B5

Matt McCann
TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL

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Irving Tissue Inc. is set to spend another $120 million on its tissue operation in Fort Edward, New York.

Enlarge Photo

Robert Irving

The money is in addition to $35 million spent in November on a new 90,000 square-foot building and converting equipment, the goal of which is to be operational by October.

"This is a continuing investment in the tissue business for us, in terms of growing our business both in Canada and the United States," said Irving Tissue president Robert Irving. "Through this investment in newer technology, we are able to provide higher-quality products and compete in the marketplace on price.

"We have an old facility and we're just going through modernization of the equipment," he said. "New technology and more efficient equipment that will make us more competitive."

It is the last phase in a project that begin in 1996 when the company acquired the Scotties brand label in the U.S. and Fort Edward tissue mill.

In a 2001 effort to bring operations closer to Western Canada, the company bought a 900,000 square-foot, 450-employee Procter and Gamble tissue production plant in Toronto, with the capacity to make 90,000 tons of tissue per year.

In 2003, Irving Tissue broke ground on an $18.5 million, 58,000 square-foot expansion at its Fort Edward plant, to be attached to the existing mill.

Since the 1996 acquisition, the Fort Edward operation has tripled its employment to over 300 workers, and expanded and increased production of paper towels, facial tissue, bathroom tissue and napkins.

Irving said the market for its products is primarily in the U.S., though there are some sales in Canada.