Smurfit-Stone Container closing Montana, Michigan mills permanently

Smurfit-Stone closing 2 mills permanently

MISSOULA, Mont. — Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. has announced it is permanently closing mills in Montana and Michigan.

The Frenchtown, Mont., mill has 417 employees and will continue operating until Dec. 31. The University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research says the average job at Smurfit-Stone paid more than $70,000 in 2008. The bureau estimates the closure will remove $45 million in payroll and benefits from the Missoula-area economy.

The Ontonagon, Mich., mill ceased operations in September. It had 182 employees.

Smurfit-Stone president and COO Steve Klinger said Monday the two facilities do not provide adequate returns over the long term.

Smurfit-Stone filed for bankruptcy protection last January and expects to emerge from bankruptcy reorganization in the spring.