Fibrek Begins Downtime at Fairmont Recycled Pulp Mill


Montréal, Québec, Canada, 09 September 2011 -- Fibrek Inc. (TSX: FBK) will begin a scheduled shutdown at its Fairmont recycled pulp mill in West Virginia, USA, on September 12 for the replacement of two decker drums and annual maintenance. Originally planned for two weeks, the shutdown will be extended for two additional weeks to respond to current market conditions.

The recycled bleached kraft (RBK) pulp market continues to be negatively affected by wastepaper prices, which remain very high.

This measure will remove approximately 15,000 metric tons of RBK pulp from production, including scheduled outages. Meanwhile, the company will continue to fulfill its customers’ commitments as usual. The Fairmont mill produces approximately 215,000 metric tons of RBK pulp annually.

Fibrek (TSX: FBK) is a leading producer and marketer of high-quality virgin and recycled kraft pulp. The company operates three mills, located in Saint-Félicien, Québec, Canada, in Fairmont, West Virginia, USA, and in Menominee, Michigan, USA, with a combined annual production capacity of 760,000 metric tons. Fibrek has approximately 500 employees. The Saint-Félicien mill provides northern bleached softwood kraft pulp to various sectors of the paper industry mainly in Canada, the United States, and Europe, for use in the production of specialized products. The Fairmont and Menominee mills manufacture air-dried RBK pulp and primarily supply manufacturers of fine uncoated paper, tissue paper for commercial and industrial uses, and coated paper in the United States.