Kruger Inc. will install Canada's first production line combining wet-laid and dry-laid forming processes at its Île-de-la-Potherie site in Trois-Rivières, with commissioning scheduled for 2028. The $333 million investment marks the company's entry into the nonwovens sector and will focus on manufacturing sustainable materials for wipe applications without plastic fibres or chemical binders.
The initiative received support from both levels of government, including a $35 million contribution from the Government of Canada through the Strategic Response Fund. Investissement Québec provided a $35 million loan as financial agent for the Government of Québec, along with a $5 million equity investment in Kruger Pulp and Paper Limited Partnership Holding, plus an additional $25 million from its own funds.
Construction and equipment installation will require approximately 540,000 person-hours over nearly two years. The project will create 56 new permanent jobs, bringing total employment at the Île-de-la-Potherie site to over 340 employees and close to 700 employees across Trois-Rivières. Direct spending is estimated at more than $200 million, generating nearly 500 direct and indirect jobs in the region.
