Tissue Products Mill

IdForestProducts

23 Oct 201205:21

Summary

TLDRClearwater Paper's consumer products division in Idaho operates around the clock, producing a wide range of paper products like bathroom tissue, household towels, and napkins. Utilizing a blend of softwood and hardwood pulp, the facility employs advanced machinery and a workforce of over 1,350 to meet national demand. With a commitment to safety, teamwork, and environmental stewardship, the plant contributes significantly to the local economy, employing the largest workforce in the region.

Takeaways

🌲 Idaho is home to one of the largest tissue companies in the nation, focused on private label products.
🚜 The primary resource for these paper products is pulp, mainly derived from sawdust and wood chips.
🔄 Clearwater Paper's consumer products division in Idaho operates 24/7 to meet national demand.
🏭 The tissue-making process begins with a blend of softwood and hardwood pulp, tailored to customer specifications.
💧 Water removal is a critical step in paper production, reducing the pulp from 96% water to 20%.
🔥 Steam is used to dry the pulp, creating a solid sheet of paper that can be processed further.
🏗️ The plant's machinery runs at high speeds, producing 230 tons of tissue daily.
📦 Over 1,750 cases of tissue products are processed hourly, with 32 forklift drivers managing storage and shipment.
🚚 Clearwater Paper ships products nationwide, with up to 57 trucks loaded daily for distribution.
🌱 The company emphasizes teamwork, safety, and environmental stewardship, contributing significantly to the local economy.

Q & A

What types of paper products are mentioned in the script?
-The script mentions bathroom tissue, household towels, facial tissue, and napkins.
What is the significance of Idaho in the context of the nation's tissue production?
-Idaho is part of the nation's largest tissue company focused solely on private label.
What is the primary resource used to make these paper products?
-The primary resource used to make these paper products is trees.
How does Clearwater Paper's consumer products division in Lewiston, Idaho contribute to the production process?
-Clearwater Paper's consumer products division in Lewiston, Idaho operates 24/7, focusing on fast, safe, efficient, and fine-tuned production to meet national market demands.
What is the starting material for the paper-making process described in the script?
-The starting material is pulp, primarily made up of sawdust and wood chips.
How is the pulp mixture created for tissue production?
-The pulp is combined with bales of hardwood pulp in a giant blender to create a mixture specific to each customer's product needs.
What is the initial water content of the pulp mixture when it is sprayed onto the mesh wire?
-The initial water content of the pulp mixture is approximately 96%, with only 4% being solid material.
What is the role of gravity in the paper-making process described?
-Gravity is used to drain water from the fiber through the mesh screen, reducing the water content to about 60%.
How does the use of rollers contribute to the drying process of the paper sheet?
-Large rollers press out water, reducing the moisture content to approximately 20%.
What is the speed of the tissue-making machine and how much tissue does it produce per day?
-The machine runs at 6,000 feet per minute and accounts for 230 tons of tissue per day.
How does Clearwater Paper's facility contribute to the local economy?
-The facility has a local payroll and local vendor payments of more than $125 million per year, making it the largest employer in the region and Idaho's largest forest products business.
What is the commitment of Clearwater Paper's consumer products division towards the environment and its workforce?
-Clearwater Paper's consumer products division is committed to teamwork, safety, and being good stewards of the environment.

Outlines

00:00

🌲 Behind the Scenes at Clearwater Paper's Tissue Mill

Clearwater Paper's consumer products division in Lewiston, Idaho, is a major player in the tissue production industry, focusing on private label products. The process starts with a pulp mixture made from sawdust, wood chips, and hardwood pulp, which is then sent to tissue-making machines. Here, the pulp is sprayed onto a mesh wire to form a thin sheet, which is then drained of water through gravity and rollers, reducing the water content significantly. The sheet is further dried using steam, resulting in a solid sheet of paper. The plant operates 24/7, producing 230 tons of tissue daily, with a workforce of nearly 1350 people, making it a significant employer in the region. The company emphasizes teamwork, safety, and environmental stewardship, with a local economic impact of over $125 million in payroll and vendor payments annually.

05:02

🏭 Clearwater Paper: A Leader in Idaho's Forest Products Industry

Clearwater Paper is not only a leader in the tissue production industry but also Idaho's largest forest products business. As the largest employer in the region, the company contributes significantly to the local economy. The video highlights the company's commitment to being a good corporate citizen, with a focus on teamwork, safety, and environmental responsibility. The plant's operations have a substantial economic impact, with over $125 million in local payroll and vendor payments, reinforcing its position as a key player in Idaho's forest products sector.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Tissue Company

A tissue company is a business entity that manufactures and supplies tissue products such as bathroom tissue, household towels, facial tissue, and napkins. In the video, Idaho is part of the nation's largest tissue company, which focuses solely on private label products. This keyword is central to the video's theme as it sets the stage for understanding the industry and the company's role within it.

💡Private Label

Private label refers to products that are manufactured by one company and sold under another company's brand name. The video emphasizes that the tissue company in Idaho is focused on private label, meaning they produce tissue products for other brands without using their own brand name. This is a key aspect of their business model and a significant part of their market strategy.

💡Sawdust and Wood Chips

Sawdust and wood chips are by-products of the lumber industry and are used as raw materials in the production of pulp. The script mentions that the tissue mill uses pulp primarily made up of sawdust and wood chips, highlighting the recycling and sustainable use of these materials in the production process.

💡Softwood Pulp

Softwood pulp is a type of pulp derived from softwood trees and is used in papermaking. The video describes how softwood pulp enters the tissue mill via a pipeline, indicating its importance in the production of tissue products. It is a key component in the mixture created for each customer's specific product needs.

💡Hardwood Pulp

Hardwood pulp comes from hardwood trees and is known for its strength and quality in papermaking. In the script, hardwood pulp is combined with softwood pulp to create a specific mixture for each customer's product requirements, showcasing the importance of this material in achieving desired product characteristics.

💡Tissue Making Machines

Tissue making machines are specialized industrial equipment used to manufacture tissue paper. The video mentions that the plant has three such machines, which are crucial for the production process. These machines are responsible for creating the thin layers of tissue that will eventually become the finished products.

💡Mesh Wire

A mesh wire is a screen-like structure used in papermaking to form a thin layer of pulp into a sheet. The script describes how the pulp mixture is sprayed onto a mesh wire, forming a sheet that is only 4% solid at this stage. This step is a critical part of the tissue-making process where the initial formation of the product takes place.

💡Water Removal

Water removal is a critical step in papermaking where excess water is eliminated from the pulp to form a solid sheet. The video explains that gravity and rollers are used to reduce water content from approximately 96% to 20%, which is essential for the paper to take shape and become solid enough to handle.

💡Steam Heating

Steam heating is used to dry the paper sheet after the water removal process. The script mentions that steam is used to heat and dry the sheet, forming a solid sheet of paper. This is an important step as it finalizes the paper's structure and prepares it for further processing.

💡Efficiency

Efficiency in this context refers to the optimal use of resources and processes to produce the maximum output with the least waste. The video emphasizes the plant's commitment to running in a fast, safe, efficient, and fine-tuned manner, which is crucial for meeting the high demands of the national market and maintaining the company's status as an industry leader.

💡Environmental Stewardship

Environmental stewardship is the responsibility of managing and protecting the environment. The video highlights Clearwater Paper's commitment to being good stewards of the environment, which is an important aspect of their business operations and aligns with the company's values and the video's overall message of sustainability and responsible production.

Highlights

Idaho is part of the nation's largest tissue company focused solely on private label.

Trees are the primary resource used to make tissue products.

Clearwater Paper's consumer products division in Idaho operates 24/7 to meet national demand.

The production process begins with pulp made from sawdust and wood chips.

Softwood and hardwood pulps are blended to meet specific customer product needs.

The pulp mixture is sprayed onto a mesh wire to form a thin sheet.

Gravity and rollers are used to reduce water content from 96% to 20%.

Steam is used to heat and dry the sheet, forming a solid sheet of paper.

The tissue-making machine operates at 6,000 ft per minute, producing 230 tons of tissue daily.

Engineers and operators monitor the process for peak efficiency.

Over 1,750 cases of tissue products are processed hourly.

Clearwater Paper uses 7 miles of conveyor belts in the conversion process.

The storage area can hold over half a million cases of tissue products.

32 forklift drivers are responsible for loading up to 57 trucks daily for shipment.

Clearwater Paper is Idaho's largest Forest Products business.

The company is committed to teamwork, safety, and environmental stewardship.

Clearwater Paper has a local payroll and vendor payments exceeding $125 million per year.

The Lewiston facility employs nearly 1350 workers, with over 600 in the consumer products division.