Volume 2, Number 6
Dec 1989

The Big Players

The 16 largest U.S. paper manufacturers who make any significant amount of fine paper are:

Boise Cascade Corp.
Champion International
Consolidated Papers Inc.
Georgia-Pacific Corp.
P.H. Glatfelter
Great Northern Nekoosa
International Paper Co.
James River Corp.
Kimberly-Clark Corp.
Mead Corp.
Pentair Inc.
Potlatch Corp.
Scott Paper Co.
Union Camp Corp.
Westvaco Corp.
Weyerhaeuser Paper Co.
Willamette Paper Co.

These were taken from a list of 29 paper companies surveyed by Pulp & Paper for a report of third quarter sales and earnings, reported on p. 29 of the December issue. (Since the report does not assure us that these are the 29 largest companies, it is possible that one or more were omitted from the survey for some reason unrelated to size. This would mean that the 16 manufacturers may not be the 16 largest, but merely 16 of the largest.)

All of these companies, with the possible exception of Union Camp, are now involved in alkaline papermaking in one way or another. Glatfelter is 100% alkaline, having converted about 1974; IP, Weyerhaeuser, Champion and others have announced plans to convert all their fine paper mills within the next year or two; Pentair, Potlatch and others have 100% alkaline subsidiaries or divisions (Miami, Northwest); others are quietly converting one machine or group of machines or mill at a time or, like James River, have several mills in trials at the same time.

When these companies are arranged according to their sales volume for the third quarter of 1989, this is the order they take:

Not all of that sales volume is from fine papers, of course. These companies also make pulp, newsprint, tissue, board and other products.

Missing from the list are the little mills that led the way in use of alkaline technology (Finch Pruyn, Miami, Mohawk, Ecusta, Warren). Some of them have since been bought by larger companies