Pratt to Build Recycling Corrugated Box Unit in Wisconsin

Pratt Industries Inc. plans to build a recycled corrugated box producing facility in Beloit, Wis.

The Conyers, Ga.-based Pratt, which makes 100-percent recycled paper packaging, will begin construction of the $52 million facility next spring. It will cover 350,000 square feet on 56 acres and produce about 600 tons of recycled boxes a day at full capacity, the company said in a news release.

Pratt expects the facility to be fully operational by January 2016. The plant will employ 140.

The new plant will convert corrugated container board made at Pratt’s recycled paper mills into sheets that are then converted into finished boxes for distribution throughout the Midwest and elsewhere.

It also will feature environmentally conscious measures such as water reclamation technology and forklifts and trucks that run on compressed natural gas (CNG).

"This plant will be our first ever in the great state of Wisconsin and is a perfect fit with our aggressive growth strategy to increase our manufacturing footprint and capabilities in the Midwest,” said Pratt Chairman Anthony Pratt.

 The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC) agreed to provide Pratt with up to $2.4 million in jobs tax credits during the next four years and a $1.75 million low-interest loan for equipment.