THE Caledonian paper mill in Irvine has celebrated 35 years of operation in the area.

The UPM Caledonian plant opened in April 1989, after two years of construction, and has been hailed as one of the most efficient paper mills in the world.

The mill, which cost £215 million to build, was regarded at the time as the single largest inward investment in Scotland.

The plant, located off the A78 just south of the town, across from Dundonald Links, currently employs almost 300 people.

The plant, set up as a subsidiary of Finnish-based company Kymmene Corporation, began test runs of paper production on April 1, 1989, and within weeks the site was in full swing, bang on schedule. 

The then managing director Jaakko Palsanen said: "It shows how we can merge the very best of Finnish and UK expertise to  build one of the most advanced paper mills in the world."

Until Caledonian Paper arrived in Scotland, all lightweight coated paper used for glossy advertising, magazines, colour supplements and catalogues, had to be imported.

They employed 400 staff when the plant opened, with another 450 working indirectly in forestry and haulage.

In more recent years, the addition of a combined heat and power plant, using biomass as a renewable fuel source, is a natural progression for the site, which is now able to produce all of its heat requirements and just over half of its electricity needs.

It's one of 11 mills operated in Europe and the United States by UPM, but the only one in the UK.

The firm also has paper mills in Augsburg, Ettringen, Schongau, Hürth and Dörpen in Germany; Jämsä, Lappeenranta, Kuusankovski and Rauma in Finland; and Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

Congratulations to all at the plant on the big anniversary.