Gov. Andy Beshear announced continued momentum in Kentucky’s manufacturing sector with a $51 million investment retaining over 400 jobs in Hancock County from Domtar Paper Co. LLC, a part of the Paper Excellence Group and currently the largest integrated manufacturer and marketer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America.
The project, located at the company’s existing 50-year-old Hawesville mill, will upgrade the current pulper with a modern pulper to gain additional machine capabilities and better service growing markets. Leaders at Domtar plan to have the expansion fully operational by the end of 2025.
Founded in 1848 and celebrating 175 years of business this year, Domtar is a leading provider of a wide variety of fiber-based products, including communication, specialty and packaging papers, market pulp and airlaid nonwovens. With approximately 6,400 employees serving more than 50 countries around the world, Domtar is driven by a commitment to turn sustainable wood fiber into useful products that people rely on every day. The company’s principal executive office is in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Domtar’s Hawesville mill is an integrated pulp and paper mill that produces nearly 600,000 tons of fine specialty paper annually.
This expansion adds to Kentucky’s thriving manufacturing sector, which administration-to-date has seen 580 private-sector new-location or expansion projects commit to invest over $21.95 billion and create more than 29,000 jobs.
