IP eliminates five positions at Vicksburg mill at Redwood|[10/20/05]

Published 12:00 am Thursday, October 20, 2005

The International Paper Mill at Vicksburg has eliminated five positions as part of a companywide work force reduction, a spokesman said Wednesday.

&#8220Essentially the company is selling off businesses to focus on two areas,” local mill manager Stephanie Picard said this morning. &#8220In turn, the company is reducing administrative overhead in the two remaining businesses.”

The Vicksburg mill, which is part of the international company’s Industrial Packaging Group, manufactures kraft linerboard used to make the outside layers of corrugated cardboard boxes.

Email newsletter signup

Sign up for The Vicksburg Post's free newsletters

Check which newsletters you would like to receive
  • Vicksburg News: Sent daily at 5 am
  • Vicksburg Sports: Sent daily at 10 am
  • Vicksburg Living: Sent on 15th of each month

In addition to the container business, IP will continue its printing paper arm, which makes copy paper and the like, Picard said.

She said some of the five people eliminated for the work force here were eligible for retirement, while others were simply terminated.

The reductions are part of a companywide cutback announced in the summer, Picard said. Overall, International Paper is reducing its size from 26 mills to 14.

Human resources associate manager Janice Elliot said the local reductions were in engineering and administrative offices.

IP’s Vicksburg mill, on Mississippi 3 at Redwood, was built in the 1960s, and Elliot said it now employs 316. She said there are no plans for more layoffs this year.