Two converting facilities, once owned by Kimberly-Clark, will open under new ownership about two years after closing, impacting more than 250 workers. Earlier this month, Kimberly-Clark and U.K.-based tissue and wipes manufacturer Northwood completed an agreement on the sale and purchase of one 98-acre site in Coleshill, Wales, which consists of a 30,000-ton tissue mill, a tissue converting plant for both rolled and folded products and a National Distribution Centre, as well as a second factory, located in Flint, which is equipped with state-of-the-art converting equipment to produce environmentally friendly and compliant wet wipe products.

“This is another important acquisition and brings renewed opportunity for our businesses to expand in many traditional and new sectors,” says Paul Fecher, founder and chairman of Northwood says. “We look forward to populating the site and bringing it into full production under our U.K. management and ownership.”

Kimberly-Clark announced the closure of the Flint site in 2024 not long after the U.K. proposed a ban on plastic-containing wet wipes. At the time, the company said it could not reconfigure equipment there in time for the ban. Northwood will integrate the Flint site, into its Away from Home (AfH) and Consumer Divisions.