Appleton, Wisconsin, USA, 22 July 2010 -- Appleton expects its West Carrollton, Ohio, paper mill to return to full production within a couple of weeks following the recent collapse of some internal structures of a coal silo at the mill. The incident occurred on 10 July and caused no injuries.

Most of the West Carrollton facility was undamaged; however, the partial collapse of the coal silo reduced the mill’s ability to produce power and steam and resulted in a temporary shutdown of the mill on 10 and 11 July, 2010. Portions of the mill returned to production on 12 July. A combination of repairs and the installation of temporary boilers are underway.

“We are thankful no one was hurt at the mill,” said Mark Richards, Appleton’s chief executive officer. “Since the incident occurred, our operation, planning, logistics, and sales and customer service teams have been very resourceful at managing order demand and leveraging the strength of our network of manufacturing facilities. Our goal is to minimize the impact of the incident on our customers.”

Appleton quickly shifted production of some of the carbonless and thermal paper products produced at the West Carrollton mill to the company’s manufacturing facilities in Appleton, Wisconsin, and Roaring Spring, Penssylvania.

Some Appleton customers, primarily those who purchase carbonless rolls, might be affected by the incident at the West Carrollton mill. Those customers have already been contacted directly by the company. Appleton has adjusted schedules for the mill’s production crews while repairs are underway at the mill. No jobs will be lost at the mill as result of the incident.

Appleton believes the incident will have no material impact on its financial performance nor will the incident significantly affect the company’s ability to fulfill current or future order for its paper products.

Appleton creates product solutions through its development and use of coating formulations, coating applications, and microencapsulation technology. The company produces carbonless, thermal, and security papers, and microencapsulation products. Appleton, headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, has manufacturing operations in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin; employs approximately 2000 people; and is 100% employee-owned. For more information, visit www.appletonideas.com.