Tissue World Magazine
Alexandra Stuthridge, Technical Business Manager, BioProducts Institute (BPI)

Soundview Paper Company – which manufactures the famous Marcal tissue brand – has started trial production on one of its two tissue machines five months after a devastating fire engulfed the New Jersey-based plant.

A spokesman for the company told TWM that the Elmwood Park-based site is running one of its machines part-time to test its capabilities.

While not yet fully restarted, the line is currently being trialled to produce parent rolls of the 100%-recycled-paper Marcal brand.

A devastating fire engulfed the tissue mill on 30 January 2019, destroyed most of the historic building. No injuries were reported.

At the time, Soundview president and chief executive Rob Baron said: “The fire resulted in catastrophic damage to our facility.”

Selected aspects of the Soundview Paper Company/Marcal business continued, primarily the company’s Putney, Vermont operation and shipping of existing inventory to customers from Elmwood Park.

The 1930s-era mill was acquired by Atlas Holdings in 2012 and the company then established Soundview Paper to manufacture recycled and virgin fibre towel and tissue products for the local AfH, private label and At-Home markets.

According to local reports, the cause of the blaze still remains undetermined, despite five months of investigation.

The fire started in a storage are of the most north-eastern building.