Montville — The WestRock corrugated packing plant in Uncasville is being shut down indefinitely, leaving 87 employees without work, a company spokesman said Wednesday.

"It's not a permanent closure," said spokesman Tucker McNeil in a phone interview, who nevertheless added, "We don't have a timetable for starting it up again."

Company officials had told Mayor Ronald McDaniel earlier this month that the plant was being shut down for two weeks, but rumors kept floating around town about a possible permanent closure. McDaniel said earlier Wednesday that he still had not heard officially from the company about its intentions for the plant, which was previously known as RockTenn.

The industry publication RISI/PPI Pulp & Paper Week reported last week that the company was "indefinitely idling" machines at four mills nationwide, cutting its annual production capacity by as much as 1.15 million tons, including 116,000 tons at the Uncasville plant.

RockTenn's decision to cut capacity came shortly after its merger with SP Fiber. In its third-quarter earnings release in July, WestRock revealed its intention to find $300 million in "merger-related synergies."

The company decided to idle mills in Coshocton, Ohio, Newberg, Ore., and Fernandina Beach, Fla., in addition to the Uncasville shutdown, and the industry publication reported that the Uncasville plant closure would likely become permanent.

But McNeil said the plant will continue to be maintained with the intention of having it ready if market conditions change.

"This is related to our customers' demand," he said. "We'll restart as the opportunity arrives."

McNeil said he didn't have the specifics of the union contract, but the company would be abiding by its obligations. He added that the state Department of Labor would be contacted and a Worker Adjustment and Training Notification would be filed if and when the decision is made to permanently close the plant.

l.howard@theday.com

Twitter:@KingstonLeeHow