WMTW-TV8 • November 10, 2022
Sappi announced record annual earnings Thursday. As part of that announcement, it said it will invest about $418 million to convert the No. 2 paper machine at its Somerset Mill in Skowhegan to manufacture packaging and specialty papers. That means the machine will go from making coated woodfree graphic paper to solid bleached sulphate board. Sappi said that demand for these products in North America is especially strong right now. As part of the conversion, the machine capacity at the Somerset Mill will nearly double, from 240,000 tons per year to 470,000 tons. The project is expected to be done in early 2025. The mill currently employs about 700 people and this update will likely create more jobs at the site.