Print this page
Friday, 19 October 2018 09:11

WestRock Provides Update on Hurricane Michael’s Impact on Panama City, Florida, Mill and its Expected Return to Operations

Rate this item
(0 votes)

WestRock Company (NYSE: WRK), a leading provider of differentiated paper and packaging solutions, today provided updated information on the impact of Hurricane Michael on its containerboard and pulp mill located in Panama City, Florida.

2015 10 18 094836The Panama City area has been substantially impacted by Hurricane Michael, and the priority remains the safety and health of our employees and their families. We are pleased to report that all of Panama City mill’s employees have been accounted for and are safe. The Company is working to support our team and the community as recovery continues.

As previously reported, the Company’s mill in Panama City received extensive damage from Hurricane Michael. Due to the extraordinary efforts of employees, contractors, vendors, our insurance carrier and government officials, the Company has already made substantial progress in assessing the damage and implementing required repairs to return the mill to operation.

The Company expects that the linerboard production system will return to full production capacity within 30 days. Market pulp production is expected to begin by the end of November, but will likely be limited to no more than 50% of the mill’s market pulp production capacity for an estimated period of approximately six months. The mill has normal annual production capacity of 353,000 tons of linerboard and 292,000 tons of market pulp.

The total cost to the Company from Hurricane Michael is currently unknown. While the Company maintains property damage and business interruption insurance coverage, there will be a time lag between the initial incurrence of costs and the receipt of insurance proceeds as the Company restores the mill back to normal operations.   

The Company will provide an additional update on the status of the mill on its November 5, 2018, earnings conference call.

About WestRock

WestRock (NYSE: WRK) partners with our customers to provide differentiated paper and packaging solutions that help them win in the marketplace. WestRock’s 45,000 team members support customers around the world from more than 300 operating and business locations spanning North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Learn more at www.westrock.com

Read 3301 times

Latest from Ian Melin-Jones