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Blandin Paper
115 SW First St. Grand Rapids, MN 55744 Phone: (218) 327-6302 or Fax: (218) 327-6354 Free guided tours of the mill are offered on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 3 pm, from the first Wednesday in June through the Friday before Labor Day. Tour guides escort small groups through the mill on a continuous basis. The tour also includes a video of the papermaking process. No children under the age of 12 are allowed, and no open-toed shoes or cameras are allowed. Please note that the ability to climb some stairs is required, and the paper mill is very warm. Founded in 1901 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, Blandin Paper became UPM-Kymmene's first North American mill in October 1997 and is one of northern Minnesota's largest employers. Its four paper machines have an annual capacity of about 515,000 short tons (463,500 metric tons), manufacturing No. 3, 4 and 5 grades of paper with basis weights ranging from 30 to 60 pounds. All paper manufactured by Blandin is lightweight coated (LWC), named for its clay-based glossy coating that makes it attractive as a publication paper. In 2001, Blandin's No. 6 coater set a 24-hour world speed record, attaining an average speed of 5,656 feet per minute. Blandin employees subsequently received UPM-Kymmene Corp.'s "Best Lightweight Coated Productivity Improvement Award" for 2001, placing first in the LWC product category and second among all of UPM-Kymmene's 35 publication paper machines worldwide. Blandin Paper Company Quick Facts: Employs about 850, with another 2,000 jobs indirectly attributable to the company's local operations; annual papermaking capacity: 515,000 short tones; 2001 sales: $US400 million, with an estimated $570 million total economic output; forest land owned and managed: 203,000 acres. |