Finch Paper will stop making its own pulp

BREAKING NEWS: The 161-year-old Glens Falls paper manufacturer Finch Paper announced today, July 17, that it will stop making any of its own pulp, instead buying all of it from outside suppliers.

Finch said the change “will enable Finch to expand its paper product offerings to customers and create a stronger, more
resilient operation focused solely on its core business of paper making.”

The company said, “All of the hourly employees in the pulp mill and associated woodyard will be offered the opportunity to work in other positions throughout the company.

“Similarly, many of the affected salaried employees will also have the opportunity to be considered for open positions.”

But Finch will stop buying wood from the independent loggers who have perennially supplied it.

The log yards that came to symbolize the company and Glens Falls itself will cease to exist.

“When Finch transitions to purchased pulp, it will no longer be necessary for the company to purchase large quantities of logs from wood suppliers in the Northeast and New England,” the company said.

“Finch will, however, remain active in the wood products market by continuing to purchase wood for use in its biomass cogeneration facility. This process converts bark, sawdust, and rejected wood scraps into high-pressure steam used to dry paper during production.”

Finch Holdings CEO Drew Gardner was quoted, “Continuous adaptation and investment have been the keys to Finch Paper’s success from the very beginning. This is how we continue to meet our responsibilities to our customers, our employees and our communities for many years to come.”