MONROEVILLE, AL -- Georgia-Pacific will invest $110 million to upgrade to its Alabama River Cellulose (ARC) mill, replacing one of the mill's two existing wood yards, upgrading the other wood yard and a major upgrade to one of the mill's machines that produces pulp.

"We are pleased to announce this major investment at Alabama River Cellulose," said Jim Hannan, CEO and president of Georgia-Pacific. "This reflects our company's strong commitment to our cellulose business, to the global competitiveness of skilled Georgia-Pacific employees, to the states that understand the value we create and to the support of the communities where we operate. We look forward to the full support of this community and this state for our company and operations here."

The investment in ARC follows more than $2.2 billion invested by Georgia-Pacific across Alabama in the last 10 years. Work on the project is slated to begin early next year, and construction is expected to require approximately 65 people per day for 18 months. Through acquisitions and capital projects, Georgia-Pacific has invested nearly $2.2 billion in Alabama over the last decade.

The ARC facility includes two independent wood yards, ARC7 and ARC8 that process over 4.5 million tons of wood per year making the facility one of the largest wood consumers in North America. The facility has two machines that have the capacity to produce hardwood bale pulp, softwood bale pulp, and roll fluff pulp.

Based in Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific manufactures engineered wood products and other consumer products derived from wood components. The company employs approximately 35,000 people directly.