$30M Perry sawmill expansion one of many new developments coming to Middle GA

Georgia’s largest lumber producer says it’s investing $30 million to expand its sawmill operations in Perry, the latest in a string of expansion announcements for Middle Georgia companies.

Investments by other companies include $11 million in recycling equipment, a $21.8 million tire plant expansion and an initial investment of $18 million for a hydroponic greenhouse.

Here’s a look at those investments in Middle Georgia businesses starting with the most recent announcement by Interfor, a global supplier of lumber products such as fibers for house frames, trusses, furniture and industrial packaging.

Interfor is expanding its Perry sawmill to increase both log consumption and lumber production. The Perry sawmill is one of seven sawmills the Canadian-based company operates in Georgia. In all, it has 17 sawmills across the U.S. and Canada.

“We are excited to further invest in the Perry team and community,” Bruce Luxmoore, vice president of southern operations for Interfor, said in a news release. “This operation has a dedicated and proven team of employees with a history of success with upgrade work.

“The expansion will increase consumption of the timber resource and provide economic benefits to the broader community.”

Interfor

The company employs 1,200 people statewide, including 138 people at the Perry site.

“Most of the work that we’re doing is to replace some older equipment to make it more efficient and to expand capacity,” Wes Godbee, Interfor’s general manager for wood procurement for southern operations, said by telephone. “But I don’t think directly we’re going to increase our headcount.

“But indirectly, because we’re expanding our capacity, we’re going to need more trees, and therefore, we need more loggers, more trucks. We’ll have more contractors, so indirectly, certainly, they’ll be jobs created but not at the actual site itself.”

The expansion represents “more growth and success for one of Houston County’s top employers,” Ben Hulbert, chairman of the Development Authority of Houston County, said in a news release.

“It also highlights a healthy environment of consistent support of industry and community. We are grateful for the company’s confidence to invest in Houston County and for the partnership opportunity.”

It’s the second major investment the company has made at the Perry sawmill since acquiring it several years ago. Within the past three years, the company increased its drying capacity and built a new mill where the lumber is sanded and smoothed for market. Those improvements represented a $25 million investment, Godbee said.

In 2014, Interfor acquired Perry’s Tolleson Ilim Lumber Co. from Ilim Timber Continental, S.A., for $180 million, which included Perry operations and the Preston sawmill, according to Godbee.

Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc

Schnitzer recently unveiled its state of the art Advanced Aluminum Separation System at its Macon location.

The 32,000 square foot facility represents an $11 million investment by the North American steel manufacturing and scrap metal recycling company headquartered in Portland, Oregon.

With the ability to process and produce millions of pounds of material each month, the new facility is expected to make Macon a hub for Schnitzer’s aluminum recycling program, and that means diverting material that otherwise might have ended up in landfills, according to a news release.

“After a thorough review, Schnitzer decided that Macon is the ideal location for this operation,” Pedro Orbezo, Schnitzer’s vice president of metals technology, said in the release.

The Macon location was chosen because of the region’s transportation infrastructure, the central location to service domestic aluminum consumers such as the automotive industry, and the facility’s proximity to Georgia ports with access to export markets, according to Orbezo.

Other factors included a “strong community leadership and a growing labor force.”

In 2010, Schnitzer acquired Macon Iron & Paper Stock Company, Inc., which had been in operation in Macon for more than 40 years.

Kumho Tire

Kumho Tire has approved a $21.8 million investment to expand their facility in Macon-Bibb County by more than 20,000 square feet with a new Automated Production Unit.

The increased capacity will allow Kumho Tire of Georgia to produce an additional 500,000 tires annually, according to a news release.

“We are thrilled about the expansion of Kumho Tire in Georgia,” Keith Lolley, director of human resources of Kumho Tire Georgia, said in the release. “This is great news for our team members and the Macon-Bibb community as a whole.”

Now about 1 million square feet, the Kumho Tire facility represented a $600 million investment that brought more than 400 new jobs when it came to Macon-Bibb County in May 2016, according to the release.

Pete’s

A California-based hydroponic greenhouse grower, Pete’s is expected to initially invest $18 million in opening its first Southeastern agricultural grow facility at the nearly 600-acre Robins International Industrial Park.

When built out over a three or four year period, that investment is expected to grow to about $80 million to a $100 million, according to B.J. Walker, executive director for the Development Authority of Peach County.

The 24-acre indoor growing facility requires 90% less land and water compared to traditional farming, according to a news release announcing Pete’s planned location to the industrial park.

Pete’s is expected to be operational by the end of the year, growing and shipping lettuce by Jan. 1. The development is expected to generate 15 jobs.