Georgia-Pacific To Begin Operating Clarendon OSB Mill

ATLANTA, Sept.18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia-Pacific today announced that it plans to begin a ramp up of production at its oriented strand board (OSB) facility at Clarendon County, S.C., in the first quarter of 2013.  The mill was part of the acquisition in May 2010 from Grant Forest Products that also included an operating plant at Allendale County, S.C., and another operating plant at Englehart, Ontario.  The acquisition totaled approximately $400 million.  Georgia-Pacific spent an additional $30 million to complete construction on the Clarendon facility in 2011. 

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"Given our customers' increased need for OSB, we believe the time is right to begin the ramp up of production at the Clarendon mill," said Mark Luetters, president – Georgia-Pacific wood products.  "This facility has world-class capabilities and will ensure our ability to grow with Georgia-Pacific's customers as the housing market continues its slow recovery. We're looking forward to getting this plant running and to working with the people in the Clarendon County area."

Once the Clarendon mill is operational, both Clarendon and Allendale (which also employs about 120 people) will supply customers across the eastern United States with the versatile building material used in residential construction. 

"The Clarendon mill fits strategically with our OSB facilities running at Brookneal, Va., Fordyce, Ark., Hosford, Fla., Allendale, S.C., and Englehart, Ontario," said Clarence Young, vice president – structural panels sales and marketing.  "It will give Georgia-Pacific the ability to provide enhanced service and value to existing and potential customers."

Georgia-Pacific OSB products include BlueRibbon^® rated sheathing and sub-floor, Thermostat^® OSB radiant barrier sheathing, and DryGuard^® enhanced OSB sub-floor, plus larger panels used in specialty applications.

Applications for more than 100 permanent positions, including management, craft and production roles at the facility, will be accepted through the company's Website at www.gp.com/careers  and through One Stop Workforce at www.slworkforcedev.org beginning this week.  

In South Carolina, Georgia-Pacific and other Koch Industries companies employ nearly 2,000 people directly and support more than 8,000 jobs overall. Total compensation and benefits in South Carolina is approximately $140 million annually.

Headquartered at Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific is one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of building products, tissue, packaging, paper, cellulose and related chemicals. The company employs nearly 35,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit www.gp.com.

SOURCE Georgia-Pacific