The UK’s Northwood Group has expanded its converting capability following the launch of its Northwood Consuma Tissue (NCT) division in December 2022 and purchased a 14-acre site housing a 235,000sq ft facility in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.
A high-speed, state-of-the-art, and fully automated converting line will also be commissioned and operational during Q3 2023.
Phased installation of a further three converting lines will give the site a total finished roll product output of more than 55,000tpy.
No further details of the converting machinery suppliers were available at this time, but the Northwood Group confirmed they were multi-million pound investments.
The company added the move will “dramatically increase its available output of toilet tissue and kitchen towel and allows it to be true cross-category paper partners to its premium grocery customers.”
In addition to its toilet tissue and kitchen towel output, NCT in Grantham will retain its innovations in facial, toilet tissue and kitchen towel, with specialist print, lotion, and fragrance for events and seasons.
Paul Fecher, Northwood Group Chairman, said: “As the largest private label facial tissues supplier in the UK, the Grantham site will remain NCT head office and a centre of excellence for the production of facial tissue.
“This site will benefit from further investment as we automate our downstream production lines.”
Northwood Group has planning approval at the Disley tissue mill where plans are in place to expand its paper-making facilities with the installation of a new 100% virgin paper machine with an output capacity of 70,000tpy.
This is additional to the existing four paper mills which manufacture some 100,000mt of paper made from 100% recycled fibre across the UK and Spain.
Northwood Group said the investments “will cement the company as a fully vertically integrated supplier to both the retail and AfH sectors.”
