October 16, 2025
PRODUCERS AND CONVERTERS
Sofidel has finalized its acquisition of Royal Paper’s assets in the United States, further strengthening its position in the North American market. The agreement between Sofidel and Royal Paper—a recognized player in the US in both the at-home and away-from-home segments—was announced on April 9. Three facilities in Arizona—the paper mill in Gila Bend (with an annual production capacity of 61,000 metric tons) and two converting facilities in Phoenix—and one converting facility in Duncan, SC, officially become part of Sofidel’s production footprint.
Kimberly-Clark Corporation has announced it has entered into an agreement with Suzano to form a strategic partnership, creating a preeminent international tissue and professional products company and sharpening Kimberly-Clark’s focus on its higher growth, higher margin businesses. Kimberly-Clark will own a 49 percent interest in the new venture, which will include substantially all the assets of its International Family Care and Professional (“IFP”) business, and Suzano will own 51 percent.
Metsä Tissue, has successfully concluded negotiations with the works council regarding its investment and capacity adjustment plan first introduced in January 2025 in its Kreuzau mill, Germany. As a result of the negotiations, the total reduction of employees is 93 out of an original estimation of 123 and made without compulsory redundancies.
Chongqing Longjing Paper has successfully started up the first Andritz PrimeLineHyTAD tissue machine. This start-up not only marks a milestone for premium tissue production in China, but also Andritz’s breakthrough with this technology in the industry. With the unique HyTAD process, up to 25 percent savings can be made in fiber use when compared to traditional dry crepe tissue machines, and up to 50 percent in energy compared to structured TAD tissue machines.
The ST Group of Companies has acquired a tissue paper mill in Barnwell County, SC, from Cascades, further expanding its North American manufacturing footprint. The deal was finalized through ST’s new subsidiary, Barnwell Tissue Solutions. With this acquisition, ST adds a third tissue production facility and raises its total annual capacity to 220,000 tons. The Barnwell site will enhance ST’s ability to supply high-quality parent rolls for bathroom tissue, paper towels, and napkins across the away-from-home sector.
Kruger Products inaugurated its new LDC (light dry crepe) tissue plant in Sherbrooke, constructed on a site adjacent to its TAD plant. The construction of this new facility was part of a large-scale $377.5-million expansion project that included the construction of a double-wide tissue machine featuring LDC technology, as well as the installation of two new converting lines: a facial tissue line in the new plant and a bathroom tissue line in the TAD plant.
Toscotec and Essity successfully started up the world’s first tissue machine running solely on geothermal steam at their Kawerau site in New Zealand. With this groundbreaking project, Toscotec continues to demonstrate its leadership as technology supplier in enabling the energy transition of the tissue industry from fossil-based to renewable energy.
Valmet will deliver an IntelliTissue 1600 machine (TM 5) to Fabryka Papieru i Tektury Beskidy in Wadowice, Poland. The new installation will ensure low media consumption for electricity and gas at a specified production volume. The order is included in Valmet’s orders received of the second quarter 2025. The new line will enable the customer to produce high-quality tissue paper at low production costs, offering opportunities for market expansion.
Toscotec will supply an AHEAD 2.2 tissue line to the multi-latin company GrandBay Group at its production base in Pereira, Colombia. This marks a repeat order for Toscotec, following the successful start-up of a tissue machine at GrandBay’s Guatemala site in 2023. The start-up of the new machine is planned for second semester 2025.
Papelera Reyes, a leading tissue producer in the South American market, is the first company worldwide to integrate the groundbreaking Valmet Warm-up Next process into its production line. The installation of this technology at the Papel Paracas site, located in Callao, Peru, marks a new chapter in the longstanding collaboration between Papelera Reyes and Valmet Tissue Converting. The harsh desert environment provides a powerful demonstration of the robustness and efficiency of Valmet’s solution, designed to deliver peak performance even under the most challenging conditions.
SINCE 1871
Thermo-compressors for the pulp and paper industry
reduced steam consumption and higher flexibilityfor drying
- efficient
- customised
- adapted to the system
+49 511 2129-244 | sales@koerting.de | koerting.de
TAPPI
Yankee Dryer Safety and Reliability Committee Fall Meeting Set for November 6, 2025
Be part of this virtual event addressing safe, reliable operating and maintenance practices.
TAPPI’s Tissue Division will host the Yankee Dryer Safety and Reliability Committee (YDSRC) 2025 Fall Meeting on Thursday, November 6, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET. The event offers Yankee Dryer professionals a unique platform to discuss the latest safety and operational procedures impacting the industry.
This virtual, biannual meeting provides a convenient way for tissue professionals across the world to connect and share expertise. Discussions will include recent advancements, best practices, and operational improvements designed to enhance safety and efficiency in Yankee Dryer operations.
In addition to technical discussions, attendees will have the opportunity to weigh in on the future of YDSRC meetings, helping shape the direction and format of upcoming events to better serve the industry.
While the meeting is open to all, registration is required to attend. Don’t miss out on this chance to be part of an important global conversation surrounding Yankee Dryer safety and reliability.
The meeting program will be available shortly. Visit our website often for updates.
To learn more about participating in YDSRC or the Fall Meeting, please email Robert Davis at rdavis@tappi.org.
SUPPLIERS
Toscotec will attend Tissue Summit Latinoamérica on September 2-3 in Santiago de Chile. The company will have a shared booth alongside Voith, where the teams will present the latest advancements and innovative technologies for the tissue industry. On September 2, Gabriele Romanini, Toscotec’s sales manager, Tissue Division Area, will deliver a technical presentation titled “Decarbonization of Paper Mills,” highlighting the innovative strategies for decarbonization in the tissue sector and focusing on the transition to electric energy.
BTG has launched a new solution for accurately measuring the chemical additive demand of fibers in paper production, leading to cost savings. A new addition to BTG’s cutting-edge lab instruments portfolio, the SZP-16 is a compact, portable, and easy-to-use solution. Developed for use in paper production, the specialized lab instrument accurately measures the Zeta potential to make fiber additive demands visible.
International technology group Andritz has signed an agreement to acquire Diamond Power International (Diamond Power) businesses, including its subsidiaries and manufacturing locations, from U.S.-based Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. (B&W). Diamond Power is a designer and manufacturer of advanced boiler cleaning systems. The acquisition will significantly strengthen Andritz’s recovery and power boiler service business.