TYSON FOODS The MBCIA announced that Tyson Foods, Inc. would invest $59 million to expand its distribution center in Macon. The move added 102 new jobs, improved efficiency, and supported the company’s plans for future growth. The project, which began the summer of 2017, included a 152,000-square-foot addition to the existing facility. The Macon distribution center currently serves retail and foodservice customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama.
“The expansion of our Macon distribution center is part of our focus on continuous improvement and commitment to customer service,” said Gregg Uecker, Senior Vice President of Network Planning and Integration at Tyson. “This expansion will allow us to ship our complete portfolio of protein-packed brands to customers from one distribution center, while also improving team member safety and reducing our carbon footprint. It’s great news for our customers, our community, our team members, and our environment.”
NEW INDUSTRIES IRVING CONSUMER PRODUCTS Irving Tissue’s newest $470 million tissue plant is officially open in Macon-Bibb County, and it recently announced an additional $400 million investment. This brings its total private investment in MaconBibb County to $870 million. The expansion announcement was made at a ceremony held at the new plant by Irving Tissue President, Robert K. Irving. He was joined by Georgia Lieutenant-Governor Geoff Duncan, Macon Bibb-County Mayor Robert Reichert, MCBIA Chairman Robert Fountain, Jr., and other dignitaries to celebrate both the official opening of the plant and the major investment Irving Tissue made in the community. Irving Tissue’s new $470 million plant is located on Allen Road in the Sofkee Industrial Park and employs more than 200 people. It produces ultra-premium quality household paper products, including soft bath tissue and high-quality paper towels that are both strong and absorbent. The new second phase of the project represents an additional $400 million investment, adding another 150 jobs and will be completed by January 2022. The first phase of the expansion involved 1.5 million person-hours of work for contractors during construction, with over 1,000 people on-site at peak. Upwards of 50 Georgia companies were contracted during the build, with dozens more subcontracted. Phase Two of the project will begin immediately and is expected to involve approximately one million person-hours of work for contractors. Construction of the Macon plant doubled Irving Tissue’s annual ThruAir Dry capacity, increasing it by 75,000 tons, the equivalent of 15 million cases. Phase Two will increase that to a 30-million case capacity in Macon.
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