100 new jobs created with Mohawk expansion

County residents looking to start the new year with a new job may be in luck.

Mohawk Fine Papers has announced a multi-million dollar expansion to its converting center which will pave the way for up to 100 new jobs.

Mohawk is North America’s largest privately-owned manufacturer of fine papers, envelopes and specialty substrates for commercial and digital printing. The company in the process of expanding its envelope operations from a standard eight-hour day, five days per week schedule to a new three-shift-per-day, seven days a week operation, said Kevin Richard, president.

The company is investing millions of dollars in converting equipment upgrades at its state-of-the-art, 1-million-square-foot converting center located on Route 45.

Mohawk began envelope converting at the Saybrook facility two and a half years ago. The operations began with nine pieces of equipment and the expansion will grow it to 13, Richard said.

The expansion comes after one of the largest envelope manufacturers went through bankruptcy, leaving an opening in the marketplace, Richard said.

With more of a demand in envelope converting, Mohawk began working to facilitate the potential influx in orders, he said.

“We are preparing for what is happening right now,” Richard said.

The company has already started purchasing equipment and is working on getting it installed and now, the company is looking for people to run it, he said.

The expansion will create up to 100 new jobs at the Saybrook facility. Richard said, initially, about 40 to 50 jobs will be available, with the rest being added over the course of 2014.

“The second batch will be almost immediately after the first batch,” he said. “As more equipment is added, more jobs will be added.”

Mohawk will host a job fair on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Infinity Resources, 2608 W. Prospect Road. Additional recruiting sessions will be held Jan. 7 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Jan. 8 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the same location.

Mohawk will be looking to hire envelope adjusters, material handlers, envelope operators, envelope die cutters and maintenance technicians.

Prospective employees will have the opportunity to apply on-site at the job fair. Attendees should bring a valid driver’s license or state photo identifications, a second form of identification and all applicants must have a high school diploma or GED.

Richard said since most of the people hired will not have envelope experience, they will have to go through a lengthy training process.

Richard said the salary range is pretty broad and will commensurate with experience.

Mohawk’s Saybrook facility recently logged nine years without a lost time injury, demonstrating the company’s commitment to workplace safety.

In addition to Mohawk’s envelope converting capabilities, the company also provides contract converting services in Saybrook, Cohoes, NY and Water-ford, NY.