AUBURN, Maine (AP) — A pulp mill in Auburn is closing and laying off 45 people.
Cascades Inc. says it will close Cascades Auburn Fiber on July 15 due to poor sales. Production at the facility will end a week earlier.
WGME-TV (https://bit.ly/28RFeAj ) reports Cascades Inc. is based in Quebec City and has operated the plant in Auburn since 1998. The company says some of the laid off workers could be relocated to other plants.
Company president Luc Langevin blames the "erosion of the printing and writing paper market" as one of the driving forces behind the closure.
The Maine Pulp & Paper Association says there are six operational pulp and paper mills left in the state. The industry has faced mounting pressure from digitization and foreign competition in recent years.
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Information from: WGME-TV, https://www.wgme.com/
