COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 322130

Paperboard Mills

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

38companies1851–1989founding years36still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedAhlstrom Corporation
1851
FoundedMenasha Corporation
1872
FoundedHolmen AB
1873
FoundedConsolidated Papers, Inc.
1894
FoundedStora Enso Oyj
1896
FoundedInternational Paper Company
1898
FoundedPotlatch Corporation
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedDEMCO, Inc.
1905
FoundedLydall, Inc.FoundedThe Siam Cement Public Company Limited
1913
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedEmpresas CMPC S.A.
1920
FoundedGeorgia-Pacific Corporation
1927
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedDaishowa Paper Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
1938
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedDS Smith Plc
1940
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedGrupo Portucel Soporcel
1952
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedGenting Bhd.
1965
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
FoundedRock-Tenn Company
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedM-real Oyj
1986
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Ahlstrom Corporation →
Active · founded 1851 · Finland
1880s:Ahlstrom begins converting his ironworks into paper and pulp production.
Ahlstrom Corporation →
Active · founded 1851 · Finland
1880s:Ahlstrom begins converting his ironworks into paper and pulp production.
Menasha Corporation →
Active · founded 1872
The third oldest privately held manufacturing company in the United States, Menasha Corporation is a holding company…
Menasha Corporation →
Active · founded 1872
The third oldest privately held manufacturing company in the United States, Menasha Corporation is a holding company…
Holmen AB →
Active · founded 1873 · Sweden
Early 1900s:[fsps*2.5]Company builds a sulfite pulp mill at Domsjö.
Holmen AB →
Active · founded 1873 · Sweden
Early 1900s:[fsps*2.5]Company builds a sulfite pulp mill at Domsjö.
Consolidated Papers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1894
Consolidated Papers, Inc., which was acquired by Finnish-Swedish paper giant Stora Enso Oyj in August 2000, is the…
Consolidated Papers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1894
Consolidated Papers, Inc., which was acquired by Finnish-Swedish paper giant Stora Enso Oyj in August 2000, is the…
Stora Enso Oyj →
Active · founded 1896 · Finland
1288: First documentary evidence of mining at the copper mountain near Falun, Sweden.
Stora Enso Oyj →
Active · founded 1896 · Finland
1288: First documentary evidence of mining at the copper mountain near Falun, Sweden.
International Paper Company →
Active · founded 1898
International Paper Company (IP) is the world's largest producer of paper, packaging, and forest products.
International Paper Company →
Active · founded 1898
International Paper Company (IP) is the world's largest producer of paper, packaging, and forest products.
Potlatch Corporation →
Active · founded 1903
Potlatch Corporation--a mid-sized manufacturer of wood products, printing paper, and other pulp- and paper-based…
Potlatch Corporation →
Active · founded 1903
Potlatch Corporation--a mid-sized manufacturer of wood products, printing paper, and other pulp- and paper-based…
DEMCO, Inc. →
Active · founded 1905
DEMCO, Inc.
DEMCO, Inc. →
Active · founded 1905
DEMCO, Inc.
Lydall, Inc. →
Active · founded 1913
Lydall, Inc.
Lydall, Inc. →
Active · founded 1913
Lydall, Inc.
The Siam Cement Public Company Limited →
Active · founded 1913 · Thailand
One of Thailand's largest companies, The Siam Cement Public Company Limited is a diversified conglomerate with…
The Siam Cement Public Company Limited →
Active · founded 1913 · Thailand
One of Thailand's largest companies, The Siam Cement Public Company Limited is a diversified conglomerate with…
Empresas CMPC S.A. →
Active · founded 1920 · Chile
Empresas CMPC S.A.
Empresas CMPC S.A. →
Active · founded 1920 · Chile
Empresas CMPC S.A.
Georgia-Pacific Corporation →
Active · founded 1927
Georgia-Pacific Corporation is a leading manufacturer and distributor of paper-based consumer products, pulp, office…
Georgia-Pacific Corporation →
Active · founded 1927
Georgia-Pacific Corporation is a leading manufacturer and distributor of paper-based consumer products, pulp, office…
Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1938 · Japan
An independent public company for much of its history, Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1938 · Japan
An independent public company for much of its history, Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
DS Smith Plc →
Active · founded 1940 · United Kingdom
DS Smith Plc has wrapped up leading European positions in its two primary lines of business: packaging (paper-based and…
DS Smith Plc →
Active · founded 1940 · United Kingdom
DS Smith Plc has wrapped up leading European positions in its two primary lines of business: packaging (paper-based and…
Grupo Portucel Soporcel →
Active · founded 1952 · www.portucelsoporcel.com
The addition of Soporcel also allowed the company to shift away from its reliance on the pulp market, which had come…
Grupo Portucel Soporcel →
Active · founded 1952 · www.portucelsoporcel.com
The addition of Soporcel also allowed the company to shift away from its reliance on the pulp market, which had come…
Genting Bhd. →
Active · founded 1965 · Malaysia
Genting Bhd.
Genting Bhd. →
Active · founded 1965 · Malaysia
Genting Bhd.
Rock-Tenn Company →
Defunct · founded 1973
Rock-Tenn Company is one of the largest U.S.
Rock-Tenn Company →
Defunct · founded 1973
Rock-Tenn Company is one of the largest U.S.
M-real Oyj →
Active · founded 1986 · Finland
M-real Oyj--known as Metsä-Serla Oy until 2001--operates as a leading supplier of paper and paperboard and is Europe's…
M-real Oyj →
Active · founded 1986 · Finland
M-real Oyj--known as Metsä-Serla Oy until 2001--operates as a leading supplier of paper and paperboard and is Europe's…
Riverwood International Corporation →
Active · founded 1989
Riverwood International Corporation is a global paperboard, packaging, and packaging machinery firm that produces…
Riverwood International Corporation →
Active · founded 1989
Riverwood International Corporation is a global paperboard, packaging, and packaging machinery firm that produces…
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