International Paper is an American
pulp and paper companyThe global pulp and paper industry is dominated by North American , northern European and East Asian countries . Australasia and Latin America also have significant pulp and paper industries...
, the largest pulp and paper company in the world. It has approximately 51,500 employees. Its global headquarters are currently in
Memphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4
th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River....
.
International Paper was formed by
Hugh J. ChisholmHugh Joseph Chisholm was a Canadian industrialist who later became a citizen of the United States, was born in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada, to parents of Scottish ancestry. His early years as an entrepreneur in the news distribution business provided a foundation for his later accomplishments in...
and two associates on January 31, 1898 with the merger of 18 pulp and paper mills in the northeastern United States. This merger was a milestone in the history of American
newsprintNewsprint is low-cost, non-archival paper most commonly used to print newspapers, plus other publications and advertising material. It usually has an off-white cast and distinctive feel. It is designed for use on printing presses that employ a long web of paper rather than individual sheets of paper...
, as the newly formed company now supplied 60 percent of all newsprint in the country.
International Paper is an American
pulp and paper companyThe global pulp and paper industry is dominated by North American , northern European and East Asian countries . Australasia and Latin America also have significant pulp and paper industries...
, the largest pulp and paper company in the world. It has approximately 51,500 employees. Its global headquarters are currently in
Memphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4
th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River....
.
History
International Paper was formed by
Hugh J. ChisholmHugh Joseph Chisholm was a Canadian industrialist who later became a citizen of the United States, was born in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada, to parents of Scottish ancestry. His early years as an entrepreneur in the news distribution business provided a foundation for his later accomplishments in...
and two associates on January 31, 1898 with the merger of 18 pulp and paper mills in the northeastern United States. This merger was a milestone in the history of American
newsprintNewsprint is low-cost, non-archival paper most commonly used to print newspapers, plus other publications and advertising material. It usually has an off-white cast and distinctive feel. It is designed for use on printing presses that employ a long web of paper rather than individual sheets of paper...
, as the newly formed company now supplied 60 percent of all newsprint in the country. Through acquisitions and capital investment, the company grew both in the United States and internationally. In 1986, it acquired the HammerMill Paper Company, in 1988 the Masonite Corporation, and in 1989 the
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
paper company Zanders Feinpapiere AG and the
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
paper manufacturer Aussedat Rey. In addition, International Paper has shareholdings in the
ChileChile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an company
CopecEmpresas Copec is a Chilean energy and forestry company with a chain of gas stations throughout Chile.Copec started as company in 1934. First president of Copec was Pedro Aguirre Cerda, who later became Chilean president. Today Roberto Angelini Rossi is president of Copec.- External links :*...
. In 1999, International Paper purchased
Union Camp CorporationUnion Camp Corporation was an American pulp and paper company and a private owner of timberland in the United States. In 1999 it was acquired by International Paper.-Company creation:...
and in 2000 purchased
Champion International PaperChampion International Paper was a large paper producer that was bought by International Paper in 2000. Champion had operated since the late 19th century in the USA and other countries....
.
In 2005 and 2006, International Paper undertook significant restructuring, selling over of forestland in the U.S., along with its coated paper,
kraft paperKraft paper is paper produced by the kraft process from wood pulp. It is strong and relatively coarse. Kraft paper is usually a brown colour but can be bleached to produce white paper. It is used for paper grocery bags, multiwall sacks, envelopes and other packaging....
, wood products, and beverage packaging businesses, as well as subsidiaries Arizona Chemical and New Zealand-based
Carter Holt HarveyCarter Holt Harvey Limited is an Australasian forest products company, with significant interests in wood products, pulp, paper and packaging. The company employs approximately 10,500 people across Australasia. Carter Holt Harvey's head New Zealand office is located at 173 Captain Springs Road in...
. The
coated paperCoated paper is paper which has been coated by a compound to impart certain qualities to the paper, including weight and surface gloss, smoothness or ink absorbency. Kaolinite and calcium carbonate are most often used for coating papers used in commercial printing. Other process can be poly olefin...
business (four mills in
MaineThe State of Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is the northernmost portion of...
,
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and
MinnesotaMinnesota is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.2 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the...
) were sold to
Apollo ManagementApollo Management L.P. is a private equity investment firm, founded in 1990 by former Drexel Burnham Lambert banker, Leon Black. The firm specializes in leveraged buyout transactions and purchases of distressed securities involving corporate restructuring, special situations and industry...
and now operate as
Verso PaperVerso Paper is a pulp and paper company based in Memphis, TN. The company has paper manufacturing facilities in Jay, ME, Bucksport, ME, Sartell, MN, and Quinnesec, MI. It has approximately 3,000 employees....
. The kraft paper business (composed of a kraft paper mill in
Roanoke RapidsRoanoke Rapids is a city in Halifax County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 16,957 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Roanoke Rapids Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
,
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
and a dunnage bag plant in
FordyceFordyce is a city in Dallas County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 4,799 at the 2000 census.The city is the county seat, home to the 1911 Dallas County Courthouse .-Geography:Fordyce is located at ....
,
ArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquin name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River. Its diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the...
) was sold to
KapstoneKapStone Paper and Packaging is an American pulp and paper company based in Northbrook, IL.The company has Kraft paper manufacturing facilities in Roanoke Rapids, NC and North Charleston, SC as well as a lumber mill in Summerville, SC....
Paper and Packaging and operates as Kapstone Kraft Paper. The beverage packaging business, now called Evergreen Packaging, was purchased by
Carter Holt HarveyCarter Holt Harvey Limited is an Australasian forest products company, with significant interests in wood products, pulp, paper and packaging. The company employs approximately 10,500 people across Australasia. Carter Holt Harvey's head New Zealand office is located at 173 Captain Springs Road in...
, following the purchase of CHH by
Graeme HartGraeme Hart is a New Zealand businessman reported to be the richest person in New Zealand and Australasia with a personal fortune of NZ$8.8 billion according to the 2009 Forbes rich list. The 2007 September 22-28 Issue of the New Zealand Listener listed Hart as being the 29th most powerful New...
. International Paper sold the Wood Products division of the company to
West Fraser TimberWest Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. is a Canadian forestry company based in Quesnel, British Columbia. In 2006 it became the second largest lumber producer in North America....
Inc., out of Vancouver,
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
. This included 13
sawmillA sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of 100 years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s, making West Fraser the second largest producer of lumber in North America, next to Weyerhaeuser Company.
Products and corporate structure
International Paper is the largest producer of plastic lids and
paper cupA paper cup is a disposable cup made out of paper and often lined with plastic or wax to prevent liquid from leaking out or soaking through the paper. It may be made of recycled paper and is widely used around the world.-History:...
s, manufacturing for the fast-food giants McDonalds, Wendys,
SubwaySubway is a fast food franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches, salads and personal pizzas. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with approximately 31,835 restaurants in 91 countries as of September 2009...
and coffee giant
StarbucksStarbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington, United States. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 16,120 stores in 49 countries, including around 11,000 in the United States, followed by nearly 1,000 in Canada and...
. The Wood Products division of International Paper was sold in 2007 to West Fraser Timberland Inc., a company headquartered in Vancouver. The company currently produces
printerA printer can be:* Printer , a company or person who operates a printing press* Printer , a computer peripheral that reproduces text and/or pictures on paper or other kind of printable surface...
and copier paper,
envelopeAn envelope is a packaging product, usually made of flat material such as paper or cardboard, and designed to contain a flat object, which in a postal-service context is usually a letter, card or bills. The traditional type is made from a sheet of paper cut to one of three shapes: the rhombus , the...
s, corrugated packaging and
shipping containerA shipping container is a container with strength sutiable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to ubiquitous corrugated boxes.-Intermodal freight containers:...
s, consumer packaging for
cosmeticCosmetic may refer to:*Cosmetics, or make-up, substances to enhance the beauty of the human body, apart from simple cleaning*Cosmetic, an adjective describing beauty, aesthetics, or appearance, especially concerning the human body...
, home entertainment and other retail markets, and food service packaging. It also owns Xpedx, a large North American distribution and logistics company.
International Paper is a former
Dow Jones Industrial AverageThe Dow Jones Industrial Average also referred to as the Industrial Average, the Dow Jones, the Dow 30, or simply as the Dow; is one of several stock market indices, created by Wall Street Journal editor and Dow Jones & Company co-founder Charles Dow...
component, listed in the index from July 3, 1956 to April 7, 2004. It was one of three components to be dropped in the 2004 change, together with
AT&TAT&T Inc. is the largest provider of local, long distance telephone services in the United States, and also serves digital subscriber line Internet access. AT&T is the second largest provider of wireless service in the United States, with over 77 million wireless customers, and more than 150...
and
Eastman KodakEastman Kodak Company is a multinational US corporation which produces imaging and photographic materials and equipment. Long known for its wide range of photographic film products, Kodak is re-focusing on two major markets: digital photography and digital printing.- Origins :Kodak's origins rest...
.
Beginning February 1, 2007 the sale of the beverage packaging division was completed as
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
billionaire Graham Hart won the bid with nearly an 800 million dollar purchase. The division now operates under the Evergreen label.
On Monday March 17, International Paper, announced it is buying the containerboard unit of Weyerhaeuser Co. for $6 billion in cash.
In October 2007, International Paper formed a joint venture with Ilim Holding, Ilim Group, the alliance in the Russian forest sector.
Munson TransportationNY.
External links