PORTLAND — The Maine International Trade Center named ND Paper, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Limited, its Foreign Direct Investor of the Year.

The Chinese company plans to reopen the mill in Old Town this summer. They also bought and invested in the Rumford paper mill last year.

“What’s exciting about ND Paper is they are bringing a 100-year outlook to these mills, so our focus has switched from surviving to thriving,” mill manager Randy Chicoine said in a press release. “These investments give the communities hope and the next generation hope of a future in the pulp and paper industry.”

Last year, 2,087 Maine companies exported $2.8 billion in goods and services, according to the trade center, with the top four exports being seafood, semiconductors, aircraft parts and forest products.

The trade center said that after Nine Dragons’ purchase in Rumford, the mill diversified its product mix into growing markets such as gift wrap, corporate periodicals and labels for cans, bottles and deli containers.

The mill employs 650 people and the Old Town mill, closed since 2015, is expected to employ 130.

Awards will be presented during Maine International Trade Day on May 24 at an event in Portland.


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