Neucel Specialty Cellulose

•a typical day at work:
After communicating with the operator whom I relieve, then greeting my fellow workers, locating my check sheets then I begin my rounds.   Checking pump, compressors, boiler sight glass, cleaning tips of oil guns, feeling the pulse of the boilers, regenerate water softeners, collect condensate samples, run water tests in lab, and finally be prepared for taking direction from control room operator if any mill upset arises.  After rounds, many conversations with long time operators who share their wisdom of the mills different processes such as, how the SO2 scrubbers work in the flue gas, and how the chemical evaporators work which are large heat exchangers etc.  
•what you learned
Responsibility’s for operation of Power and Recovery plant.  Safe shutdown, start up and hydro squeezes on the boilers. Tracing steam lines and water lines from headers to generators and pumps to vessels.   Preventative maintenance is the key for field operator by getting to know how the pumps, compressors and generators sound and feel.  Following safety procedures by wearing the right gas and dust cartridges, face shields, ear, head and foot protection plus know mill emergency response and mill evacuation.   
•management
Management was extremely helpful, knowledgeable and encouraging.  They explained the mill evacuation, involved me in safety meetings, asked me how my training was progressing etc.  
•your co-workers
My co-workers are amazing.  They non-stop explain their routines to me so I can learn the mill process, identifying the pumps, compressors,  the flows, complete lock outs,  read tell tail signs,  follow start up and showdown procedures and accomplish preventative maintenance of the mill.  
•the hardest part of the job
I didn’t find any part hard just challenging which I enjoy such as remembering the names of all 20 pumps and knowing where all the water lines run to and from which boiler or which steam line flows to what process etc.
•the most enjoyable part of the job
I really enjoyed completing my sketch drawings of water lines and steam lines from pumps to vessels and from the boiler economizer to the header, to the generator and then to the mill process.

working in a sulphite mill which is almost 100 years old can be challenging to say the least.

Starting off with an entry level position in the finishing room ( not sure if any other mill has a finishing room anymore) into a first aid position into a safety tech position teaching all safety courses.  Eg - SCBA, confined space, indoc and lock-out.
Have watched many go from entry level to numerous areas in management.  It's not all fun and games.  But opportunity has been here for many to reep the rewards from.
Everyday experience in First Aid has been exciting.  Many industrial accidents and illnesses have been experienced.

Co-workers are great.  Some of the best people I have ever met.  Hardest part of the job is working in the gas and working with those few who can be incredibly negative.  Lastly, some years some of us have put in  far too many hours.
Most enjoyable part - is helping to make the difference

Old infrastructure, literally falling down. Mismanaged or should I say unmanaged, used to be a productive workplace now just a bureaucratic mess. Foreign owned company fired almost all staff and laid off 95% of the union. They call it a production curtailment. It has been a year and a half. Company releases no information or updates for the future. Local union is weak and petty. Best bet is an established pulping company, that has a clue buys it and starts fresh again. Can't believe they arent selling hydro power to the grid??Was a great place to work in the past but see no future in this business now...

there is good people in this company, but there are many who are not even qualified to do the work, micromanagement in this company is destroying the work place, this place is close now and it will never open again, positions are given to people who don't even have the education for it, that including the management, most of them they are not qualified, here is who you know not what you know.

THIS COMPANY NEED PEOPLE FROM THE OUTSIDE TO RUN IT NOT THE LOCAL PEOPLE FROM THE VILLAGE. HONESTLY THIS COMPANY IS NOT GOING TO SURVIVE.

Typical fly by night jippo outfit.

No money for parts.

Place is falling apart ... literally.

No disclosure of any future plans to improve mill reliability to sustain a long term viable operation

Old equipment (from the 50's)  needs to be updated to reduce operating costs.

An environmental nightmare.  Sludge dumping / leaching

Poisoned work environment ... low morale ...no discipline on all levels ... company would rather (and did) blanket fire 90% of staff and lay off 95% of union indefinitely rather than MANAGE.

It a very old mill, had lots of opportunity to learn. Worked in all the departments with in the mill from the woodplant, machine and finishing, bleach plant, digesters. Have had opportunities to install and rebuild many different types of pumps through out the plant. As well as use the laser alignment for the pumps. Hydraulics, Air compressors, conveyors, pumps, fabricating, rigging, working in confined spaces, over head cranes, gear boxes were all apart of working at the mill.

i was given the chance to prove myself at just 19 years of age at a high paying union job, the work was easier then i originally anticipated especially due to older equipment and low budget due to getting the mill back up and running, Neucel was eventually shut down (for now) but gave me a life experience in the pulp production industry i will always have

This was an interesting place to work as it had been shut down for a number of years and went through a restart. At times it was very frustrating trying to start up equipment that had been idle for a while. The committment of the employees made the start up easier and it is now running very well.

Maintenance superintendent had small man syndrome really bad...had to know every detail of one's personal life and expected  you to be available 24/7 and not have a life outside work...fired a great foreman because he needed a few days off to go back east and bury his dad...this boss has zero integrity

Stay far away if you can...

I enjoyed working at the mill, lots of good people there. Too bad pulp market has us on lengthy shutdown with rumours of permanent closure......time will tell, but unfortunately may have lost many good workers but that also leaves plenty of room for jobs if/when they reopen.

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