Kruger Starts up New TAD Tissue Machine at Memphis

Kruger Products L.P, Canada, has started up a new TAD (through-air-dry) tissue machine at its Memphis, Tenn., USA, mill. The company recently held a dedication ceremony at the facility, during which Joseph Kruger II, chairman and CEO of Kruger Inc., and Mario Gosselin, CEO of Kruger Products, welcomed several distinguished guests, including Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, Tennessee Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, Bill Hagerty, and several elected officials and members of local organizations.

This $316 million project included construction of a new building and a TAD machine, which is among the industry's most advanced technologies for the production of premium quality tissue. TAD technology produces tissue with high bulk and softness, as well as strength and absorption.

Completion of the project required more than 1 million person-hours over a period of 14 months. More than 100 new employees were hired for the new production line, bringing the overall employee count to 485 at the Memphis facility, which is the largest industrial building in the state of Tennessee.

The Kruger Products Memphis mill produces the White Cloud products, a range of tissue products sold exclusively at Walmart in the U.S.

In the photo below (l-r) are: Reid Dulberger, chief economic development officer for Memphis/Shelby County; David A. Spraley, EVP and COO; Mario Gosselin, CEO of Kruger Products; Vinny Borello, president and CEO, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis; Mark H. Luttrell Jr., mayor of Shelby County; Bill Haslam, Tennessee governor; Joseph Kruger II, chairman of the board and CEO, Kruger Inc.; Bill Hagerty, Tennessee commissioner of economic and community development; A C Wharton, mayor of Memphis; Dan Clarahan, VP, U.S. business expansion, Kruger Products L.P.; Donald Cayouette, EVP, Kruger Inc.; and Jean-Yves Ouellet, VP, major projects, Kruger Inc.

TAPPI
http://www.tappi.org/