Appleton to resume full production after silo collapse

WEST CARROLLTON — Part of a coal silo at Appleton’s paper mill collapsed earlier this month and full production at the plant should resume in about two weeks, a spokesman for the company said Thursday, July 22.

No one was injured in the collapse of “some internal structures of a coal silo” at Appleton’s 1030 W. Alex-Bell Road plant, said a statement from the Appleton, Wisc.-based company. The partial collapse reduced the plant’s ability to produce steam and power and resulted in a temporary shutdown of the facility July 10 and 11, the company said. Parts of the mill returned to production July 12.

Appleton’s statement Thursday was the company’s first on the subject, said Bill Van Den Brandt, an Appleton spokesman.

“There was no initial announcement of it,” he said. “We were trying to understand what was going on.”

No jobs were lost in the mill as a result of the incident. Some customers of Appleton carbonless paper rolls may be affected, but the company said it has contacted those customers and adjusted production schedules.

Van Den Brandt said he believed West Carrollton fire personnel responded to the scene even though there was no fire and no injuries.

The mill has had problems in the past. In July 2009, a 39-year-old Crane Pro Services worker died after being trapped beneath a 5-ton piece of equipment, known as a “strong back,” which moves rolls of paper and handles up to 55,000 pounds of weight. Also that month, part of a building facade at the mill collapsed, an incident in which no one was hurt.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2390 or tgnau@DaytonDailyNews.com.

About the Author