Smurfit WestRock paper mill closing in St. Paul, laying off about 189 workers

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In this photo illustration, the Smurfit Westrock company logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. (Photo Illustration by Piotr Swat/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Smurfit WestRock paper mill in St. Paul is closing, permanently laying off about 189 employees in the city as part of a widespread staff and facility reduction.

The company describes itself as "a global leader in sustainable paper and packaging," according to its website. 

St. Paul WestRock plan closing

Big picture view:

Smurfit Westrock shared a news release announcing it will permanently close its coated recycled board (CRB) mill located at 2250 Wabash Avenue in St. Paul.

Another mill in Forney, Texas, will also discontinue production, according to the news release. 

The company adds it has "initiated consultations with local works councils in Germany" to permanently close two converting facilities there. 

Smurfit Westrock said about 650 employees in the U.S. and Germany will be impacted by the closings.

These moves are expected to reduce the company's containerboard and CRB capacity by more than 500,000 tons, according to the news release. 

What they're saying:

President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Smurfit Westrcik, Tony Smurfit, shared the following statement: "While closing facilities is never an easy decision, it is based on a realistic expectation of current and future capacity needs, operating costs and an unrelenting focus on improving our business. We are very grateful for the significant contributions made by the teams at these locations over the years, and we will do all we can to support them throughout this process."  

Impacted employees will get local severance according to company policy, the works council and labor union agreements, according to the news release from Smurfit Westrock.

Local perspective:

The Minnesota Employment and Economic Development State Rapid Response Team shared a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) letter that said employees are expected to start being laid off on June 30, 2025, or within 14 days of that date. 

The WARN letter adds that bumping rights will follow applicable collective bargaining agreements and there are no trade implications at this time. 

Some of the workers, who include maintenance mechanics, engineers, electricians, chemical attendants and other roles, are represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW Local 110) the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE Local 70) and the United Steelworker of America (USW Local 264), according to the WARN letter.