Georgia-Pacific completed a $175 million investment into its Dixie tableware facility in Darlington, South Carolina, and held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and community celebration. The improvements will expand its plate and bowl production operations to meet customer and consumer demand for these popular disposable household products. The Darlington facility now has additional printing capability, state-of-the-art plate presses and a new finished goods warehouse. Georgia-Pacific, through this investment, is striving to be a preferred partner for suppliers, customers, and the Darlington community. The expanded facility also created 100 new full-time jobs. The facility currently has 500 total employees.
“This is an exciting time for our business,” said David Duncan, executive vice president of the Consumer Products Group at Georgia-Pacific. “Investments such as the one made at the Darlington facility are important to our long-term growth aspirations for the Dixie business and signal a commitment to meeting those goals and our partnership with the Darlington community. These improvements not only modernize our operations and improve our ability to compete in the marketplace but also increase the value we can create for our customers and positively impact the local economy.”
Dixie has long been an integral part of the Darlington community. Dixie products have been produced in the city since 1943, and plates have been produced at the current site since 1963. Georgia-Pacific acquired the plant in 2000. Construction for the expanded facility – now at more than 530,000 square feet – started in March 2020. Over the past 10 years, the Darlington plant has made more than 65 BILLION plates, or approximately 195 plates for every person in the U.S., and enough plates to go around the world 20 times.
Throughout South Carolina, Georgia-Pacific has invested more than $375 million in its facilities. Georgia-Pacific operates five facilities in the state that span across its three major business segments – from corrugated packaging and building products to the Dixie Darlington plate plant – and employs more than 1,200 employees. Recently, the company also announced a $40 million investment in its OSB facility in Clarendon, South Carolina.