THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 16, 1996 TAG: 9608160549
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LON WAGNER
STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 54 lines
The bread and butter of Union Camp Corp.'s Fine Paper Division in Franklin is big rolls of paper that other companies turn into envelopes, business forms and printing paper.
But the paper manufacturer took a step closer to consumers this week when it unveiled plans to build a sheet-converting facility in Southampton County, just a few miles down the road from its Franklin paper mill.
That means people shopping at OfficeMax, Wal-Mart and other stores that sell paper will start seeing more products featuring the Union Camp logo. Paper for printers and copy machines will be fashioned from the big rolls made at the Franklin mill and shipped directly to stores.
The impetus behind the new facility is the burgeoning market for home-office products.
``It will be in quantities that a home-office user could use,'' said Union Camp spokeswoman Ann C. Stephens. ``Home-office users probably aren't interested in buying 10 reams of paper - that would last a lifetime.''
A ream of paper is 500 sheets. Banks and large insurance agencies buy paper by the truckload. Bob Werby, manager of the converting division of Union Camp, said the new plant will ship paper to the stores in packages as small as 100 sheets.
Construction on the new 68,000 square-foot plant is expected to begin at the end of this year and it should be churning out paper late next year.
The new plant could mean as many as 30 new jobs in Southampton County, Werby said.
With those jobs will come groundbreaking cooperation between Union Camp management and the union, United Paperworkers International Local 1488, Werby said.
The company could have tried to establish the new plant as a non-union shop, he said, ``but that was never the idea here.''
Wayne, N.J.-based Union Camp employs about 1,900 people at its Fine Paper Division in Franklin.
``Some of the folks have gone down to Saturn and places like that and those will be models for us,'' he added, ``but there's no question this will go beyond that.'' ILLUSTRATION: VP MAP
THE LOCATION
THE PRODUCTS
Paper for copiers and computer printers will be sold in packets
containing as few as 100 sheets
THE PLANT
The 68,000-square-foot plant could create as many as 30 new jobs in
Southampton. by CNB