JAY – The owner of the Androscoggin mill announced that 59 employees will be laid off Monday, as part of a staffing reorganization tied to the loss of the mill’s pulp operation.
Pixelle Specialty Solutions made the announcement Thursday, indicating that “operating competitively and profitably in its new configuration (i.e. manufacturing paper, but not pulp) has required the mill to reorganize its staffing model.”
“Consequently, the mill will reduce its number of employees over time,” the release said. “The initial reduction will occur on July 13, 2020 and will affect 59 employees. Subsequent reduction details will be determined after the mill completes its evaluation of its operating options and finalizes its long term strategy.”
A ruptured digester is the suspected cause of an April 15 explosion that destroyed the mill’s pulp operation. No one was killed or seriously injured in the blast, which sent debris hundreds of feet into the air above the mill. Utilizing pulp produced at Pixelle mills and other facilities, the Androscoggin mill was able to restart two machines roughly a week after the explosion. More than 400 employees have been working at the mill since the restart.
“The reduction,” said Pixelle Mill Manager Jay Thiessen, “is an unfortunate consequence of a circumstance no one expected, wanted, or caused. Everyone affected has been a valued member of our team. We will provide those
affected by the reduction support in the form of compensation, benefits and job placement assistance.”
In addition to interrupting pulp manufacturing, the explosion has also impacted independent loggers and truckers that supplied the mill with pulp.
“We understand our wood suppliers need information about our long-term plan, but it will be at least the fourth quarter of 2020 before we determine that information ourselves,” said Thiessen. “The process of remediating the rupture site, determining the exact root cause of the rupture, and developing a long-term plan is a time-intensive process. We need to develop and execute it correctly to help ensure long-term success.”
This is not layoffs they gave senior n skilled laid off people 1 or 2 business day notice to tell them they are terminated.
4th quarter is an insane amount of time.
Rebuilding after an explosion that damaged a single unit and some piping could take 6 months in the worst case. Not “at least” like the general manager says.
I would say little to no hope of restarting the pulp mill.