Clearwater Orders New Tissue Machine for Shelby

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Clearwater Paper Corp., Spokane, Wash., USA, this past week selected Metso, Helsinki, Finland, to supply its new through-air-dried (TAD) tissue machine to be located at the company’s previously announced Shelby, N.C., tissue converting and distribution facility. The new production and distribution capabilities of the Shelby facility will increase the company’s ultra and premium offerings to existing U.S. Southern and East Coast customers and create new opportunities to expand the company’s private label consumer tissue business to other retail grocery chains in the region.

Construction of the first phase — converting and warehouse areas of the facility — is on schedule and the company expects to begin converting production at the facility in the second half of 2011. The new Metso paper machine is expected to begin production during the second half of 2012.

"We chose an industry staple, a proven supplier, a machine used by many tissue companies around the world," said Brian Hoaglund, expansion project leader for Clearwater Paper. "Our team looked at all of the leading suppliers, but in the end we were most comfortable with Metso, due to their excellent engineering and quality end-product as well as top notch customer service."

Metso’s machine will comprise a complete tissue production line with stock preparation equipment and an Advantage ThruAir 200 TAD tissue machine including an OptiFlo II TIS multi-layer headbox, Thru-Air dryers and air system, and an Advantage WetDust dust management system. The production line will also feature Metso’s Advantage SoftReel-B belted reel technology. The production line will be optimized to produce ultra TAD quality tissue and towel products at high speed and efficiency.

Clearwater produces quality consumer tissue, away-from-home tissue, hard roll tissue, machine glazed tissue, bleached paperboard, pulp, and wood products at 14 manufacturing locations in the U.S. and Canada. It is a premier supplier of private label tissue to major retailers and wholesale distributors. The company also produces bleached paperboard, and has some 3,800 employees.