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View Full Version : International Paper, Inverurie Aberdeenshire. April 2009



Gorecki
16-04-2009, 09:20 AM
Visited here with Alir 147.
Getting access to here was a case of it's not what you know, it's who you know!
Tried the official way and it was a no no and then I got a connection through my work and Alir & I were off on our wee trip.

Signed in at security, got our "safety" packs and off we went.
"You'll have fun" said security....
we drove down the long road and it felt like we were on a ride at Disney World, it was SO exciting :D

Inverurie Mill was founded by the Tait family way back in the 1650's, initially providing power for the Meal Mill located in Port Elphinstone. In 1852, the Tait family, recognising the potential increase in demand for paper for educational and other uses, established the Inverurie Paper Mill.

The Mill was an immediate success and went from strength to strength under the stewardship of the Tait family through the 1900s. In 1989, Thomas Tait and Sons became a subsidiary of Federal Paper Board Company Inc. of Montvale, New Jersey.

In March 1996 Federal Paper Board became part of International Paper, the current owners of the Mill. In 2000, Thomas Tait retired from the UK Board of International Paper.

Sadly I got into this hobby too late and had missed capturing the 2 paper mills in Aberdeen, I was not goint to let this one go the same way.

I was very lucky to get access here, and big thanks Daryl our guide for the day. 6 hours and 517 photos, we managed to see everything.
It was amazing, i've never been so up close and personal with a machine before.
No one told us to stand back, no one shouted at us infact I qoute " dee fit you like, nae one gi's a fuck" .. translate to: Do what you like, no one gives a fuck!

Quote from the local paper on 21st October 2008:

"An Aberdeenshire paper mill employing almost 400 workers is facing closure, it has been announced.
International Paper said its Inverurie plant was "unprofitable and not financially viable"

The company has now started a three-month consultation with its 371 staff at the mill and admitted closure was an option"

On Friday 3rd April 2009 150 workers lost their jobs here, the remaining on 8th May 2009.

Paper Machine 4 made its last roll of paper on 23/3/2009 and is now being stripped and sold to a local metal dealers.

Plans are to turn the area into a retail park with Hotels & restuarants.


http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/3395505367_0ed6f0e1a4.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/3395560475_7c11b717d8.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/3396353452_029c469019.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/3392439115_e3a51ac75e.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/3392438795_2bc1ae5fe9.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/3395570683_a9c383988d.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/3396353452_029c469019.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/3396383282_34d4a434ed.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/3396316096_0d435528ee.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/3395509665_bb10283c44.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/3396316858_2b42a38105.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/3396381830_2e93412dff.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/3396321056_bbce06c106.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/3393249738_baa84e3e30.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/behindpm4.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/3395563179_7c5feb5bef.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/3395498741_507d6345c1_o.jpg

This was Charlie, he has worked here for 23 years :/

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/3395500653_fa8ee7f968_o.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg95/Gorecki01/ue1/3395508001_4a01333fb2_o.jpg

More photos of the paper mill Here =] (http://www.flickr.com/photos/8333696/sets/72157616002070859/) :D

Alir147
16-04-2009, 09:33 AM
These photos are from the paper mill at Inverurie in aberdeenshire during it's final week of operation. At this point, over 110 people have lost their jobs and the remaining 200 are leaving within the next few weeks. the biggest paper machine had already been shut down for good by the time we got to see this, and was only a few days away from being dismantled by scrappies

Owned by internation paper, it's one of the biggest employers in the area and has been for over 100 years. Like it's 'neighbours' down the river don though, it's been decided the mill is not profitable enough, despite supplying 80% of the UK's printer and copier paper.


exteriors

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09203.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09213.jpg

i think these large containers hold supplies of starch. they have lids that are designed to blow off if the pressure gets too high. this happened once and so a big cleanup operation had to follow

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09212.jpg

dyes
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09021.jpg

control panel on one of the machines
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09054.jpg

an electronic PFD (process flow diagram) - this shows all the parts and process involved with the particular machine
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09056.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09077.jpg

endless ammounts of paper which apparantely is unlikely to ever be sold - big waste
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09100.jpg

"merry christmas - cunts! thanks a lot"
words from the workers who will soon be jobless -at the smokers shed. the cups are there to stop the breeze when the boys are havin' a fag :D
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09141.jpg

the old shrink wrapping machine - already out of use for years
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09145.jpg

last reams of paper to be produced from inverurie
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09172.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09192.jpg

the welders work shop. employees could rely on these guys to do any jobs for them, even if it's for their own use at home and nothing to do with work
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09194.jpg

inside the control room of the power plant - the guys here were just sitting back biding their time
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09227.jpg

power plant
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09231.jpg

pm 4 - the shut down paper machine
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09242.jpg

pm4
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09257.jpg

conveyor belts that take the pulp in to the beginnings of the process i presume. there was a boy here loading 'cakes' on to the belts, just using up the last they had.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09261.jpg

the effluent plant. the left is how it SHOULD look. the right is what the environmental folk give them in to trouble for! :lol:

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/Ali_169/IPM/INVERURIEPAPERMILLMARCH09280.jpg

KingElvis
16-04-2009, 09:40 AM
Fuck that machine is HUGE....lovely stuff and nice to see one of these places before it gets stripped out.

Cracking :thumb

boxfrenzy
16-04-2009, 11:00 AM
That is great. Some lovely colours too.

ERNIE99_UK
16-04-2009, 11:09 AM
More industry at the end of an era:(. Id rather see the jobs kept as the people with jobs will end up paying for them:(. Nice photography;)

BB
16-04-2009, 05:06 PM
Cool stuff there :D

**MudLark**
16-04-2009, 08:48 PM
Very nice one, i think you have captured a real bit of history there well done :thumb
and lots of industrial yumminess too!
:D

skin
16-04-2009, 09:46 PM
Great to see it before it all goes elsewhere - well done for sorting that one - what a grand scale operation :thumb