50 tonne symbol of the paper making industry in Aberdeenshire moves to Inverurie

05/09/2020
Graeme Sutherland, formerly of Thomas Tait and Sons Ltd Inverurie Paper Mill, stands beside the 50 tonne granite roll

A MASSIVE 50 tonne granite roll measuring almost 10 metres long, with a circumference of 8 metres, an integral part of paper making history in Aberdeenshire, will make its final journey to the Garioch Heritage Centre in Inverurie today.

The roll is being donated by the Tait family, former owners of Thomas Tait and Sons Ltd, the Inverurie Paper Mill which closed in 2009.

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The granite roll was last moved in 1985 when it was installed in a new machine – PM4 – part of a £22.5 million investment by the Mill.

The roll will come to rest on plinths outside the Garioch Heritage Centre, after a journey along closed roads, to mark the importance of the papermaking industry to the Garioch area.

At the height of its production, the roll played its part in producing 3000 feet of 272 inch wide paper every minute. This production rate required a lorry load of paper to be dispatched every 45 minutes from the Mill 24 hours a day.

In 24 hours, the machine produced enough paper to reach from Inverurie to beyond Paris.

Thomas Tait OBE, was chairman and managing director of Thomas Tait and Sons Ltd started by his five times great grandfather in 1852.

Thomas took over running the mill at the age of just 21 after the death of his father in an accident.

He said: “Papermaking was an important part of the working heritage of the Garioch area, and the paper mill played a key role as a significant employer.

“My family had the foresight in the 1850s to realise that as education became more widespread, that there was more need for the printed word.

“Other generations of the family ensured that there was constant investment in the newest technologies of their times and the PM4 machine was an example of this.

“In 1994 the Mill employed 510 people working 365 days a year for 24 hours a day across five crews.

“The granite roll on the PM4 was decommissioned in 2004 when it was replaced with a silicone coated steel roll and it has been lying waiting for a new purpose since then.

“It’s our understanding that our PM4 is currently still producing paper in Russia.

“There are few industries which have been as affected by modern technology as the papermaking industry.

“By adding to the Garioch Heritage Centre’s collection I hope that the history of a proud industry won’t be forgotten in this area.”

 

 

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