6 minute read
Manufacturing - Ahlstrom- Munksjö - Sofidel - Körber Tissue North America
Ahlstrom-Munksjö –A global organization, yet home to almost 2,000 Wisconsin residents has accelerated its pace of strategy execution to become the preferred sustainable specialty materials company. Contributed by Ahlstrom-Munksjö
Ahlstrom-Munksjö, a specialty paper and materials company, is home to four Wisconsin paper mills and almost 2,000 employees. Through a clearly defined purpose, sharper strategic focus, and ambitious sustainability targets, the company is accelerating its pace of execution with the vision to become the Preferred Sustainable Specialty Materials Company. Additionally, by the end of the third quarter of 2022, Ahlstrom-Munksjö plans to change its business name to Ahlstrom.
In the last five years, Ahlstrom-Munksjö has tripled in size through acquisitions, mergers, and organic growth. In early 2021, Ahlstrom-Munksjö launched several initiatives to unlock the full potential of the company and build strong capabilities.
Ahlstrom-Munksjö is uniquely positioned to capture additional value from the growing markets for fiber-based specialty materials and make a larger contribution to society through its strong market position. Megatrends such as higher air/water quality requirements, restrictions on use of harmful chemicals, increasing health awareness as well as plastic-to-paper substitution and e-commerce in packaging will create growth opportunities. Furthermore, the pandemic has demonstrated the contribution Ahlstrom-Munksjö’s medical products can have to people’s wellbeing and underlines the importance of healthcare as a market for the company.
A more ambitious sustainability strategy with corresponding targets has also recently launched.
“We aim for all new product introductions to serve the purpose to Purify and Protect and be sustainable by design,” explained Mark Ushpol, Executive Vice President for the Food and Consumer Packaging division of Ahlstrom-Munksjö. Many of the products produced for this division are manufactured in Wisconsin. “While the strategy spans across environmental, social and governance factors, special focus is on immediate improvements in climate performance. Ahlstrom-Munksjö commits to the 1.5°C Science Based Target initiative towards 2030 and to Net Zero emissions by 2050 the latest.”
“The products we invent and manufacture right here in Northeast Wisconsin are truly on the right side of history. We are creating products that are improving and will continue to improve the world we live in,” Ushpol continued.
To learn more about Ahlstrom-Munksjo and to follow their sustainability journey, please visit www.ahlstrom-munksjo.com.
Sofidel’s Commitment to Green Bay and Sustainability
By: Fabio Vitali, Vice President - Marketing, Sofidel America
The Sofidel Group was founded in Italy in 1966 as a family business operated by Emi Stefani and Giuseppe Lazzareschi. Sofidel is the fifth largest manufacturer of household paper products including toilet tissue and paper towels worldwide. The company earns more than $2.5 billion in revenue annually and employs more than 6,500 people.
Sofidel arrived in the United States in 2012 through the acquisition of Cellynne Tissue Company, where it began operation as Sofidel America in three locations: Green Bay, Wisconsin; Haines City, Florida; and Henderson, Nevada. Since 2012 the company remodeled its manufacturing assets in the country and in 2015, the Group acquired part of the assets of Green Bay Converting Inc., further expanding Sofidel’s presence in the Green Bay area. Presently, the Green Bay plant is the biggest converting site of Sofidel in the United States with over 200 employees. Sofidel America also expanded its national footprint by adding three more sites in Circleville, Ohio; Inola, Oklahoma and Hattiesburg, Mississippi, adding both, paper manufacturing capacity and converting lines.
Currently the United States is a major market for Sofidel with more than 1,600 employees and represents 25% of the total revenue of the group. Its U.S. headquarters are in the greater Philadelphia area.
Sofidel promotes sustainable energy sources and has achieved greater energy efficiency in its plants and processes, including its Green Bay operations. Since 2008, Sofidel has been a member of the World Wildlife Fund Climate Savers program, an initiative that commits to the reduction of climate- altering emissions. As of 2020 Sofidel has reduced its CO2 emissions by 24%, thanks to investments in cogeneration, solar and hydroelectric power plants, biomass power plants, and in general, constant improvement of energy efficiency and company logistics. The organization aims to use energy from renewable sources for 84% of its energy consumption by 2030.
Since entering the U.S., Sofidel has expanded from serving B2B markets to also serving B2C markets. In 2020, Sofidel continued its commitment to innovation by developing the 100% paper pack Nicky Elite, a toilet tissue paper towel without any plastic packaging (replaced with paper pack) for the consumer market that helps to achieve the 2030 targets of the group to reduce by 50% (compared to 2013 levels) the use of conventional plastic.
Sofidel is committed to growing its business within the U.S. and to the markets in which it operates. With a focus on sustainability and corporate social responsibility, Sofidel is honored to operate a plant in Green Bay and committed to improving the lives of its employees and the community.
Körber Tissue North America:
Connecting Green Bay to a World of Possibilities By: Claudio J. Munoz, Director of Marketing, Americas
The tissue industry is dynamic. Manufacturers and converters can gain or lose competitive advantage — and business — based upon the suppliers they choose. Finding a supplier that blends innovation, technologies, and connectivity into a single source solution is rare. Rarer still is finding local accessibility to that single source solution. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, area tissue OEMs have the best of both worlds. The corporate roots and headquarters of Körber Tissue North America have been firmly planted in the city since 1978, serving tissue converters and manufacturers of all sizes throughout the world.
The strategic alignment with parent company Körber Group in 2020 amplified an already trusted local and global reputation, and brought focus to ongoing development of a seamless full value chain experience for customers.
“The specialized business areas within the Körber Group form an infrastructure of experts that bring together the best minds and solutions for our customers,” said Pete Augustine, President of Körber Tissue North America.
Further, as one of the 6 global production sites within Körber Business Area Tissue, the Green Bay facility is able to leverage assembly production, spare parts, and technical service hubs in Italy, Brazil, and China to efficiently serve tissue converters wherever they are located.
The unique commitment to responsiveness, collaboration, and service isn’t lost on customers visiting the Green Bay headquarters. “It’s common for our internal teams to pull together face-to-face project collaborations in our offices with Körber colleagues from around the world,” commented Augustine. “There is a palpable sense of a cohesive, engaged international business environment that promotes a free exchange of ideas and sparks innovation.”
“We tap into a variety of perspectives in pursuit of the best possible tissue industry solutions in rolled and folded tissue product converting, packaging, product development, and digital technologies. There are no boundaries to our knowledge, or to our ability to help.”
A solid collaborative infrastructure of expertise and innovation supports the logistical advantages of established Körber Group locations and business acquisitions in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. This true global reach means Körber Tissue North America is uniquely positioned to solve challenges for tissue manufacturers and converters anywhere in the world.
“At Körber Tissue North America, we’re proud of our heritage in Green Bay and extremely excited about the future,” commented Augustine. “This community connects us to Wisconsin’s Paper Valley, a thriving local and global tissue industry, and to a broader purpose.”
“Leveraging the expertise of our global Körber Group team, we’re building a robust knowledge network of layered support that strengthens our customer partnerships locally and worldwide,” Augustine continued. “Körber Tissue North America is championing continued growth of resources, innovation, collaboration, and solutions that will fundamentally change the tissue industry and make our customers more successful.”
