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Verso Paper Mill Closes Machine, Blames Declining Demand

Declining demand for coated paper is behind the upcoming closure of a paper machine and associated equipment in Jay.

“We will be permanently shutting down the No. 3 paper machine at the Androscoggin Mill in Jay, effective Aug. 1, and we expect that the shutdown will be complete by the end of the third quarter of this year,” says Verso spokesperson Kathi Rowzie.

Rowzie says 120 employees will be affected by the move — the same 120 workers laid off when paper machine was idled earlier this year. She says most products made on the No. 3 machine are now being made on lower-cost machines in other Verso mills.

There will be around 400 workers at the mill following these latest layoffs. Rowzie says Verso is continuing to take steps to position the Androscoggin Mill as a leading producer for the specialty papers market.

Ed is a Maine native who spent his early childhood in Livermore Falls before moving to Farmington. He graduated from Mount Blue High School in 1970 before going to the University of Maine at Orono where he received his BA in speech in 1974 with a broadcast concentration. It was during that time that he first became involved with public broadcasting. He served as an intern for what was then called MPBN TV and also did volunteer work for MPBN Radio.