Paper, Nonwoven and Film News for June 6, 2026

AF&PA reported that April 2026 packaging papers and specialty packaging shipments increased 5.5% year over year, with the segment operating rate reaching 91.7%, the highest in 13 months, while inventories fell for a third straight month.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Stronger shipment flow and tighter inventory usually raise the value of uptime, trim control and fast roll changeovers for paper slitting, sheeting and rewinding operations.

Source: AF&PA April 2026 Packaging Papers Monthly Report

ANDRITZ said General Emballage will build a greenfield mill in Naama with Africa's widest and highest-capacity paper machine, designed for 350,000 tons per year of testliner and fluting at 7.5 meters web width and 1,200 meters per minute.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Large corrugated base-paper investment signals follow-on demand for winders, roll logistics, and downstream converting equipment sized for bigger, faster parent reels.

Source: ANDRITZ on General Emballage's Algeria paper line

ANDRITZ will supply two tissue lines to Koro Viet Nam for Thanh Hoa Province, each designed for premium consumer tissue with 3,650 mm width, speeds up to 1,650 m/min, and daily design capacity of 104.2 tons.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: New tissue entrants tend to build the rest of the value chain around those jumbo rolls, creating downstream demand for converting, packaging and roll-handling systems.

Source: ANDRITZ on Koro Viet Nam's two tissue lines

Xuan Mai Paper started up a second 75 t/d ANDRITZ deinking pulp line in Ho Chi Minh City, processing 100% mixed office waste to expand supply of high-quality recycled pulp for tissue production.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: More recycled-fiber tissue capacity can alter sheet feel, dust level and roll behavior, which makes line adaptability and stable converting settings more important.

Source: ANDRITZ on Xuan Mai's second DIP line

Metsa Fibre selected ANDRITZ to modernize the Kemi bioproduct mill cooking system, aiming to improve availability and cooking yield, widen raw-material flexibility, and support planned output levels up to 1.5 million tons of pulp per year.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Better upstream pulp efficiency can stabilize tissue and specialty-paper supply, while fiber-mix changes may influence downstream winding, slitting and finished-roll consistency.

Source: ANDRITZ on Metsa Fibre's Kemi modernization

ANDRITZ received an order from newly established Kruger Nonwovens for a complete Wetlace hybrid line at Wayagamack in Quebec, where Kruger plans to produce a new generation of plastic-free, chemical-free wipes materials from 2028.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: New wipe substrates built on pulp-rich structures make web cleanliness, tension control and finished-roll stability central to line selection.

Source: ANDRITZ on Kruger's Wetlace hybrid line

ATCO Hygienics ordered a new ANDRITZ baby diaper line for Tashkent, with commissioning scheduled for the end of 2026 and a product mix aimed at premium PERLA diapers for Central Asia.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: More diaper output means more demand upstream for nonwoven, film and absorbent-material rolls that must run consistently through slitting and rewinding.

Source: ANDRITZ on ATCO Hygienics' diaper line

Sanitex in Kinshasa ordered two baby diaper lines and one sanitary napkin line from ANDRITZ, including advanced absorbent-core forming, precise SAP dosing, web tension control and quality inspection systems.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: When hygiene producers add multi-line capacity with tighter quality systems, suppliers of upstream roll materials face higher demands on cut quality, roll build and consistency.

Source: ANDRITZ on Sanitex's hygiene line order

ANDRITZ will supply another Wetlace line to Dalian Ruiguang for premium flushable wipes roll goods. The project lifts total annual capacity to 40,000 tons and targets materials that meet newer flushability standards.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Flushable and biodegradable wipes are less forgiving materials, so converters need stronger control over tension, edge quality and roll hardness.

Source: ANDRITZ on Dalian Ruiguang's new Wetlace line

Aksan Kozmetik in Turkiye ordered a complete high-capacity spunlace line from ANDRITZ so it can make nonwoven rolls in-house and secure more reliable supply for its own converting operations.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: This is a clear sign that wipe producers are using upstream integration to control cost, delivery risk and substrate quality before downstream processing.

Source: ANDRITZ on Aksan Kozmetik's spunlace line

Mondi introduced re/loop FlowWrap, a mono-PP wet-wipe packaging film with 35% post-consumer recycled content. The company said external trials confirmed high-speed running on existing packaging equipment.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Buyers want recyclable structures without giving up line speed, so machinability and web stability are becoming as important as sustainability claims.

Source: FlexoTech on Mondi re/loop FlowWrap

Packaging Dive reported that California SB 54 deadlines are accelerating work on collection, processing and recycling systems for film and flexible packaging, where current recycling rates remain low.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Compliance pressure is likely to force faster film redesigns, which means more qualification trials, more material changeovers and more demand for recyclable-ready processing stability.

Source: Packaging Dive on California flexible-film recycling pressure

Coveris said its COtooCLEAN demonstration plant in Louth uses supercritical CO2 extraction to remove embedded contaminants from post-consumer PE and PP film waste so it can be converted into higher-quality recycled resin.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Better recycled resin supply will speed adoption of PCR-rich films, but those structures still need disciplined slitting, winding and inspection to run cleanly.

Source: FlexoTech on Coveris' film purification plant

Innovia Films launched P2G, a clear BOPP film for fresh-produce flow wrap with gas transmission tuned to help manage respiration, plus heat-sealability on both sides and compatibility with mass-balance recycled or bio-sourced polymers.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Functional produce films are sensitive to web handling and edge damage, so converters need precise tension, clean slitting and consistent sealing behavior.

Source: FlexoTech on Innovia's P2G BOPP film

Packaging Europe reported that RATTPACK's murFLEX PP Clip Foil replaces more complex retort laminates with a recyclable mono-PP high-barrier structure for flow packs, pouches and lidding-film uses.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Retort-grade mono-material films expand recyclable-packaging options, but they raise the process bar for roll hardness control, slitting accuracy and seal-window consistency.

Source: Packaging Europe on RATTPACK's mono-PP clip foil