Cascades to modernize North Carolina plant

Kingsey Falls, Quebec-based Cascades Inc., a leader in the recovery and manufacturing of green packaging and tissue products, has said it will invest $58 million in its Wagram, North Carolina, plant. The investment will modernize the plant and add new tissue converting equipment.

Cascades says the project will involve installing five new “state-of-the-art” converting lines and the modernization of four existing lines. Sixty-six full time employees will be hired to operate the new equipment, and an additional 50 temporary jobs will be created to prepare the building and install the equipment. The commissioning of the new converting lines is expected to begin in April 2019 and will be finalized in the first quarter of 2020, according to a news release about the investment issued by Cascades.

The Wagram plant produces hand towels, paper towels, bathroom tissue and napkins marketed under the Cascades PRO brand, which serves the away-from-home markets. The plant will be largely supplied by the Cascades tissue plant 30 miles away in Rockingham, North Carolina.

Upon completion of the project, the Wagram plant converting capacity will increase from 5.3 million cases per year to close to 15 million cases per year, resulting in a global capacity addition of 3 million cases for the group, according to Cascades.

“This modernization project is directly aligned with the objectives set out in our strategic plan,” Mario Plourde, Cascades president and CEO, says. “It will not only allow us to replace ageing equipment with modern and efficient technology but will also improve our integration rate, increase our geographical footprint and extend our ability to serve our customers in the United States. With today's challenging market conditions, this is a crucial investment that will reduce our manufacturing and transportation costs, improve our environmental footprint and more importantly, bring us closer to our customers.”

Jean Jobin, Cascades Tissue Group president and chief operating officer, says the investments “will also help improve Cascades' product offering by allowing us to produce superior quality products, benefit from the latest technology to provide our customers with new, innovative products and increase capacity to meet the future need of our customers. It is a strategic investment that will solidify our presence in the southeastern United States and strengthen our ability to offer nationwide coverage for our customers.”

Cascades says this project has been made possible in part by the cooperation and financial support of governments and economic development organizations in North Carolina and Scotland County.

“International manufacturers like Cascades are thriving in North Carolina,” says North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. “Our state’s global reputation attracts new investments and jobs because companies know North Carolina’s skilled industrial workers will help them succeed here. These new jobs are an extra welcome boost for an area working to recover from Hurricane Florence.”