Weekly

Mondi to permanently close Stambolijski sack kraft paper mill in Bulgaria


Valeria Buß, 25 October 2024


Mondi’s fire-hit Stambolijski sack kraft paper mill in Bulgaria will not resume production. The company announced that it decided to permanently close the mill.

The Stambolijski mill was hit by a fire on 24 September following which production was stopped. The damage to the paper machine was significant and it was clear that repairs would take several months. Mondi initially said it did not expect to restart operations before mid-2025.

Now, the company has announced the site's permanent closure.

"After evaluating the options for repairing the mill and the ongoing investment required for the mill to remain competitive in the future, Mondi has concluded that closing the mill and serving customers out of its network of other kraft paper mills is the best course of action overall," said the company.

300 employees will be affected by the closure. The Stambolijski mill, located near Plovdiv, has a capacity of 100,000 tpy of sack kraft paper on one machine. Mondi can fall back on three other sack kraft paper mills in Europe to supply its customers. The company operates one mill each in Štĕtí in the Czech Republic, Frantschach in Austria and Dynäs in Sweden.

Source: Euwid