capacity of 186,000 tons of newsprint, is being preserved, enabling the mill to restart it within a short period of time should the need arise. Boise noted that it may also pursue options to convert the machine to packaging products at a later date.