Mohawk Completes Purchase of Strathmore Artist Papers

[Cohoes, NY] – Mohawk Paper Mills, Inc. announced it has purchased the Fine Papers business from International Paper of Stamford, CT. The new company will employ approximately 800 people and includes both fine papers for commercial printing and the Strathmore Artist Papers business.

“From our perspective, the acquisition is a perfect fit. Strathmore and Mohawk both represent quality and integrity in the industries they serve,” says John O’Connor, Senior VP Administration and Strathmore Artist Papers. “We have always admired the high quality standards of Strathmore and are committed to maintaining the high standards of service that Strathmore customers have come to expect. We have full confidence in the people entrusted to manage this business. The combination brings significant value across the marketing, manufacturing, service and distribution spectrum.”

This acquisition more than doubles the size and revenue of Mohawk, making it the largest North American supplier of premium uncoated papers; and brings together a number of the industry’s most trusted brands — including Strathmore — under the proven management leadership of Mohawk. A five-year capital plan is in development and Mohawk will begin investing in the new operations immediately. The addition of Strathmore Artist Papers provides Mohawk potential expansion into new distribution outlets including retail.

Mohawk’s expanded offering ranges from writing, text and cover, opaque, coated, brights, digital and color copy papers, as well as traditional and non-traditional artist papers. The new Mohawk will now offer a complete and diverse range of papers for artists, corporations, paper merchants, printers and designers.

Mohawk is known in the industry for its innovation, responsiveness, flexibility and efficiency and those best practices will be brought to bear immediately,” says O’Connor. “We will learn from one another,” he adds.

For more information, please read Strathmore Artist Papers Facts or call 1-800 THE MILL.

Mohawk Paper Mills, Inc. is the largest manufacturer of premium printing and imaging papers in the country. Flagship grades include Strathmore^®, Superfine^™, Beckett^®, BriteHue^®, Via^®, Mohawk Color Copy^® and patented Inxwell^® products, Navajo^® and Options^®. Mohawk engineers its papers to provide optimal performance for sheetfed, web and digital printing. Mohawk papers are used in a wide variety of communications including prestigious annual reports, corporate identity systems, high-end brochures, packaging and everyday communication for businesses of all sizes and types. A leader in environmental stewardship, Mohawk is the first large-scale production facilities in the U.S. to use non-polluting, wind energy to manufacture paper. Several of Mohawk’s recycled products have been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council [FSC] and Green Seal.

Strathmore Artist Papers Facts

An Industry Legacy

The history of Strathmore Paper Company began with a groundbreaking for its first mill on St. Patrick's Day in 1892. Horace Moses opened the Mittineague paper mill in West Springfield, MA six months later, when the first sheet of paper rolled off the new company’s 86-inch fourdriner on December 15. The first production run was in January, 1893. Soon after opening the first mill, Mr. Moses visited the Valley of Strathmore in Scotland. The thistle was in full bloom and the beauty of the site impressed him so much that he started using the name and the thistle as a symbol of high quality art and printing papers.

The Strathmore brand name began to appear on fine art papers in 1899, first with Charcoal and soon after with Bristol. The Strathmore brand quickly became known as one of the highest quality art papers used by many leading artists around the world. Strathmore has kept this reputation as a supplier of fine art paper for over a century. Today, Strathmore Artist Papers continue to provide artists of all levels with the ideal surface for producing beautiful works of art.

The symbol of the thistle may have taken on a different appearance throughout the years, but the quality of Strathmore Artist Papers has remained second to none. The choice of papers is one of the most important decisions an artist makes in determining the outcome of their work.

For over 100 years Strathmore Artist Papers has been providing artists with the finest papers and fine art supplies on which to create their artwork. Our papers are manufactured to exacting specifications for every level of expertise. http://www.strathmoreartist.com/fine_art_index.html