COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 322121

Paper Mills

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

58companies1851–1995founding years56still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedAhlstrom Corporation
1851
FoundedMatussière et Forest SA
1858
FoundedHolmen AB
1873
FoundedConsolidated Papers, Inc.
1894
FoundedStora Enso Oyj
1896
FoundedWeyerhaeuser Company
1900
FoundedPotlatch Corporation
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedWillamette Industries, Inc.
1906
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
FoundedWausau-Mosinee Paper Corporation
1910
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedEmpresas CMPC S.A.
1920
FoundedGeorgia-Pacific CorporationFoundedLongview Fibre Company
1927
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
FoundedDaishowa Paper Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
1938
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedDS Smith Plc
1940
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedNorske Skogindustrier ASA
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedM-real Oyj
1986
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
FoundedRiverwood International Corporation
1989
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedCrown Vantage Inc.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Ahlstrom Corporation →
Active · founded 1851 · Finland
1880s:Ahlstrom begins converting his ironworks into paper and pulp production.
Ahlstrom Corporation →
Active · founded 1851 · Finland
1880s:Ahlstrom begins converting his ironworks into paper and pulp production.
Matussière et Forest SA →
Active · founded 1858 · France
Group Matussière & Forest SA (MF) is one of France's leading makers of "communications paper," which includes newsprint…
Matussière et Forest SA →
Active · founded 1858 · France
Group Matussière & Forest SA (MF) is one of France's leading makers of "communications paper," which includes newsprint…
UPM-Kymmene Corporation →
Active · founded 1872 · Finland
UPM-Kymmene Corporation is Finland's leading forestry company and Europe's largest papermaking concern.
UPM-Kymmene Corporation →
Active · founded 1872 · Finland
UPM-Kymmene Corporation is Finland's leading forestry company and Europe's largest papermaking concern.
Holmen AB →
Active · founded 1873 · Sweden
Early 1900s:[fsps*2.5]Company builds a sulfite pulp mill at Domsjö.
Holmen AB →
Active · founded 1873 · Sweden
Early 1900s:[fsps*2.5]Company builds a sulfite pulp mill at Domsjö.
Consolidated Papers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1894
Consolidated Papers, Inc., which was acquired by Finnish-Swedish paper giant Stora Enso Oyj in August 2000, is the…
Consolidated Papers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1894
Consolidated Papers, Inc., which was acquired by Finnish-Swedish paper giant Stora Enso Oyj in August 2000, is the…
De La Rue plc →
Active · founded 1896 · United Kingdom
The world's largest commercial banknote printer and banknote paper manufacturer, De La Rue plc has a presence in…
De La Rue plc →
Active · founded 1896 · United Kingdom
The world's largest commercial banknote printer and banknote paper manufacturer, De La Rue plc has a presence in…
Stora Enso Oyj →
Active · founded 1896 · Finland
1288: First documentary evidence of mining at the copper mountain near Falun, Sweden.
Stora Enso Oyj →
Active · founded 1896 · Finland
1288: First documentary evidence of mining at the copper mountain near Falun, Sweden.
International Paper Company →
Active · founded 1898
International Paper Company (IP) is the world's largest producer of paper, packaging, and forest products.
International Paper Company →
Active · founded 1898
International Paper Company (IP) is the world's largest producer of paper, packaging, and forest products.
Weyerhaeuser Company →
Active · founded 1900
Weyerhaeuser Company is the world's largest private owner of softwood timber and the world's largest producer of…
Weyerhaeuser Company →
Active · founded 1900
Weyerhaeuser Company is the world's largest private owner of softwood timber and the world's largest producer of…
Potlatch Corporation →
Active · founded 1903
Potlatch Corporation--a mid-sized manufacturer of wood products, printing paper, and other pulp- and paper-based…
Potlatch Corporation →
Active · founded 1903
Potlatch Corporation--a mid-sized manufacturer of wood products, printing paper, and other pulp- and paper-based…
P.H. Glatfelter Company →
Active · founded 1906
P.H.
P.H. Glatfelter Company →
Active · founded 1906
P.H.
Willamette Industries, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1906
Willamette Industries, Inc., headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is a medium-sized, diversified forest-products company.
Willamette Industries, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1906
Willamette Industries, Inc., headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is a medium-sized, diversified forest-products company.
Wausau-Mosinee Paper Corporation →
Active · founded 1910
Wausau-Mosinee Paper Corporation is a leading producer of specialty, fine printing and writing, and towel and tissue…
Wausau-Mosinee Paper Corporation →
Active · founded 1910
Wausau-Mosinee Paper Corporation is a leading producer of specialty, fine printing and writing, and towel and tissue…
The Siam Cement Public Company Limited →
Active · founded 1913 · Thailand
One of Thailand's largest companies, The Siam Cement Public Company Limited is a diversified conglomerate with…
The Siam Cement Public Company Limited →
Active · founded 1913 · Thailand
One of Thailand's largest companies, The Siam Cement Public Company Limited is a diversified conglomerate with…
Empresas CMPC S.A. →
Active · founded 1920 · Chile
Empresas CMPC S.A.
Empresas CMPC S.A. →
Active · founded 1920 · Chile
Empresas CMPC S.A.
Kimberly-Clark de México, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1925 · Mexico
Kimberly-Clark de México, S.A.
Kimberly-Clark de México, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1925 · Mexico
Kimberly-Clark de México, S.A.
Georgia-Pacific Corporation →
Active · founded 1927
Georgia-Pacific Corporation is a leading manufacturer and distributor of paper-based consumer products, pulp, office…
Georgia-Pacific Corporation →
Active · founded 1927
Georgia-Pacific Corporation is a leading manufacturer and distributor of paper-based consumer products, pulp, office…
Longview Fibre Company →
Active · founded 1927
Longview Fibre Company owns and operates a pulp and paper mill as well as 16 container and bag plants in 11 states.
Longview Fibre Company →
Active · founded 1927
Longview Fibre Company owns and operates a pulp and paper mill as well as 16 container and bag plants in 11 states.
Miquel y Costas Miquel S.A. →
Active · founded 1929 · Spain
Miquel y Costas Miquel S.A.(MCM) is a manufacturer of specialty papers and one of only four cigarette paper…
Miquel y Costas Miquel S.A. →
Active · founded 1929 · Spain
Miquel y Costas Miquel S.A.(MCM) is a manufacturer of specialty papers and one of only four cigarette paper…
Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1938 · Japan
An independent public company for much of its history, Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1938 · Japan
An independent public company for much of its history, Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
DS Smith Plc →
Active · founded 1940 · United Kingdom
DS Smith Plc has wrapped up leading European positions in its two primary lines of business: packaging (paper-based and…
DS Smith Plc →
Active · founded 1940 · United Kingdom
DS Smith Plc has wrapped up leading European positions in its two primary lines of business: packaging (paper-based and…
Grupo Portucel Soporcel →
Active · founded 1952 · www.portucelsoporcel.com
The addition of Soporcel also allowed the company to shift away from its reliance on the pulp market, which had come…
Grupo Portucel Soporcel →
Active · founded 1952 · www.portucelsoporcel.com
The addition of Soporcel also allowed the company to shift away from its reliance on the pulp market, which had come…
Norske Skogindustrier ASA →
Active · founded 1962 · Norway
Norske Skogindustrier ASA (the name literally means Norwegian Paper Industry) has repositioned itself at the beginning…
Norske Skogindustrier ASA →
Active · founded 1962 · Norway
Norske Skogindustrier ASA (the name literally means Norwegian Paper Industry) has repositioned itself at the beginning…
Mercer International Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Mercer International Inc.
Mercer International Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Mercer International Inc.
M-real Oyj →
Active · founded 1986 · Finland
M-real Oyj--known as Metsä-Serla Oy until 2001--operates as a leading supplier of paper and paperboard and is Europe's…
M-real Oyj →
Active · founded 1986 · Finland
M-real Oyj--known as Metsä-Serla Oy until 2001--operates as a leading supplier of paper and paperboard and is Europe's…
Riverwood International Corporation →
Active · founded 1989
Riverwood International Corporation is a global paperboard, packaging, and packaging machinery firm that produces…
Riverwood International Corporation →
Active · founded 1989
Riverwood International Corporation is a global paperboard, packaging, and packaging machinery firm that produces…
Arjo Wiggins Appleton p.l.c. →
Active · founded 1991 · United Kingdom
Late 1990s:Company undergoes major reorganization while the Agnelli family assumes a 40 percent ownership position.
Arjo Wiggins Appleton p.l.c. →
Active · founded 1991 · United Kingdom
Late 1990s:Company undergoes major reorganization while the Agnelli family assumes a 40 percent ownership position.
Crown Vantage Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
Crown Vantage Inc., a relatively new company in the U.S.
Crown Vantage Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
Crown Vantage Inc., a relatively new company in the U.S.
Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc.
Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc.
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