COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 2621

Paper Mills

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

34companies1869–1997founding years32still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedPapeteries de LanceyFoundedPapeteries de Lancey
1869
FoundedKimberly-Clark CorporationFoundedKimberly-Clark Corporation
1880
FoundedBeckett Papers
1887
FoundedChampion International Corporation
1893
FoundedSimpson Investment Company
1895
FoundedWestvaco Corporation
1899
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedKruger Inc.
1921
FoundedBadger Paper Mills, Inc.
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
FoundedThe Mead Corporation
1930
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedMonadnock Paper Mills, Inc.
1948
FoundedSierra Pacific Industries
1951
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
FoundedPubco Corporation
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
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.
FoundedFletcher Challenge Ltd.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedSmurfit-Stone Container Corporation
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedGaylord Container Corporation
1986
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedFort James Corporation
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

Papeteries de Lancey →
Active · founded 1869 · France
Papeteries de Lancey has entered a new era of its 120-year history.
Papeteries de Lancey →
Active · founded 1869 · France
Papeteries de Lancey has entered a new era of its 120-year history.
Kimberly-Clark Corporation →
Active · founded 1880
With its 1995 merger with Scott Paper Co., Kimberly-Clark Corporation solidified its position as the number two player…
Kimberly-Clark Corporation →
Active · founded 1880
With its 1995 merger with Scott Paper Co., Kimberly-Clark Corporation solidified its position as the number two player…
Kimberly-Clark Corporation →
Active · founded 1880
With its 1995 merger with Scott Paper Co., Kimberly-Clark Corporation solidified its position as the number two player…
Kimberly-Clark Corporation →
Active · founded 1880
With its 1995 merger with Scott Paper Co., Kimberly-Clark Corporation solidified its position as the number two player…
Beckett Papers →
Active · founded 1887
With sales of less than $100 million, Beckett Papers is a rather small, yet distinctive, segment of the Fine Papers…
Beckett Papers →
Active · founded 1887
With sales of less than $100 million, Beckett Papers is a rather small, yet distinctive, segment of the Fine Papers…
Champion International Corporation →
Active · founded 1893
Champion International Corporation is a leading U.S.
Champion International Corporation →
Active · founded 1893
Champion International Corporation is a leading U.S.
Simpson Investment Company →
Active · founded 1895
One of the oldest and largest privately owned companies in the Pacific Northwest, Simpson Investment Company operates…
Simpson Investment Company →
Active · founded 1895
One of the oldest and largest privately owned companies in the Pacific Northwest, Simpson Investment Company operates…
Westvaco Corporation →
Active · founded 1899
Westvaco Corporation is a major manufacturer of printing papers and envelopes, consumer and industrial packaging, and…
Westvaco Corporation →
Active · founded 1899
Westvaco Corporation is a major manufacturer of printing papers and envelopes, consumer and industrial packaging, and…
Kruger Inc. →
Active · founded 1921 · Canada
A leading manufacturer of recycled newsprint and other paper products, Kruger Inc.
Kruger Inc. →
Active · founded 1921 · Canada
A leading manufacturer of recycled newsprint and other paper products, Kruger Inc.
Badger Paper Mills, Inc. →
Active · founded 1929
Badger Paper Mills, Inc.
Badger Paper Mills, Inc. →
Active · founded 1929
Badger Paper Mills, Inc.
The Mead Corporation →
Active · founded 1930
The Mead Corporation is one of the world's largest manufacturers of paper (producing more than 1.7 million tons each…
The Mead Corporation →
Active · founded 1930
The Mead Corporation is one of the world's largest manufacturers of paper (producing more than 1.7 million tons each…
Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc. →
Active · founded 1948
Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc.
Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc. →
Active · founded 1948
Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc.
Sierra Pacific Industries →
Active · founded 1951
The largest timber company in California, Sierra Pacific Industries harvests and mills timber in northern California.
Sierra Pacific Industries →
Active · founded 1951
The largest timber company in California, Sierra Pacific Industries harvests and mills timber in northern California.
Pubco Corporation →
Active · founded 1958
Pubco Corporation is a diversified company with an unusual mix of interests.
Pubco Corporation →
Active · founded 1958
Pubco Corporation is a diversified company with an unusual mix of interests.
Fletcher Challenge Ltd. →
Defunct · founded 1981 · New Zealand
Fletcher Challenge Ltd., New Zealand's largest group of companies, specializes in transforming resources into…
Fletcher Challenge Ltd. →
Defunct · founded 1981 · New Zealand
Fletcher Challenge Ltd., New Zealand's largest group of companies, specializes in transforming resources into…
Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation →
Active · founded 1983
Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation is the world's largest manufacturer of paperboard and paper-based packaging…
Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation →
Active · founded 1983
Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation is the world's largest manufacturer of paperboard and paper-based packaging…
Gaylord Container Corporation →
Active · founded 1986
Gaylord Container Corporation is a major national manufacturer and distributor of corrugated containers,…
Gaylord Container Corporation →
Active · founded 1986
Gaylord Container Corporation is a major national manufacturer and distributor of corrugated containers,…
Fort James Corporation →
Active · founded 1997
Fort James Corporation is one of the largest makers of tissues, napkins, and other paper products in the world.
Fort James Corporation →
Active · founded 1997
Fort James Corporation is one of the largest makers of tissues, napkins, and other paper products in the world.
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