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Thilmany Pulp & Paper Company or Thilmany Papers is a manufacturer of specialty lightweight packaging, pressure-sensitive, and technical and industrial papers. Thilmany Papers paper mill operations were located in Kaukauna and De Pere, Wisconsin. Thilmany Papers is now a part of Ahlstrom.

Oscar Thilmany (the company's namesake) opened the Kaukauna mill in 1883. The company's current plant is the source of the aroma most associated with Kaukauna.

Thilmany Ownership 1883-1902
Originally founded in August 1883 as American Pulp Company among 5 partners, including William A. Doane. The first employees were hired on July 1, 1884, and the first sheets of groundwood pulp board were produced. The first crew had around 15 employees, and had 4-5 women among them. The original output was around six tons a day. The American Pulp Company obtained a patent on the Mitscherlich Process of producing sulphite fiber in 1885, and by 1891 Thilmany Papers was making it's paper entirely of this fiber. In 1886 they tore down the mill and constructed a larger facility to increase their production by 33%. At this time American remained one of the smallest of the 7 pulp and paper companies in Kaukauna. Oscar Thilmany purchased out the other founders and renamed the company to Thilmany Pulp & Paper Mills in 1889. It was at this time the first Paper Machine, an 82-inch Fourdrinier, was purchased. To be ahead of his competition, Thilmany was the first company to produce multiple types of paper, such as: newsprint, catalogue, book cover, and trunk liner types of paper in Kaukauna (Badger Paper Company produced print papers and Kaukauna Paper Company produced Manila paper). In 1890 he started producing striped Manila paper, and in 1894 started producing Tissue papers, and the company had grown to 44 employees. In 1891 paper machine #2 was opened, a 90-inch Fourdrinier. From 1895-97 Thilmany added a new Yankee Fourdrinier machine each year to bring the total to 5. Machines #2, 3, and 5 produced only fruit and vegetable wrappers for a Californian fruit company owned by Monroe Wertheimer. In 1898 the company started producing Waxed papers for use by Butchers, Candymakers, and other processed foods. By this time he had grown his company to 70 and the third largest paper mill employer in Kaukauna.

The company became legally incorporated in 1901 and Thilmany sold fifty-one percent of the company to Monroe Wertheimer for 201,000 dollars.

Wertheimer 1902-1936
Monroe Wertheimer assumed presidency the week the first labour dispute to affect Wisconsin Paper Manufacturers in history. He accepted all demands of the workers, but refused to negotiate with the trade union. Within 4 years of Wertheimers takeover he doubled the production held in 1901. In 1912 a sulphite pulp mill was built to produce Kraft papers, and converting and wax departments were opened. In 1916 Thilmany (the company) acquired Wisconsin Tissue Company of Appleton to expand their paper producing capabilities. Wertheimer oversaw a large growth and diversification of Thilmany assets throughout the 1920s. In 1931 he consolidated the Wisconsin Tissue Company and moved it's paper machines to Thilmany (#6 and #7). He moved a bag plant also owned by Thilmany from Waukegan to Kaukauna. He purchased the first new machine (#8) since 1897 in 1931 as well. In 1935 the first Labour Contract was signed. Wertheimer stepped down in early 1936.

Stansbury 1936-1951
Karl Stansbury's first actions after succeeding Wertheimer were to create an early insurance in Health, Surgical, Dental, Optical, and Life insurance. Stansbury rebuilt #8 machine and purchased #9

Past Owners
Independent Ownership


 * Oscar Thilmany
 * Monroe Wertheimer

Presidents


 * Karl Stansbury
 * Elmer Jennings
 * Guy McCorison
 * Charles Dostal
 * Joseph Thomas

Each owner up to this point had be related by Marriage or Birth to the previous owners until 1969.

Acquisitions


 * Hammermill Paper Company -1969
 * International Paper Company -1986
 * Kohlberg & co, renamed business to Thilmany, LLC. - 2005
 * Thilmany, LLC. merger of Thilmany, Thilmany's Nicolet Mill in De Pere, and Wausau Paper Corporation to form Expera Specialty Solutions - 2013
 * Ahlstrom -2018