Georgia, Alabama Lead U.S. in Active Pulp, Paper & Wood Projects

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The U.S. Southeast market region leads the country in both the value and number of active Pulp, Paper & Wood projects being tracked by Industrial Info, with Alabama and Georgia leading the pack, each with more than $1.5 billion in active projects. The two states lead not only in the overall value of all active projects, but also in the value of those currently under construction, although the single largest Pulp, Paper & Wood project underway is situated in Michigan.

Click on the image at right for a breakdown by market region of active Pulp, Paper & Wood projects in the U.S.

According to Forbes, while the COVID-19 pandemic lowered the demand for paper used in photocopiers and printers as less people went to the office, consumption of paper products such as toilet paper and cardboard packaging rose.

Among Alabama's largest Pulp & Paper projects underway is Packaging Corporation of America's (Lake Forest, Illinois) conversion of its No. 3 paper machine at its 1,300-ton-per-day mill in Jackson, about 65 miles north of Mobile. The project will convert the machine to high-quality linerboard production and is expected to be completed by the end of next year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Pulp, Paper & Wood Project Database can click here for the project report.

Georgia has a few more projects underway than Alabama and leads in value by about $95 million. The state's projects include Irving Tissue Limited's (Dieppe, Canada) expansion of its tissue mill in Macon. Irving Tissue manufactures products under the Scotties brand in the U.S. The project entails constructing a building to house a state-of-the-art, through-air-dried (TAD) tissue machine to produce textured bathroom tissue and paper towel products. The project is expected to be completed next summer. Subscribers can click here for the project report.

Another beneficiary of the pandemic was the lumber sector. Demand for lumber used in construction soared and prices rose during the pandemic, although this has eased in recent months. For more information, see June 21, 2021, article - Lumber Price Bubble Pops After Reaching Record Highs. Among the lumber projects being tracked by Industrial Info is West Fraser Timber Company Limited's (Quesnel, Canada) rebuild of its lumber mill in Augusta, Georgia. The project, which kicked off in 2019, is expected to increase the facility's production capacity from 150 million boarded feet per year to 220 million to 250 million. Subscribers can click here for the project report.

Outside of Georgia and Alabama, one of the largest Pulp & Paper projects under construction is Graphic Packaging International Incorporated's (Atlanta, Georgia) recycled paperboard mill expansion in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The company will increase the facility's production capacity by about 70% by constructing a new coated recycled board (CRB) machine. The project kicked off early last year and is expected to be completed next summer. Subscribers can click here for the project report.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn.