Celadon Development Corp. plans to build a $155 million cardboard recycling plant in Chatham County that state officials say will help unkink the supply chain.
The company will hire 117 people and also will open its North American headquarters on the site.
“Celadon choosing Georgia for their North American headquarters, along with a state-of-the-art recycling and advanced manufacturing facility, highlights our state’s ability to recruit companies on the cutting edge of their respective industries,” said Gov. Brian Kemp.
The coronavirus pandemic caused shortages and other problems for the cardboard industry. Production initially decreased because of shutdowns and slowdowns. Meanwhile, online shopping and other deliveries have spiked because of the pandemic, and demand for boxes has increased.
Cardboard is one the most recycled products. Celadon opened a processing plant to clean old cardboard in Savannah this month.
The first phase of the new manufacturing plant will open in 2023 and produce 450,000 tons of cardboard per year. A planned second phase will double that amount. The company says it expects to eventually export 87,000 twenty-foot containers from the Savannah port yearly.
Georgia’s Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson said: “This is another great example of the private sector innovating to tackle the problems of today, which in turn, is creating the jobs of tomorrow.”
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