Thursday, September 04, 2008

Cargill to add product line when C.R. plant reopens

Cargill Corp. plans to add a new product line after its flooded Cedar Rapids corn milling plant at 1710 16th St. SE reopens in October.

The plant is expected to reopen in October after extensive flood cleanup and repairs, the company said. Starting in November, the company will begin manufacturing a new line of enhanced fiber additives for the tissue paper industry.

The fiber additives are designed to increase the strength of soft tissue, paper and paperboard products, while lowering manufacturing costs.

Produced from renewable corn fibers, they provided an alternative to chemicals for strengthening tissues, company officials said.

The new product line was included in an announcement that Cargill is partnering with Tissue Technology LLC and ABF Freight Systems to donate paper products and matching funds valued at more than $4,500 to the Salvation Army in Cedar Rapids.

Tissue Technology, one of Cargill's business partners, donated 75 cases of facial tissues and 25 cases of dispenser napkins. ABF, a Cargill-preferred trucking company, covered the costs of shipping the tissue products from Green Bay, Wis., to Cedar Rapids.

Cargill is matching both donations with cash.

"We're looking forward to continuing our commitment to the Cedar Rapids community with the startup of this business," said Rosetta Anderson, quality and logistics coordinator for the new facility.

Anderson said Cargill saw the donation arrangement with ABF and Tissue Technology as a way to let the Cedar Rapids community know it hasn't forgotten what they went through in the mid-June floods on the Cedar River.

The corn milling operation's main product is starch.

Soybean processing operations in Cedar Rapids operated by Cargill were also hit by the floods. It has previously provided more than $86,000 in funds for flood relief.

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