Columbia Forest Products wants its Hearst mill to survive

Columbia Forest Products is continuing to invest in its Hearst, Ontario facility, to better its chances of survival.

The company has invested more than $500,000 to upgrade equipment at the mill, including the installation of lean manufacturing processes.

The company also may want to discuss wage and benefit competitiveness, and work rule structure with its unionized workers.

“The next six- to 12 months will the most difficult,” the vice president of Columbia Forest Products’s Northern Operations said in a news release. “Although the overall economy is expected to start a gradual rebound in 2010, the recovery of our industry remains at risk due to excess open capacity at lower cost manufacturing facilities here in North America and in China.”

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Columbia Forest Products not giving up on Hearst mill (Northern Times)