Sappi North America, Inc., Boston, Mass., announced the end of a year-long rebuild of Paper Machine 1 at Sappi’s Somerset Mill in Skowhegan, Maine.

Sappi announced a major investment at the Somerset Mill in February 2017 to establish a strong platform for growth in paperboard packaging. These new paperboard grades provide luxury packaging and folding carton applications and complement the company’s existing specialty packaging products.

“We are excited to bring Paper Machine 1 back online after a successful rebuild over the last year. Thanks to an extraordinary amount of work and effort by everyone involved throughout the year, we now look forward to bringing new, innovative paper-based packaging solutions to the market,” says Mark Gardner, president and CEO. “Somerset is a world-class mill, and this rebuild will allow us to continue providing high-quality packaging and graphics solutions to the market at the standard Sappi is known for.”

All of the new product lines will provide convertors with superior color consistency, printability and downstream performance.

“This is an exciting time for Sappi North America,” says Deece Hannigan, vice president of packaging and specialties business. “We are committed to bringing high-quality, innovative and sustainable products to the market that meet a variety of packaging needs. This diversification of our packaging line brings us closer to meeting the goals set in our 2020Vision, while continuing to meet customer needs around the globe.”