Sappi finishes revamp project

In the largest individual investment in the Cloquet mill since 2013, Sappi North America announced last week that it recently completed a $25 million capital investment at the local mill to "debottleneck" areas of the pulp manufacturing process.

Mike Schultz, managing director of the Sappi Cloquet Mill, said the bulk of the investment was made in the recovery areas of the pulp mill to "debottleneck" the mill's dissolving wood pulp production - which was the main focus of the $170 million "Project Athena" conversion project completed in 2013.

"We are pleased that this investment brings an additional 30,000 tons per year of pulp production capability to better serve our dissolving-wood-pulp customers," Schultz said.

Since the conversion project, the Cloquet mill has been able to swing production between kraft, or paper-grade pulp, for internal consumption and dissolving wood pulp for the open market.

Dissolving wood pulp is sold in bales to the textile market, where it can be used to make rayon and other fabrics, as well as cosmetics, pharmaceutical binders, diapers, wet wipes, cigarette filters, bandages, yogurt and ice cream ingredients and even cell phone screens.

Schultz, who directed the conversion project and returned to his mill manager role in late 2013, said the latest investment should put the company in a stronger position as the market for dissolving wood pulp continues to grow, because they will be able to produce more of it.

That is good news for related local industries as well.

"Making more tons means we will be consuming more wood, which is good for the logging community," Schultz said.

The conversion to dissolving wood pulp came at a time when demand for paper was decreasing. The mill can still produce kraft pulp, and continues to leverage that capability, Schultz said.

Sappi Global is the world's leading manufacturer of dissolving wood pulp, or chemical cellulose, as it is also known. The South African company calls the product a "sustainable alternative" to other fibers on the market.

Cloquet has been home to a paper mill for 120 years.