Ahlstrom, a sustainable fibre solutions provider, has finalised an investment to upgrade paper machine at its Thilmany plant in Wisconsin, US.  

The company plans to upgrade and convert the machine to facilitate the production of stretchable creped base papers that are used in masking tape applications.  

The investment adds a crepe paper production capacity of 30,000t per year. 

The new crepe machine line in Wisconsin can use integrated pulp from the Thilmany pulp mill.  

This enables the company to reduce emissions due to lower energy consumption and decreased transportation needs, while also providing cost advantage to customers.  

The line joins Ahlstrom's existing production capabilities for masking and packaging tape base papers, across North America, South America, Asia and Europe. 

Ahlstrom Tape business vice president Sohrab Kazemahvazi said: "This investment is a response to our customers’ increased volume demand and their need to move towards a more regional material supply.  

“With the investment, we can better focus our assets in Asia and Europe to supply their nearby markets, and we will now enhance our capability to supply the markets in the Americas through this new investment."  

Ahlstrom's creped base papers are preferred for a range of applications from general to high-performance masking tapes.  

They can stretch up to 18%, offer good handling properties and can be customised based on customer requirements.  

The creped base papers are suitable for packaging tapes, protective wrappings, and various specialty applications. 

In January this year, Ahlstrom launched a new fibre-based, home-compostable lid for single-serve coffee capsules.