Image of Sofidel Expansion Plan at Integrated Facility in Oklahoma


Sofidel Group, celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, finalized the details of an expansion plan announced last October. The expansion, which takes place at the company's integrated facility in Inola, Oklahoma, further strengthens its production capacity nationwide.

The plan includes the construction of a new building to house the previously announced Through-Air-Drying (TAD) tissue machine, along with the installation of converting lines with matching capacity for the production of finished goods. This project will also include the expansion of the pulp and parent reel warehouse, along with the construction of a fully automated finished goods warehouse with 100,000 pallet positions. In total, the new buildings will cover approximately 1 million square feet (90,000 square meters).

The new facility will feature state-of-the-art internal logistics. An automatic system using Laser Guided Vehicles (LGVs) will transport parent reels from the paper machine to the warehouse, and an automated loading system will be connected directly to the finished goods automated warehouse. The choice of TAD technology directly addresses the growing demand in a dynamic North American market that's increasingly oriented—also in the Private Label segment—toward premium products.

The total investment amounts to $775 million, and the machine start up is scheduled for the second quarter of 2028.

"This is a significant investment, an important way to 'open' the year of our 60th anniversary with a determined industrial outlook toward the future," says Sofidel CEO Luigi Lazzareschi. "The new TAD machine we will install will further strengthen our production footprint and expand the availability of premium tissue products in the United States, enhancing our ability to meet growing customer demand, particularly in the South."

This operation adds to Sofidel’s recent major investments in the United States, including the acquisition of the tissue division of Clearwater Paper Corporation (four facilities in North Carolina, Idaho, Nevada, and Illinois), the acquisition of four Royal Paper facilities in Arizona and South Carolina, and the expansion of the Duluth, Minnesota, facility. Today, Sofidel operates 14 production sites across 11 states.