Paper, Nonwoven and Film News for June 20, 2026

The Navigator Company approved about €115 million for a new tissue paper machine at Aveiro with annual capacity of 70,000 tonnes. Navigator said the output is intended to support its UK operation, where converting capacity is already around 130,000 tonnes per year without its own reel production.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: This is a direct reminder that converting capacity without secure parent-roll supply becomes a strategic bottleneck, not just a sales opportunity.

Source: Navigator press release on the Aveiro tissue machine investment

Metsa Group inaugurated its expanded and modernized Mariestad tissue mill in Sweden after adding a new tissue machine plus three converting lines for rolled and folded products. The project lifts annual capacity to 145,000 tonnes and strengthens local Scandinavian tissue supply.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: When mills add paper and converting assets together, buyers should expect tighter benchmarks for reel flow, line balance and warehouse automation.

Source: Metsa Group on the Mariestad tissue mill inauguration

Sofidel finalized its $775 million Inola, Oklahoma expansion around a 75,000-tonnes-per-year Valmet TAD machine, matching converting lines, expanded pulp and parent-reel warehousing, and a fully automated finished-goods warehouse with 100,000 pallet positions.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Premium tissue capacity is increasingly being won by plants that invest in rewinding, packaging and internal roll transport at the same time as paper output.

Source: Sofidel on the finalized Inola expansion plan

Domtar said its Calhoun, Tennessee site has begun installing a new high-speed tissue converting line and is expanding parent-roll warehouse space. The company said the goal is to better align tissue production capacity with converting throughput and long-term scalability.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: This is a practical example of where tissue investment is going now: downstream speed, reel buffering and roll flow instead of papermaking capacity alone.

Source: Domtar on its new high-speed tissue converting line

UK tissue converter C&D Limited selected United Converting Tissue for a complete new converting line including a Nexus 65i rewinder and UNICO 365 log saw. The stated aim is stronger converting capability through higher efficiency, flexibility and reliability.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Mid-sized converters are still buying equipment around uptime and changeover discipline, which keeps rewinder accuracy and serviceability high on the buying checklist.

Source: MET Magazine on C&D Limited's UCT converting-line order

Dalian Ruiguang awarded ANDRITZ an order for another Wetlace line to produce premium roll goods for eco-friendly flushable wipes. ANDRITZ said the new line will expand total annual capacity to 40,000 tonnes and is designed to meet IWSFG and JIS flushability standards.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Flushable webs are much less forgiving than standard wipes, so this kind of expansion raises the value of stable tension, clean slitting and controlled rewind density.

Source: ANDRITZ on Dalian Ruiguang's additional Wetlace line

ATCO Hygienics ordered a new ANDRITZ baby diaper production line for Tashkent to serve growing premium diaper demand in Central Asia. ANDRITZ said the line is designed for high efficiency, operational flexibility and user-friendly operation, with commissioning planned for the end of 2026.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: New diaper-line capacity raises demand for stable nonwoven, film and absorbent-material rolls that can run at speed without edge defects or stoppages.

Source: ANDRITZ on ATCO Hygienics' diaper-line order

Kruger Nonwovens ordered a complete Wetlace hybrid line from ANDRITZ for Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, to make plastic-free and chemical-free materials for sustainable wipes. The line will be the first of its kind in Canada and marks a paper producer's move into wipe-grade nonwovens.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Pulp-rich wipes materials can need gentler rewinding, cleaner slitting and better dust control than synthetic-heavy legacy webs.

Source: ANDRITZ on Kruger Nonwovens' Wetlace hybrid line

Sanitex ordered two baby diaper lines and one sanitary napkin line from ANDRITZ for its Kinshasa facilities. The supply includes absorbent-core forming, precise SAP dosing, advanced web tension control, inspection and fully automatic integrated packaging machines.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Hygiene producers are buying web control, inspection and packaging together, which shows where defect-reduction budgets are actually being spent.

Source: ANDRITZ on Sanitex's diaper and sanitary napkin line order

Aksan Kozmetik awarded ANDRITZ an order for a complete high-capacity spunlace line to make 30 to 80 gsm wipes materials in-house. The move gives the Turkish wipes producer tighter control over roll-goods quality, raw-material flexibility and supply security.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Once wipes producers integrate spunlace production, they usually expect higher slitting precision, more uniform roll build and better automation between web making and finishing.

Source: ANDRITZ on Aksan Kozmetik's spunlace investment

Amcor secured RecyClass traceability certification across UK flexible-packaging products including form-fill-seal, shrink, stretch-hood and flat-film ranges using post-consumer recycled content. The timing matters because UK Plastic Packaging Tax rules change in April 2027.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Verified recycled content only helps customers if the film still runs cleanly through slitting, winding and packaging despite feedstock variation.

Source: Amcor on RecyClass-certified PCR flexible packaging

Innovia Films and PureCycle said they successfully produced and trialed white cavitated BOPP film containing more than 40% post-consumer recycled polypropylene. The work targets snack, confectionery and roll-fed label uses where opacity, printability and stiffness still have to hold.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Higher recycled content in cavitated BOPP can tighten the safe process window for slitting, rewinding and registration at commercial speeds.

Source: Innovia Films on recycled-content white cavitated BOPP

Mondi introduced re/loop FlowWrap, a mono-PP wet-wipes packaging structure with 35% post-consumer recycled content and customer-line trials showing sealability, barrier performance and machinability. The product is aimed at wipes packs needing recyclability progress without changing format.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Higher-PCR wipe-pack films make unwind stability, seal control and edge quality more important on downstream equipment.

Source: Mondi on re/loop FlowWrap for wet wipes

Amcor and DCM introduced mono-material PE fertilizer packaging with 35% recycled content for the European market. The format is positioned as recycle-ready and aimed at replacing less-circular heavy-duty bag structures while still protecting demanding industrial contents.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Industrial PE packs with more PCR raise the value of web handling, bag-converting consistency and defect control because the material tolerance margin gets narrower.

Source: Amcor on recycle-ready fertilizer packaging with 35% PCR

Coveris highlighted PFAS-free mono-material packaging for pet food ahead of the August 12, 2026 EU limits on PFAS in food-contact packaging. The range is designed to balance barrier performance, recyclability and operating efficiency as compliance pressure tightens.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Compliance-driven film changes can quickly alter sealing, slip and winding behavior, so buyers need converting equipment that can adapt without sacrificing output.

Source: Coveris on PFAS-free circular pet food packaging