Sofidel and E80 Group are extending a partnership established in 1997 with a new intralogistics automation project at Sofidel’s Inola tissue site in Oklahoma. The investment supports the group’s growth, operational efficiency and sustainability in the United States.
The cooperation began with E80 laser-guided vehicles at Sofidel mills. Subsequent installations included palletisers, wrapping systems, different LGV models and automated warehouses. The highly automated Circleville plant in Ohio, inaugurated in 2018, was a major stage in integrating and digitalising logistics from raw material intake to storage.
Integrated automation at Inola
The new project accompanies a 90,000 m² expansion at Inola. It includes a high-density automated warehouse with up to 100,000 unit load positions, connected directly to production by LGVs, as well as palletising and wrapping systems and a substantially expanded laser-guided vehicle fleet.
“This investment further strengthens our presence in the United States and confirms Sofidel’s determination to continue growing through innovation, efficiency and sustainability,” said Luigi Lazzareschi, CEO of Sofidel. “Our collaboration with E80 Group is an established element of our international development.”
The expansion introduces fully automated management, including automatic truck loading and reel handling for existing and new converting lines. A third paper machine will join the two already operating: a Through-Air-Drying system with annual capacity of 75,000 tonnes for premium tissue, requiring advanced reel handling.
E80’s proprietary SM.I.LE80 software will connect technologies, data and processes and coordinate logistics flows and systems.
“This partnership is the result of an industrial journey built over time, based on a shared vision of the future,” said Enrico Grassi, E80 Group Chairman and Founder. “We have developed increasingly advanced solutions that have accompanied Sofidel’s growth, helping to open new horizons for intralogistics in the tissue sector. The new plant in the United States is a further step in this direction: a technologically advanced operation designed to consistently deliver the required performance. Looking ahead, the challenge is to continue creating flexible, scalable solutions capable of adapting to production scenarios in constant transformation.”
Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Porcari, Sofidel operates in 13 countries: 12 in Europe and the United States, where it is present in 12 states. It employs more than 9,500 people and has annual capacity of 2,002,000 tonnes. Consolidated net revenue was EUR 4.018 billion in 2025. Its brands include Regina, Sopalin, Le Trèfle, Hakle, Softis, Nalys, Cosynel, KittenSoft, Nicky and Papernet.
E80 Group designs customised systems for factory and distribution-centre intralogistics, improving efficiency and product traceability. It has completed more than 550 smart plants worldwide and installed over 2,900 robotic systems, more than 10,000 laser-guided vehicles and, since 2016, over 55 high-density automated warehouses. Its systems handle products worth more than EUR 1.5 billion daily.
