Georgia-Pacific Cuts the Ribbon on New $325 Million Gypsum Wallboard Plant in Texas

State-of-the-art facility will meet region’s growing product demand

Georgia-Pacific New Texas Gypsum Wallboard Plant — Photo courtesy of Georgia-Pacific

Georgia-Pacific officially opened its new gypsum wallboard production facility in Sweetwater, Texas, on Oct. 5. Initially announced in September 2020, the $325 million facility is Georgia-Pacific’s second gypsum wallboard production facility in Nolan County and the first Georgia-Pacific has built since 2004.

The Sweetwater Complex is more than 700,000 square feet. One of the most innovative gypsum facilities in the country, the newest addition to the Georgia-Pacific gypsum system features state-of-the-art technology and is designed to help ensure safety, quality and efficiency.

“Georgia-Pacific is keenly focused on the future and committed to innovation and meeting the needs of our customers,” said David Neal, president of Georgia-Pacific Gypsum. “The two operations combined will supply customers and distribution partners with more than 1 billion square feet of gypsum products each year and create more than 100 new jobs. This investment strengthens Georgia-Pacific’s capacity to meet growing customer needs in Texas’ residential, commercial and industrial construction markets.”

The new facility is adjacent to Georgia-Pacific’s first gypsum wallboard facility in Sweetwater, purchased by Georgia-Pacific in 1996. The existing facility has been operating in Nolan County since the 1950s. Over the last year, Georgia-Pacific has also invested approximately $16 million in technical and safety upgrades at the plant, including an Energy Optimization System, auto-guided vehicles, an automated robotic riser system, auto-splicing equipment and upgraded packaging equipment. The company also upgraded its employee facilities.

Georgia-Pacific has invested more than $735 million into its Texas facilities since 2013. Georgia-Pacific has approximately 2,520 employees in Texas and operates 10 facilities that produce plywood, lumber, particleboard, gypsum and corrugated products.

“The Sweetwater community, Nolan County and the state of Texas place a focus on and invest in the manufacturing workforce,” Neal said. “We chose to make this investment in Nolan County because we believe a strong talent pipeline is key to the success of Georgia-Pacific and the surrounding communities.”

Georgia-Pacific is also committed to giving back in meaningful ways to the communities in which employees work and live. Georgia-Pacific recently invested $200,000 into the Sweetwater Independent School District’s Career & Technical Education program. Georgia-Pacific has also invested an additional $100,000 into other organizations in the area, including the all-inclusive park at Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital and the Sweetwater Fire Department.

See the new facility here.

Georgia-Pacific offers a wide array of interior and exterior products designed to provide the highest level of performance in the most challenging commercial and residential applications. Since 1965, Georgia-Pacific has developed the highest quality gypsum building products in the industry. The company operates 12 gypsum wallboard facilities throughout the U.S. Click here to learn more about Georgia-Pacific’s Building Products business.