A week after the white liquor tank implosion disaster, the Longview community mourns the 11 people killed. Implications are emerging for paper and packaging industry supply chains.

The pain and sense of loss is palpable in this 38,000-person community in Southwest Washington, as well as in the surrounding areas of the state and neighboring Oregon. Gov. Bob Ferguson called for Washington state agency buildings’ flags to remain at half staff through sunset on June 7.

For generations, Longview has had the distinction of being a “mill town,” even as the industrial strip has grown to include other industries such as metals production. Locals describe a tight-knit community where nearly everyone knows someone who has worked at one of the wood or paper mills.

Nippon Paper continues to state that the Longview incident’s impact on production, shipments and financial performance is still being assessed. But the paper and packaging industry is beginning to get a sense of current and potential future supply chain effects from the production curtailment.

Analysts are flagging that fallout from the Nippon Dynawave incident likely will ripple through the paper and packaging industry. The Longview mill produces roughly 300,000 metric tons of paperboard for cartons and cups annually. 

A mill town in mourning: Nippon Dynawave cleanup and questions continue | Packaging Dive