GP's US$550M Brawny mill project reaches milestone with the arrival of final key equipment in Green Bay, Wisconsin; equipments includes a Valmet-supplied Yankee dryer and two through air-dried dryers

GREEN BAY, Wisconsin , December 18, 2023 (press release) –

The centerpieces of Georgia-Pacific's $550 million Brawny® project recently arrived in Green Bay, Wisconsin. 

Delivered via barge on the Fox River, the massive equipment - a Yankee dryer and two through air-dried (TAD) dryers - marked a significant milestone for the ongoing expansion.

 

The Yankee dryer, weighing about 330,000 pounds, set sail from Sweden in September where it was manufactured by Valmet. It reached Milwaukee in October and was loaded onto a barge along with the TAD dryers before finally arriving in Green Bay in early December.

“The arrival of the Yankee and TAD dryers is a big milestone for a project that began in 2022,” said Dean Wesolowski, operations manager for the expansion. “Given this, we expect to start up the new paper machine sometime during the first half of 2024.”

Green Bay Broadway primarily produces recycled tissue products that are used away from home, such as at restaurants, offices, universities, sports venues, airports, and other locations. The cutting-edge TAD machine is poised to generate thousands of tons of paper, to convert into millions of cases of Brawny® paper towels and other exclusive private-label brands. 

The TAD machine uses a process where hot air enhances the softness and absorbency of the paper web, which is a vital component for producing premium paper products.

In October, the team raised the last major structural beam for the project which spans roughly 600,000 square feet. Close to 150 new jobs will be added due to the expansion bringing Broadway’s total manufacturing workforce to about 1,000 employees. The location currently operates seven paper machines and several converting operations.

"This truly is an investment in our customers and consumers who value the quality of our products,” said Christian Fischer, Georgia-Pacific president and CEO. “We appreciate the local community, Brown County, state officials, and all of our employees’ hard work and efforts to continue making our Green Bay Broadway mill more competitive for the long term.”

A rendering of Georgia-Pacific's expansion at the Broadway Mill in Green Bay.

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