The mill will produce paper pulp bales and fluff pulp rolls on the upgraded machine, which helps increase the facility's ability to offer more diversification to customers on both lines.

Georgia-Pacific's Alabama River Cellulose Mill Nears Completion of $80 Million Upgrade

April 16, 2024 - Georgia-Pacific announced that an $80 million dollar modernization project at its Alabama River Cellulose Mill near Monroeville, Alabama, will be completed in May.

The investment, which will increase the mill's fluff pulp production capacity, will also diversify the product produced to meet customer needs while also creating 12 jobs.

"The investment at the mill increases Georgia-Pacific's reliability and agility, allowing the company to stay ahead of market trends and immediately respond to rapid industry changes," Georgia-Pacific said in a written statement.

The Alabama River mill operates two production lines, with one producing only paper pulp bales. This investment upgrades production by adding the ability for this line to also produce fluff pulp rolls.

The mill's second line was upgraded to produce both paper pulp bales and fluff pulp rolls in 2011, the company noted.

The project includes:

• Modernizations to the headbox and fourdrinier table
• A new bale line
• High efficiency product cleaning equipment
• Upgraded threader system

The improvements have allowed the mill to be flexible and produce bale and roll products in a variety of grades to meet customer needs. The mill can now produce paper pulp bales and fluff pulp rolls on the upgraded machine, which helps increase the facility's ability to offer more diversification to customers on both lines.

Fluff pulp is used in a variety of hygienic disposable products, including baby diapers, feminine hygiene, adult incontinence and airlaid nonwovens.

The Alabama River Cellulose mill directly employs 480 people. As one of six mills in the state, Georgia-Pacific has an impact of approximately $619 million on Alabama's economy and employs more than 2,200 employees.

Based in Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific and its subsidiaries are among the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of bath tissue, paper towels and napkins, tableware, paper-based packaging, cellulose, specialty fibers and building products.

SOURCE: Georgia-Pacific