UPM To Layoff 150 Grand Rapids Employees

UPM Paper announced Tuesday morning that it would shut down paper machine 5 at its Blandin mill in Grand Rapids. The closing of machine 5 will result in the layoff of about 150 employees.

In a press release, Finland-based UPM said that it is reducing the annual capacity by approximately 128,000 tons of coated magazine paper in response to overcapacities in the North American paper market. UPM says the closure is expected to be complete by the end of the first quarter of 2018.

Overall, UPM will layoff 233 employees in the U.S & Germany.