Cascades

History

The Lemaire family founded the Drummond Pulp & Fibre company in 1957, which recovered household and industrial waste. In 1964, Antonio Lemaire and his sons officially ventured into the production of paper made from recycled fibres when they took over a mill in Kingsey Falls, Quebec from the Dominion Paper Co.. Papier Cascades Inc. was born of that transaction.

In 1971, Cascades began its expansion in Kingsey Falls with the creation of Cascades Forma-Pak, its first moulded-pulp mill to use 100% recycled fibres. From 1972 to 1977: the company started Papier Kingsey Falls (multi-layer board), Cascades Industries (tissue paper), Plastiques Cascades and Cascades Conversion. In 1976, the Lemaire brothers started the production of container board in Cabano, Québec.

In 1983 Cascades' shares began trading on the Montreal Stock Exchange. That same year, its entry into the United States began with the start-up of Cascades Industries Inc. in Rockingham, North Carolina. In Québec, Cascades began producing kraft paper in East Angus, Quebec and acquired a boxboard plant in Jonquière, Quebec, the following year.

In 1985, the company made its entry into Europe with the acquisition of a boxboard plant in La Rochette, France. This new expansion took shape in 1986 with the creation of Cascades S.A. and the acquisition of another French boxboard mill in Blendecques. From 1987 to 1989, other mills located in Sweden and Belgium became part of the Cascades Group as well: Djupafors AB in Sweden and Kartonfabriek van Duffel NV in Belgium. The Belgian mill was renamed Cascades Duffel NV but ceased its production in 1993 after heavy losses and then was immediately transformed into a cutting center for the other European mills of the group. Declared definitively closed in the accounts of 1997, it was reconverted in 2002 by the ex-president of the board of Cascades, Laurent Lemaire, to a so-called internal commercial agency. This so-called agency (before different fiscal controles...), without collaborator working in Belgium, was implied at the time of exports of cartonboard out of Europe, in particular those in transit by the port of Antwerp (according to boards of directors of Cascades SA of June 28, 2002 and Nov 3, 2003). After a final stop of her so-called activities in 2005 (due to fiscal controles in other Cascades mills in France and Germany), Cascades Duffel NV was "liquidated" with immediate effect on 28 December 2011.

Recent history

During the 2000s, Cascades closed mills in Thunder Bay, Montréal, Red Rock, Pickering, Buffalo, New York and Boissy-le-Châtel. In 2005, the company proceeded with the sale of its fine papers (Cascades Resources) and its tissue paper (Wood Wyant) distribution assets.

With the purchase of Domtar's shares in Norampac in 2006 and the merger of its European boxboard operations with Reno de Medici in 2007, Cascade has consolidated its position as a leader in the containerboard and boxboard sectors.

In 2008, North-American boxboard activities were integrated into Norampac's cartonboard activities. In addition to creating synergy, this integration led to the creation of a larger packaging group.

In 2011, Cascades named Mario Plourde chief operating officer, enabling Alain Lemaire, president and chief executive officer, to devote more time to the strategic vision of the company. Also in 2011, Cascades sold Dopaco Inc., its paper cup and carton converting business for the quick-service restaurant and foodservice industries, to Reynolds Group Holdings Limited.