Pratt opens box plant in Wisconsin

Pictured above, from left: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Anthony Pratt, chairman of Pratt,
during the grand opening of Pratt's newest box plant.

Pratt Industries, headquartered in Conyers, Georgia, has opened its newest corrugated box plant in Beloit, Wisconsin. The company invested $60 million in the facility.

On hand for the official ribbon cutting was Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who joined leaders and employees of Pratt Industries, as well as members of the Beloit community, to celebrate the grand opening of plant.

“We’re pleased to officially welcome Pratt Industries to Wisconsin and celebrate their new manufacturing facility here in Beloit,” Walker said. “As an international leader in paper and packaging, Pratt Industries had numerous options when it came to establishing operations in the Midwest, and their decision to expand here in Wisconsin is another indication that our reforms are working. We applaud the company’s decision to take this step and look forward to working with them in the years to come as they support good manufacturing jobs and continue to invest in and grow their company here in Wisconsin.”

Pratt Industries acquired a 56-acre site in Beloit for the corrugated box factory. The 350,000-square-foot facility is the company’s 13th U.S. corrugating facility and will produce 600 tons of recycled boxes per day. The facility's location provides access to major hubs such as Chicago and Milwaukee.

To assist in the construction of the project, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) provided Pratt with up to $2.4 million in jobs tax credits over the next four years and a $1.75 million low-interest loan for equipment. The actual amount of tax credits is contingent upon the actual number of jobs the company creates.

The investment is part of Pratt's continued expansion plans in the Midwest.

“We currently operate 68 factories and employ 7,000 people, and we want to continue to grow those numbers,” said Anthony Pratt, chairman of Pratt. “Just here in the Midwest alone we’ve invested almost $500 million dollars since the beginning of 2015.”