French sanitary products manufacturer Global Hygiène has officially inaugurated its new Papeterie de la Lune tissue converting plant in Bègles near Bordeaux in France on 11 February. The company acquired the site, which started producing around one year ago, from Belgian Etex Group. It used to produce plasterboard in the past and was then converted by Global Hygiène into a plant for sanitary products.
According to a company spokesperson, Papeterie de la Lune currently houses one converting line with a capacity of around 18,000 tpy, which Global Hygiène newly installed after the takeover. It produces paper towels and toilet paper.
However, the company has bigger plans for the site, which is to become an integrated site in the future. Global Hygiène plans to install a new paper machine. Its capacity is not yet certain, but is expected to be around 30,000 tpy of tissue for towels and toilet paper, said the spokesperson. However, it would still take some time before the machine goes into operation due to extensive rebuilding work at the plant, she added. A start-up date could therefore not be disclosed. The TM has not yet been ordered, but planning is reportedly progressing.
In the longer term, the company wants to install another converting line in Bègles. However, there is no timetable for this yet. Papeterie de la Lune currently employs 30 people.
Global Hygiène operates a total of four plants in France. Only one of these produces tissue - the Fregata Hygiène plant in Charavines, which has a capacity of 32,000 tpy. The other mills - in Bègles, Auxonne and Vers d'Anjou – convert tissue into sanitary products. Global Hygiène has a total annual capacity of 32,000 t of tissue paper and 108,000 t of finished products.
