Sonoco announces major facility upgrade in Darlington County
December 13, 2011
Company to invest $100 million in plant
DARLINGTON COUNTY, SC – December 13, 2011 – Sonoco, a global producer ofpackaging products, announced plans to upgrade its Darlington Countyplant. The $100 million investment is expected to generate up to 10 newjobs, in addition to the more than 1,600 employees currently working forthe company in Hartsville.
“We are extremely excited about this project. It is the single largestcapital investment that Sonoco has made to our Hartsville manufacturingoperations and in South Carolina,” said Sonoco President and ChiefOperating Officer Jack Sanders. “In addition to maintaining theviability of our operations and protecting hundreds of existing jobs,the project will create new growth opportunities and new jobs.”
Sonoco will invest about $75 million to add a new biomass boiler to itsplant in Hartsville, replacing two aging coal-fired boilers. The newboiler will be fueled primarily by woody biomass created by regionallogging activity, but can also run on natural gas. The boiler willproduce about 16 megawatts of “green” energy that will be consumed bythe manufacturing complex, as well as steam that is used in the papermaking process. The company will also upgrade a machine that producescorrugated paperboard, as well as emission control technology on anotherboiler at the plant.
With expected receipt of the required construction permits this week,groundbreaking will occur in December 2011, with construction continuinguntil July of 2013. The boiler is expected to be operational by thefourth quarter of 2013.
“Sonoco is a world-class company and we are excited that they are makingthis large investment in Darlington County. This announcement not onlyindicates the company’s commitment to South Carolina – it alsodemonstrates that we are doing the right things on the economicdevelopment front to attract large investments like this one,” said Gov.Nikki Haley.
Employment activity during construction will peak at around 200, with upto 10 new jobs added, including about 30 indirect jobs due to theamount of biomass material that has to be collected and delivered toSonoco. Sonoco has asked its contractor, McBurney, to work with theState Employment Commission and local employment agencies to hire asmany qualified, locally-based, skilled workers as possible.
“For more than a century Sonoco has played an important part in SouthCarolina’s manufacturing sector and we congratulate them on this newinvestment. Today’s announcement is another indication that ourscontinues to be a manufacturing state,” said Bobby Hitt, Secretary ofCommerce.
Since the beginning of the year, South Carolina has recruited more than$3.3 billion in investment and more than 12,000 new jobs in themanufacturing sector.
“This investment by Sonoco is a testament to the globally competitiveworkforce in Darlington County,” said Darlington County Council ChairmanBilly Baldwin. “Sonoco’s investment is one of the largest industrialinvestments in the history of the county. The county council and theschool board have responded to Sonoco’s commitment to Darlington Countywith a globally competitive performance-based tax incentive package. Wethank the legislative delegation for providing this project the supportof the S.C. Department of Commerce and ability to provide competitivetax rates.”
“This new biomass boiler system is the culmination of Sonoco’s ongoingsustainability efforts,” said Robert Long, executive director of theDarlington County Economic Development Partnership. “Sonoco is a greatcorporate citizen that embraces their environment responsibility.”
The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved the companyfor a rural infrastructure grant of $100,000, which will be used toimprove roads used by the trucks going to and from the facility.
In an effort to minimize interruptions to local traffic, Sonoco workedclosely with the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) andDarlington County to identify the best route to get the trucks into andout of its facility.
About Sonoco
Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a global provider of a variety of consumerpackaging, industrial products, protective packaging and packagingsupply chain services. With annualized net sales of approximately $5billion, the Company has more than 19,000 employees working in 340operations in 34 countries, serving some of the world’s best knownbrands in some 85 nations. Sonoco is a proud member of the 2011/2012 DowJones Sustainability World Index. For more information on the Company,visit our website at www.sonoco.com.
