Resolute Tissue Offers Retailers Private Label Solutions
Resolute Tissue, a business unit of Resolute Forest Products, is a fully integrated North America-based tissue manufacturer with a strong presence in the retail and away-from-home marketplaces. A core competency of the company is developing and supplying various products such as bathroom tissue and paper towels to retailers for private label programs.
The company owns and operates three manufacturing mills: Sanford, Fla.; Hialeah, Fla.; and Calhoun, Tenn.; and one converting facility in Hagerstown, Md.
Reda Filali, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Resolute Tissue, offered an inside look at the company’s strengths and how it can work with retailers to develop products that meet their specific needs.
STORE BRANDS: For retailers seeking a paper supplier for their private label tissue and towel assortment, what are the advantages of partnering with Resolute Tissue?
REDA FILALI: Resolute Tissue is vertically integrated, which means we produce our own pulp, giving us more control over costs, availability, and production throughout the manufacturing process. Using our internally produced North American pulp eliminates the unpredictable inefficiency of transit delays for pulp sourced from overseas. With this control of our resources, Resolute Tissue is not dependent on purchasing parent rolls on the open market as many non-integrated converters in the private label marketplace are. Our facilities give us a well-established presence in private label tissue and towel manufacturing. We are ideally situated to serve U.S. customers.
To cite a more recent advantage, as of March 2023, Resolute Forest Products joined the Paper Excellence family of companies, which also includes Domtar. This combination significantly multiplies the tonnage and different sources of pulp, both virgin and recycled, produced internally that Resolute Tissue can access. The integration of these three entities brings a more synergistic focus on manufacturing efficiency and on sustainable, cost effective, high-quality products. The Paper Excellence integration makes us an even stronger partner for retailers.
Resolute Tissue has the manufacturing flexibility to produce both structured paper and conventional paper. Structured paper manufacturing produces premium and super premium tissue and towel, which allows for better thickness, softness and absorbency when needed. Conventional paper is generally targeted to the value segment. There is certainly a place for both structured paper and conventional paper in the private label segment, and we manufacture much of both types for our existing private label base.
And last but not least, our private label products are certified equivalent to national-brand quality.
Manufacturing Facilities
Resolute Tissue owns and operates three manufacturing mills: Sanford, Fla.; Hialeah, Fla.; and Calhoun, Tenn.; and one converting facility in Hagerstown, Md. This positions the company to meet the needs of U.S. customers and eliminate delays from products and raw materials that are shipped from overseas.
STORE BRANDS: How do you support claims of product quality?
FILALI: Resolute Tissue products are evaluated by independent testing lab UL Solutions to verify that they meet our customers’ product specifications. UL Solutions certification provides third-party confirmation that our private label products stand up to stated claims of being comparable to a particular national brand product. This validates performance claims as well as other attributes, such as softness for tissue and absorbency for towel. In addition, we have a stringent internal testing process. The Resolute Tissue Quality System continuously conducts control checks on our products against specifications and uses the latest state-of-the-art laboratory testing equipment for this purpose.
All Resolute Tissue manufacturing facilities are Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certified (under ISO 22716 or UL Standards), which ensures that our products are consistently manufactured to meet the expected quality level. We are audited yearly to maintain this certification and we have training in this area often.
STORE BRANDS: How does Resolute work with retailers to develop private label products that meet their needs?
FILALI: Resolute establishes relationships with prospective retail partners to understand their individual needs for their private label program. Different retailers will have different criteria depending on their retail environment and customer base. As Resolute provides the spectrum of quality, from super premium and premium with our structured offerings to value with our conventional products, we consult with the retailer, advise on trends in the marketplace and propose solutions to meet their customer expectations. Additional information about our private label capabilities is available on our website.
And for our retailers who cannot support their own private label program but are interested in increased margins from their paper category, we have our Harmony® and Harmony® ULTRA brand family of tissue and towel products. These products are national-brand equivalents, and like our private-label products, they have undergone the rigorous UL Solutions tests to verify the comparison. And the colorful Harmony packaging is vibrant and eye-catching for the shopper. Harmony gives retailers another option to increase margins with limited shelf space while giving their shoppers great reason to return. Additional information about Harmony® is available on our website.
STORE BRANDS: What is Resolute Tissue’s focus when it comes to providing retailers products that are sustainable?
FILALI: Resolute Tissue has a keen focus on sustainability with strong commitments to protect the natural environment. For instance, our forest management and fiber procurement policies are certified by international standards and audited by third parties. Tissue and towel products manufactured by Resolute Tissue all qualify for certifications that include Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®), Green Seal®, FSC® Mix, and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. Readers can learn more about Resolute Tissue by emailing us at [email protected].