Domtar on Feb. 21 announced it will indefinitely curtail paper operations at its subsidiary’s Ashdown, Arkansas, facility. The Ashdown Mill’s A62 paper machine and associated sheeter will be indefinitely idled by the end of June, reducing Domtar’s annual uncoated freesheet capacity by 216,000 short tons. “Domtar restarted the previously idled A62 paper machine in 2021″ said Senior VP of Paper & Packaging Commercial Rob Melton. …”Now, after careful analysis and consideration, we have determined our customer demand for these products has reached a level that no longer requires this production capacity,” Melton explained. Related to this change, the Ashdown mill will restart its pulp dryer, resulting in 165,000 air dried metrics tons annually of added capacity of southern bleached softwood kraft pulp. Domtar noted, “We have reached a tentative agreement with our local union partners. Upon ratification, no employees will be laid off as a result of this announcement.”