The sale of the Ediz Hook factory to McKinley closed on March 31; the plant will not be producing paper or electricity for 12 to 18 months while it is retooled to manufacture liner paper for cardboard boxe.
April 14, 2017
McKinley Paper Co. officials are settling in as new owners of the nearly dormant Nippon Paper Industries USA plant in preparation for shutting it down within the next two weeks for up to 18 months. Cathy Price, human resources manager for Nippon and now McKinley, said that the sale of the Ediz Hook factory to McKinley closed on March 31.
The sale price to McKinley, the American subsidiary of the Mexican paper giant Bio Pappel, was USD 20.6 million, according to Clallam County Auditor’s Office and Treasurer’s Office records. The state Department of Revenue had valued Nippon at USD 17 million in 2016 based on income.
With the sale complete, the mill is being fenced off to ward off intruders, a problem in recent weeks, Price said. The plant will not be producing paper or electricity for 12 to 18 months while it is retooled to manufacture liner paper for cardboard boxes, McKinley’s major product, Price said.
The mill was built in 1920 as Washington Pulp &Paper Co., then carried the name Crown Zellerbach. Daishowa Paper of Japan purchased it from James River in 1988. In 2003, Daishowa merged with Nippon Paper Group, and it became Nippon Paper Industries USA. Now it’s McKinley Paper Co. Washington Mill.
