Italian tissue giant Sofidel has boosted its presence in America by 65,000tpy after acquiring Duluth, Minnesota-based paper mill ST Paper.
The company said the move means it can “immediately meet the ongoing increase in demand in the country.”
An Andritz-supplied PrimeLineTM W 2000 high-speed tissue machine was started up at the site in January 2023, and has a design speed of 2,000m/min and a working width of 5.65m.
Luigi Lazzareschi, Sofidel Chief Executive, said: “This is an important acquisition, allowing us to immediately meet the growing demand, which saw a significant upturn in 2023.
“What we are acquiring is a technologically advanced plant that further improves our geographic coverage and creates the conditions to strengthen and sustain growth in what is our main market.”
In September, Sofidel also announced plans to invest $185m at its integrated plant in Circleville, Ohio.
The project involves the construction of a building to house the site’s third Valmet DCT 200 TM, which is due to come into operation in the third quarter of 2025 with a production capacity of 70,000tpy.
Two Valmet Advantage NTTs tissue paper machines are already in operation at the plant.
Once up and running, Circleville will become Sofidel’s largest production site worldwide producing 200,000tpy.
