Tembec to Curtail Pine Falls Newsprint Operations


Temiscaming, Quebec, Canada, 02 June 2009 – Tembec today announced a temporary curtailment of operations at its Pine Falls, Manitoba, newsprint facility. The shutdown will be for a minimum of three weeks, commencing 16 June, and is directly related to the ongoing challenging market conditions for newsprint. It will affect approximately 300 employees at all levels of the organization from the newsprint and forestry operations.

“Market and operating conditions remain challenging for North American newsprint producers, driven by the significant decline in demand for newsprint and the related need to manage inventory levels and working capital. As a result, this curtailment is unavoidable,” said Chris Black, executive vice president and president, Paper Group.

The curtailment is expected to result in lost production of 11,000 metric tons of newsprint. Tembec indicated it will continue to monitor market conditions closely and will adjust operating rates accordingly.

Employees were advised of the company’s decision at meetings held earlier today.

Tembec is a large, diversified and integrated forest products company that is a leader in sustainable forest management practices. With operations principally located in North America and in France, the company employs approximately 7000 people. Tembec’s common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol TMB and warrants under TMB.WT. Additional information on Tembec is available at www.tembec.com.