A Georgia recycling paper and packaging company announced Thursday it will expand its Peach State footprint with a new production facility near Macon.
Conyers-based Pratt Industries said it will build a $120 million plant in Warner Robins, which will employ more than 125 workers, according to a news release. The new factory will be the company’s 72nd factory in the U.S. and 13th in Georgia.
Gov. Brian Kemp touted the announcement as a sign the Peach State encourages internal growth.
“Expansions like this account for more than 70% of last year’s economic development projects and are a testament to our business-friendly and partnership approach as we bring more opportunity for hardworking Georgians,” Kemp said in the release.
Founded in 1948, Pratt has grown into the fifth-largest corrugated packaging company in the U.S. and is the largest privately owned producer of 100% recycled containerboard in the world. With the new factory, Pratt will expand its Georgia workforce to more than 2,100 employees and more than 11,700 across the country.
The planned 496,000-square-foot factory is slated to rise from Robins Industrial Park near I-75 in the portion of Warner Robins within Peach County. The plant will produce corrugated boxes using recycled containerboard sourced primarily from the company’s mill in Conyers. Operations are expected to begin in late 2024.
A Georgia Department of Economic Development spokesperson said negotiations with Pratt involving discretionary incentives, such as grants, remain active.
The Atlanta area is a logistics hub and also is home to numerous companies that make packaging materials. Packaging companies include Graphic Packaging, WestRock and Veritiv. WestRock confirmed Thursday it is in negotiations with Irish packaging firm Smurfit Kappa on a $20 billion merger, while Veritiv announced last month it was purchased by a private equity firm in a $2.3 billion transaction.
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