Boasting high-tech automation and other advancements worthy of an eyebrow-raise, Georgia-Pacific’s newest Dixie factory in Jackson, Tennessee – the first to be opened by the parent company since 1991 – is prepared to start production early summer 2024.
With a $425 million price tag, the 900,000-square-foot facility brought to life by JE Dunn Construction is the largest single investment in the history of Jackson. Despite robotics playing a significant role in operations and overall minimal human oversight required, an estimated 200 full-time jobs will be created in Madison County as a result of the new manufacturing facility, built to produce Dixie-brand disposable tableware products.
“We’ve got a more consolidated approach to leveraging people’s talents rather than their backs,” says Mike Cook, Dixie Jackson plant manager. “A lot of thought was put into access and impact to people. Even at the expense of cost at times, the value of protecting people from scenarios with significant injuries or fatalities is way more important.”
Safety features include pedestrian-only walkways, stop buttons at gates and gaps in production lines for safe passage. The plant focuses on efficient material use, converting excess paper into small pieces to minimize waste. Data-driven processes aim to optimize efficiency and provide insights for improvements across Georgia-Pacific’s other facilities, showing how the plant’s technology-driven production lines offer the potential to enhance efficiencies company-wide.
Read more about this record-setting facility in the Memphis Business Journal.
