3 Jan. 2023: The WEPA Group in mid-December put a new tissue machine into operation at its site in Bridgend, Wales, in the UK, thereby doubling its production capacity of tissue for the UK market. The parent rolls of tissue produced in Bridgend are converted into tissue paper products for the British consumer market. The investment created more than 50 new jobs at the site.

The new machine, a Valmet Advantage DCT with a width of 5.6 metres and a design speed of 2,200 m/min, has an annual production capacity of 70,000 tons. The new production line is optimized to save energy and enhance the quality of the final product, and designed to use recycled and virgin fiber.

"With the largest single investment in the history of the WEPA Group, we are reaffirming our claim to technology and market leadership in sustainable hygiene paper," said Martin Krengel, CEO of the WEPA Group.

Krengel pointed out that Great Britain is an important growth market for WEPA. "It is important for us to promote market orientation and to produce for our British customers in our own country," Krengel said. "Investing in Bridgend is an investment in the future and in long-term customer partnerships."

The Bridgend site has been part of the WEPA Group since 2013 — initially as a joint venture before being fully taken over in 2018. With this investment, the WEPA Group strengthens its competitiveness as one of the three largest European manufacturers in the tissue paper market.

With a total of 22 paper machines, the Wepa Group has a production capacity of around 850,000 tons per year.