New $260M Facility Churning Out Recycled Paper

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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowProduction is underway at a new $260 million recycled paper mill in northwest Indiana. The California-based Pratt Industries Inc. facility in Valparaiso feeds into its corrugated box plant in the city, which is considered the largest of its kind in the world.
The operation employs 120 workers and is expected to churn out 370,000 tons per year. The company says that is double the productivity of many competing mills.
Pratt said it would be the industry’s most efficient paper mill, employing 120 people to make 370,000 tons a year – twice the productivity of many competitor mills.
Chairman Anthony Pratt says the new plant is the company’s largest single investment in the U.S. in its history. He says "we’re riding that wave" of manufacturing growth in the Midwest, which the company says includes on-shoring jobs from China and other countries. The company says lower energy costs and "inherent entrepreneurial spirit" in the U.S. manufacturing sector is leading to a domestic industry boom.
The mill will supply Pratt’s box-making operations with 100 percent recycled paper.
Anthony Pratt says "it is the world’s most environmentally-friendly paper mill and a showcase for the latest in 21st Century paper-making technology." He says it will use less water, electricity and gas than three "sister mills" in Georgia, New York and Louisiana, which is "important not only for our environment but also for our customers who realize the importance of sustainable packaging. Our environmental message is clearly resonating throughout the country which is why our sales and profits continue to hit record levels."