Norampac, Jamestown, Smurfit-Stone create joint venture

Norampac Industries Inc., a subsidiary of Cascades Canada Inc., announced September 6 that it has entered into a joint venture with Jamestown Container and Smurfit-Stone to establish a new company called Niagara Sheet LLC. This joint venture will enable the creation of a state-of-the-art corrugated sheet manufacturing plant in Buffalo, N.Y.

Commenting on the transaction, Marc-Andre Depin, president and chief executive officer of Norampac, stated: "The participation of Norampac in this joint venture follows the trend of our investment strategy which aims to consolidate our expansion in the United States and enable us to ensure the quality of our products and the satisfaction of our customers."

This investment will facilitate the supply of Norampac's corrugated products plant located in Lancaster, N.Y., due to its geographical proximity with the new facility.

Norampac owns seven containerboard mills and 26 corrugated products plants in the United States, Canada and France. With an annual production capacity of more than 1.3 million short tons, Norampac is the largest containerboard producer in Canada and the seventh-largest in North America.

Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation is the industry's leading integrated manufacturer of paperboard and paper-based packaging. Smurfit-Stone also is one of the world's largest paper recyclers. The company has led the industry in safety performance every year since 2001 and conducts its business in compliance with the environmental, health and safety principles of the American Forest & Paper Association. Smurfit-Stone operates approximately 170 facilities and employs approximately 22,000 people.

Jamestown Container has been in business in western New York for approximately 50 years and manufactures everything from custom box packaging, custom plastic packaging and litho-laminated containers to wholesale shipping supplies, contract packaging services and product package design. Jamestown has plants in Cleveland; and in Buffalo, Rochester, Falconer and Lockport, N.Y.