Tak Investments, owner of tissue mills in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin and Franklin, Virginia, on Sept. 27 announced a $40 million expansion project at its Franklin facility — ST Tissue.
The expansion project includes the addition of a 50,000 ton per year dry crepe machine, alongside its existing 70,000-ton-per-year wet crepe machine.
The company also is adding some downstream equipment that will allow it to provide its customers with outsourced toweling finished goods.
“When we first announced our acquisition of the site in Franklin, we envisioned a world class AFH tissue facility, with state-of-the-art recycling capability, the ability to provide a broad range of sustainable products, an experienced staff, and many customers within a logical freight radius that were experiencing high growth,” said Sahil Tak, Vice President of ST Tissue.
The ST Tissue Franklin mill produces 100% recycled, high post-consumer content napkin and towel for the Away From Home (AFH) market. While the mill currently produces kraft napkin and towel exclusively, the plant expansion will enable it to also produce recycled bleached, along with virgin, napkin and towel for its customers.
The “new” machine will be reconstructed from an existing uncoated free sheet machine, which was shut down by its previous owner in 2010, into a dry crepe tissue machine. The machine will be focused on making napkin product for ST Tissue's customers and will draw its fiber from its recycled fiber plant.
