Since Finch Paper's founding in 1865 along the Hudson River in Glens Falls (Warren County), New York, the company has continuously improved the way it operates at nearly every step in the process—from responsible forestry, to odor-free pulping, to just-in-time papermaking.
When Finch Paper rolled out its new digital paper product line in 2011 to service the growing variable-data printing industry, the company drew on three of its well-established competitive strengths:
integration (growing the logs, making pulp, producing paper); customer-focused R&D and engineering processes; and a commitment to environmental sustainability.
Digital Printing Papers on the Cutting Edge
Finch expects its new digital paper product line to account for 10% of sales within just a few years, with growth coming from end market uses including marketing collateral, print-on-demand books, "transpromo" printing (transactional statements with targeted promotions), and direct mail. This new product line complements the company's many papers used for offset printing, where Finch has built its reputation over the past century as a leading provider of value-driven, uncoated paper meeting the highest standards of print performance.
Research and Relationships
Finch maintains relationships with original equipment manufacturers (including HP, Kodak, Canon and others) to fully understand how to produce the optimal paper for different applications and equipment.
Notes Finch Paper President and CEO, Joe Raccuia, "Our unique, vertically-integrated manufacturing platform allows us to engineer papers that meet customers' resource and application requirements, resulting in highest quality at the lowest cost."
Responsible Forestry
Demonstrating its commitment to managing forest lands with care, Finch employs its own team of foresters who work throughout New York's Adirondack region on much of the 161,000 acres of land that Finch sold to the Nature Conservancy in 2007. The company is certified by the world's most respected third-party certification groups, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, signifying Finch's ongoing commitment to responsible forest management and sound environmental practices.
On-Site Renewable Power
Approximately 66% of the energy used by Finch Paper's pulp mill and paper machines comes from renewable sources. Emission-free hydro-power is generated on-site utilizing the adjacent Hudson River; this produces as much power annually as 3.1 million gallons of oil. Finch also operates a cogeneration facility that converts biomass (bark, sawdust, and rejected woodchips) into steam to power equipment. The plant has reduced its fossil-fuel generated carbon emissions by 21% between 2009 and 2011.
A Commitment to the Region's Future
Finch Paper currently employs approximately 750 regular full-time hourly and salaried employees. Hourly positions range from entry level equipment operators to highly skilled craftspeople and technical leaders, while professional staff includes functional areas such as engineering, finance and sales.
Additionally, Finch partners with several colleges and universities in the area of environmental science: Cornell University, Clarkson University, Skidmore College, and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). In addition, the company supports college interns working on-site in R&D, Marketing, Forestry and Paper Manufacturing. With its long and proud heritage in Glens Falls and Warren County, Finch continues to be an "employer of choice" in the community.
In July 2011, Finch Paper President and CEO Joe Raccuia was named to New York State's Capital Region Regional Economic Development Council. This council is one of 10 statewide that will coordinate economic development on a regional level and compete for state funding. The council system created by Governor Cuomo is expected to redesign the relationship between the state government and businesses, stimulating regional economic development and creating jobs statewide.
