Merrimac Paper closes mill after 139-year run

Pulp & Paper, Aug 2005

SPECIALTY PAPER

Merrimac Paper Co. in late June closed its Lawrence, Mass., specialty paper mill and its Springfield, Mass., converting plant. The company had been struggling since going through Ch. 11 bankruptcy in 2003 and hoped to have a new buyer by mid-year.

Hazen Paper of Holyoke, Mass., a longtime customer, had signed a preliminary purchase agreement to buy Merrimac four months ago, but the company reportedly was unable to resolve several environmental issues or negotiate new labor contracts with its workers.