WestRock Shutting Down Machine At Evadale Mill

EVADALE, Texas — WestRock Co. will shut down a paper machine at its Evadale, Texas, mill and eliminate 60 jobs.
The company said the shutdown will reduce the company’s production capacity of solid bleach sulphate mill system capacity by approximately 200,000 tons. 
The shutdown of the paper machine at the Evadale mill is expected to occur by the end of 2020.
The remaining two machines at the mill will continue to support end markets, including liquid packaging, foodservice, food and premium coated pre-print liner for corrugated boxes, among other grades. 
The company’s total SBS production capacity after  the shutdown will be approximately 1.9 million tons.
“As a company, we aim to balance our supply with our customers’ demand,” said Patrick Lindner, chief innovation officer and president, Consumer Packaging for WestRock.
“Given current economic conditions and anticipated supply needs, we believe that reducing production capacity at the Evadale mill will improve its competitiveness while enabling WestRock to more efficiently serve our customers,” he said.
The Evadale mill employs approximately 700 workers. Evadale is located in southeast Texas near the Louisiana border, two hours from Houston.