Burnie paper making machine for Bangladesh

Last rites for Tasmania’s paper industry as advertisements in local papers call for workers to help ship the heart of the mill to Asia.

Thailand-based paper manufacturer, Advanced Agro, has bought the Burnie mill’s papermaking machine. PaperlinX closed the 75 year old mill in Northern Tasmania in June, following the sale of its other Australian Paper mainland production sites to Japanese paper manufacturer, Nippon Paper.

For a while it was hoped Advance Agro would make a bid for the mill and keep it going. It ran trials on the machine using its own pulp. But it turns out it was merely testing its suitability for being re-located to Bangladesh.
The sale was reported by industry analyst, Paper Edge, following the placement of advertisements by PaperlinX in the local paper, seeking former workers to help pack it up as well as re-commission it and train operators in Bangladesh. PaperlinX would make no official comment.

Over 100 workers lost their jobs when the mill closed.

Industry sources were puzzled at the decision by Advanced Agro to buy the machine, which by contemporary standards is small and old.