Finland strike forcing paper rationing in US
A worker strike against a paper manufacturer in Europe is causing paper shortages for printers in the United States, an example of the supply chain problems plaguing a world economy that is struggling to leave the pandemic behind.
Thousands of workers at mills operated by UPM-Kymmene in Finland have been on strike since early January, and while there was hope that the matter would be resolved expeditiously, strike action was extended for a third time earlier this month until March 12 unless a deal is agreed upon. As the weeks pass, the situation is getting direr for printers and publishers around the world.
Henry Fry, chairman of the board of Fry Communications, has been in the paper business for more than 60 years. His Pennsylvania-based company, which employs some 750 people, has been feeling the sting from the strikes in Finland.
“A lot of paper that is used in the U.S. comes from Finland,” he told the Washington Examiner.
Fry said the strikes have devastated his company’s ability to furnish a certain very common type of printing paper that is used for magazines and catalogs.
“It’s a type of paper that magazines utilize — it’s the first choice of magazines,” he said.
The Washington Examiner uses the type of paper in question for its magazines and is now switching to a different grade of paper because of the shortages.
Because of too little paper chasing too much demand, Fry said he has had to make some difficult decisions, like asking customers to cut their usage of that type of paper by half.
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This is just another aspect of the supply chain problem that comes from going global for supplies. It is one of the problems with globalism that concerned Donal Trump and is why he tried to bring manfacturing back to the US..
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