Minerals Technologies to Construct a PCC Satellite Plant for Great Northern Paper; Manufacturing Facility to Produce Patented at PCC
NEW YORK--January 2, 2001--Minerals Technologies Inc. (NYSE:MTX) announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary Specialty Minerals Inc. will construct a satellite plant for the production of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) at a paper mill owned by Great Northern Paper, Inc. in Millinocket, Maine.
The satellite plant, which will provide the company's AT(TM) PCC for filling groundwood specialty paper produced by Great Northern, will be equivalent to two units. A unit represents between 25,000 and 35,000 tons of PCC produced annually. AT(TM) PCC is Minerals Technologies' patented acid-tolerant technology that permits the use of PCC, an alkaline material, in an acid papermaking environment. PCC facilitates production of a higher quality, brighter paper. "We are extremely pleased to be selected by Great Northern Paper to construct the permanent satellite PCC plant that will provide our patented PCC technology at their mills in Maine," said Jean-Paul Valles, chairman of Minerals Technologies Inc.
"We look forward to a long and rewarding relationship with this outstanding paper company," said Paul R. Saueracker, president and chief executive officer of Minerals Technologies. "We will begin construction of the satellite PCC plant very soon and expect to begin operation in the third quarter of 2001."
Great Northern Paper, Inc. is a Maine-based company headquartered in Millinocket, which operates pulp and paper mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket, and owns approximately 400,000 acres of forest lands. Great Northern's two paper mills produce recycled fiber-content coated and uncoated specialty, and directory papers in totally chlorine-free manufacturing processes.
PCC is a specialty pigment for filling and coating high-quality paper. By substituting PCC for more expensive wood fiber and for other more expensive pigments, the paper industry is able to produce higher quality paper at lower cost. Minerals Technologies originated the satellite concept for making and delivering PCC on-site at paper mills. This concept has been a major factor in revolutionizing papermaking from an acid to an alkaline-based technology. Minerals Technologies constructed its first PCC satellite plant in 1986. Today, the company has 57 satellite plants in operation or under construction around the world.
Minerals Technologies Inc. is a resource- and technology-based organization that develops and produces performance-enhancing minerals, mineral-based and synthetic mineral products for the paper, steel, polymer and other manufacturing industries on a worldwide basis. The company reported sales of $637.5 million in 1999.