Stora Enso Paper Mill PM5 Corbehem: France April 2018

Another instalment from the vast abandoned Béghin site at Corbehem in France. This time we look at PM5.

Stora Enso took over the site in 1998. Within two years they introduce the largest paper machine in the world PM5, which entered production in 1990. It could produce 1500 metres of paper a minute, that's 330,000 tonnes a year! It replaced the two original machines so there was three production lines in total. By 2006 the other lines were shutdown and this was the only production line on the site.

Its a sign of the times. The rise of the internet is killing long standing industries. When was the last time you purchased a book, a film or a magazine? The list goes on. Minimal is the way forward with the modern generation. We can subscribe to our favourite magazines online, our old bookshelf can now be carried in a small bag, our CD collection can be carried in our pocket and our film collection can be streamed to whatever device we wish. There really isn't any need for these items in our lives anymore.

However I digress. PM5 had been removed long before our visit but there was still so much to see in this huge building.

As of 2012 Stora Enso had the site up for sale, the closure was announced in January 2014. This caused an outrage from the staff, they littered the surrounding area with scrap paper which spread into the town. A month later in February they protested outside the companies headquarters at Tour Europlaza in La Défense, once again they scattered paper everywhere. Production continued until mid 2014 when PM5 finally shutdown with a loss of 350 jobs.

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