Lucart, Europe’s leading manufacturer of tissue, airlaid and MG paper hygiene solutions and famous for the Tenderly, Lucart Professional, Tutto Pannocarta and Grazie Natural brands, is announcing an €80 million three-year investment plan for 2022-2024 for the plant in Laval sur Vologne, France.
The operation aims at consolidating the international presence of the Group that is Europe’s second-largest player in the Away from Home sector (hygiene paper products for professional use) by focusing on an area of strategic importance to reach the markets of Central and Northern Europe. At the same time, the company will contribute to the decarbonisation of the sector by setting ambitious environmental goals.
“We are delighted to announce an investment plan of this magnitude, which for us is a major strategic step towards consolidating and bolstering our business growth outside Italy”, commented Massimo Pasquini, CEO of Lucart S.p.A. “With these new investments, the Laval sur Vologne plant will play an even more central role in driving our expansion into the European markets. We are also very proud to be able to export a responsible and sustainable growth model that values environmental achievements as much as economic performance”.
Increased recycled paper production capacity
The operation pivots on the opening of a new paper machine by 2024 and the installation of three new converting lines at the plant in Laval sur Vologne, France, to increase the recycled tissue paper production capacity and differentiate the finished product lines. The new paper machine will be called PM15 and will be able to produce up to 40,000 tonnes of high-quality tissue paper per year. It will be served by a state-of-the-art stock preparation plant, capable of processing pre- and post-consumer recycled paper. The Laval site will reach a production potential of about 100,000 tons of tissue paper per year and it will be able to serve other plants of the Group in addition to its own converting line.
Reduction of CO2 emissions
In line with the environmental principles that guide Lucart’s strategic plans and growth, the plan also considers the energy needs associated with the construction of the manufacturing hub. Lucart is planning to install a biomass power plant capable of producing heat using wood chips from forestry in the areas surrounding the Laval plant that will achieve an estimated reduction in CO2 emissions of more than 12,000 tonnes per year.
Efficient distribution logistics
The plan also includes the construction of a new logistics hub in the Vosges department in north-eastern France. It will be highly automated and served by low-environmental-impact shuttles, based on the successful model already in place in Italy between the Diecimo and Altopascio plants in the province of Lucca. The plant will raise the standards of customer service even further in the spirit of continual improvement that characterises the Group. It will cover an area of approximately 100,000 square metres, of which 25,000 square metres will be indoors, and may be expanded to 45,000 square metres as storage requirements grow.
The Laval sur Vologne plant
The Laval site is strategically positioned for logistics occupying a central location for the European continent. The plant was acquired by Lucart in 2008 and has doubled its revenue in ten years, becoming the benchmark for the production and conversion of recycled tissue paper and Fiberpack® paper derived from recycled Tetra Pak® beverage cartons.
