Pratt officially opens Henderson paper mill, box plant

Pratt Industries officially opened its 100 percent-recycled paper mill and corrugated box factory in Henderson, Kentucky, last week, marking the Conyers, Georgia-based company’s sixth recycled paper mill in the United States.

The initial investment in the 1.1 million-square-foot campus was $500 million, but, in a news release announcing the opening, Pratt reports the final cost of the Henderson site at about $700 million.

“This is a very proud day for our company because this investment represents a major part of my recent pledge … to invest $5 billion in recycling and clean energy infrastructure in the U.S. over the next 10 years,” Pratt Executive Chairman Anthony Pratt says.

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“This will help reduce landfill, cut methane gas emissions and create green-collar American manufacturing jobs as championed by President Biden.”

Anthony Pratt was joined at the facility’s grand opening Sept. 14 by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy, Australian Ambassador to the U.S. Dr. Kevin Rudd, Lonnie Ali, wife of the late Muhammad Ali, and Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot.

“This factory will employ 325 Kentuckians in well-paying, green-collar manufacturing jobs at an average wage of around $100,00 per person and takes Pratt Industries’ workforce to over 12,000 Americans in 72 factories spread across more than 25 states, making it the largest Australian employer of Americans,” Anthony Pratt says.

The company has built six of its last eight paper mills in the U.S. It’s other five U.S. mills are in Conyers; New York City; Shreveport, Louisiana; Valparaiso, Indiana; and Wapakoneta, Ohio, and all six mills produce 100 percent recycled paper.

The paper machine at the Henderson mill can produce up to 1,500 tons of recycled paper daily and will be used to make corrugated boxes at the company’s converting plants, including the box factory co-located with the Henderson mill.

Construction on the Henderson site began in March 2022 and the corrugator facility is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

Earlier this month, Pratt Industries also revealed its plans to invest $120 million to build a new 496,000-square-foot box factory in Warner Robins, Georgia, that will manufacture corrugated boxes primarily from containerboard sourced from its mill in Conyers.

The box factory is expected to create more than 125 jobs and will be Pratt’s 13^th facility in Georgia. When completed, it will be the company's 72nd manufacturing facility after it most recently opened a box plant in Cedar Hill, Texas, this summer.

The company anticipates operations at the Warner Robins site to begin late next year.