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Chinese company Nine Dragons buys Catalyst Paper mills in US for US$175 million

There are no plans for lay-offs at the mills, which employ about 610 workers in Rumford, Maine, and 380 workers in Biron, Wisconsin

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The paper mill in Rumford, Maine, which was bought by Chinese company Nine Dragons Paper from Catalyst Paper Co on May 26, 2018, is seen in 2013. Photo: Alexis Horatius, CC BY SA 3.0

Canadian company Catalyst Paper Corp. is selling its US operations, including a pair of paper mills in Maine and Wisconsin, to a Chinese company that has no immediate plans for changes, officials said Friday.

A subsidiary of Nine Dragons Paper is paying US$175 million for the mills and an operations centre in Dayton, Ohio. There are no plans for lay-offs at the mills, which employ about 610 workers in Rumford, Maine, and 380 workers in Biron, Wisconsin, a spokeswoman said.

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Ned Dwyer, Catalyst president and CEO, said the sale of the company’s US assets allows it to pay down debt and focus on operations in British Columbia.

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The deal is expected to close in the second quarter.

The paper mill in Rumford, Maine, is seen in 2013. Photo: Alexis Horatius, CC BY SA 3.0
The paper mill in Rumford, Maine, is seen in 2013. Photo: Alexis Horatius, CC BY SA 3.0
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Nine Dragons’ major focus is on environmentally friendly recycled paper, but it also operates conventional pulp mills like those it’s buying in Maine and Wisconsin.

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