Orchids Paper Successfully Starts up New QRT Paper Machine

Orchids Paper Products has announced the startup of its new state of the art 100-ercent QRT paper machine in Barnwell, SC, with paper machine capacity of 35,000 tons per year. 

The QRT Paper Machine, developed by Valmet, is new technology capable of manufacturing both ultra-premium and premium tissue, towel, facial, and napkin paper at a lower manufacturing cost compared with traditional ultra-premium machines. This paper is an integral part of Orchids strategy to penetrate the ultra-premium tissue and towel market, which is growing at a rate of 3-5 percent compared with a 1 percent overall tissue market growth rate. The machine will also provide flexibility to produce premium products which will give Orchids’ retail customers more choices in product selection within the premium and ultra-premium product segments. The paper machine has started up in optimization mode and is expected to be producing at 70 percent of production capacity in the third quarter of 2017, 85 percent in Q4 and 100 percent by January 1, 2018.

This schedule will help Orchids satisfy the significant additional demand for the premium bath tissue and towel business from a major new customer, which was announced earlier this year. Shipments to that customer started as scheduled in June from both Pryor and Barnwell and full implementation of the sales to this customer are expected in July. In addition to helping satisfy this demand, the new machine allows Orchids to selectively target additional business, both private label and branded, in the ultra-premium sector of the paper market.

Jeff Schoen, Orchids Paper Products CEO, stated, "QRT technology is a quantum step forward in terms of quality, capacity, and opportunity for Orchids. The new paper machine provides the flexibility to manufacture the highest quality products at a competitive cost advantage, and increases our ability to diversify our business."

Orchids Paper Products is a publicly traded company founded in 1998 with corporate headquarters located in Brentwood, TN.