Equipment for Von Drehle Tissue Production Arrives in Natchez

According to a recent report by the Natchez Democrat, Natchez, Miss., USA, the von Drehle company received what may be its largest shipment yet of new equipment as the company prepares to re-start paper production at the former Mississippi River Pulp site. The von Drehle company purchased it just a few months after closing in 2013, preparing to undertake this massive rebuild. Von Drehle reports that they have spent $100 million on the expansion for a new tissue machine as well as storage for the large rolls it will produce. 

The Natchez site will resume its fiber pulp recycling, but also be expanding into fiber-based manufacturing. The equipment is a very large state-of-the-art design for handling extremely high pressure for the high future production capacity and consistent output the company will expect from their investment. The Yankee dryer alone (a section of it pictured above) weighs 120 tons according to the report, and the paper machine had to be shipped in 55 different containment vessels across the ocean. As far as being on schedule, only minor weather delays were reported as a setback but all of the basic foundation has been built on time. Currently there are about 70 employees working on site. As the rebuilt Natchez site begins to transition from construction to production, von Drehle reports the number of employees will reach 160 or 170 by 2017. 

Currently a new, modernized access road is being built into the site. The goal of this addition is to add an entrance for employees to use to come in and out and a constantly open and productive exit for finished goods to leave the mill without interrupting traffic. It will also help with smoother deliveries for waste paper for the recycling operation