American Paper Converting is expanding its operations in Henrico County by relocating to a 120,000-square-foot facility at 5801 Tech Park Way (pictured) near the White Oak Technology Park. The larger facility will help the company increase production.

A manufacturer of paper towels and tissues is expanding its operations in Henrico County and adding 69 new jobs.

American Paper Converting, a maker of bathroom tissue, facial tissue and paper towel products sold mostly to janitorial and food service distributors, said Tuesday it is spending $17 million to expand its East Coast operations through a relocation to a newly built factory in Henrico.

The Woodland, Wash.-based company is moving its Henrico manufacturing operations from the current location at 4401 Carolina Ave. to a larger, 120,000-square-foot plant at 5801 Tech Park Way near the White Oak Technology Park.

The company said the new location would allow it to expand manufacturing and provide overnight access to 55% of the U.S. population and major international ports.

The new space, which is under construction but expected to be operational in about a month, will have upgraded machinery and equipment, as well as new technology — including robotics automation.

The company employs about 45 people in Henrico now, said Anthony Romanello, Henrico County’s economic development director. The new jobs will be in production with an average salary of $39,000.

“We’ve been working with them and helping them with some workforce solutions as they have been going through the construction,” Romanello said. “I know they are looking to ramp up quickly.”

Romanello also noted that the company is a certified SWaM company, a designation given to businesses that are small, woman-owned or minority-owned.

“Back in 2011, we fell in love with Henrico for its superior logistics, diversified business community, and dynamic labor force,” Lydia Work, American Paper Converting’s owner and founder, said in a statement released by the company and Henrico officials.

“In 10 years, that love has only deepened. As we transition to a larger facility to answer the rising demand of our vast client base in healthcare, education, business, manufacturing, recreation, government, and the public sector, we are thrilled that Henrico already had everything in place to support our accelerated growth,” Work said.

The company converts paper by taking large parent rolls of paper and resizing them to products for consumer use.

The expansion plan by American Paper Converting is the third significant manufacturing expansion in recent months, the county said.

In September, Coca-Cola Consolidated said it was investing $23 million in new equipment and new production capabilities at its plant on Eastpark Court, which is north of Interstate 64 just off the Airport Drive exit.

In November, global snacking leader Mondelez International Inc. disclosed it was investing $122.5 million to expand its Henrico bakery on Laburnum Avenue to house a high-speed production line mostly for its Oreo cookie-making operations and to open a 490,000-square-foot sales fulfillment and distribution center about 3 miles away in the Sauer Industrial Center.

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American Paper Converting is expanding its operations in Henrico County by relocating to a 120,000-square-foot facility at 5801 Tech Park Way (pictured) near the White Oak Technology Park. The larger facility will help the company increase production.

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