Kansas City, Missouri-based general contractor JE Dunn placed the final structural beam Aug. 30 at a new $425 million manufacturing facility in Jackson, Tennessee, according to a company press release shared with Construction Dive.
Spanning 241 acres, the new facility will produce disposable tableware products, such as plates and bowls, for Atlanta-based manufacturing company Georgia-Pacific’s Dixie brand. The facility is fully air-conditioned and features printer equipment, advanced automation technology and connected control systems.
The 900,000-square-foot project, the largest single investment in the city’s history, will also include manufacturing, warehousing and rail dock areas, as well as maintenance shops for equipment. A separate, but connected, 16,000-square-foot office area is also included, according to the release.
The JE Dunn team moved 390,000 yards of dirt and poured 52,000 cubic yards of concrete during construction. The general contractor also designed and engineered a 22,000-foot wastewater pre-treatment system with nearly half a mile of underground plumbing and an IT and electrical infrastructure that uses 58,000 feet of conduit. That totals more than 110 miles of cable, according to the general contractor.
“The new facility is one of the most advanced facilities JE Dunn has ever built,” said Erik Magsamen, JE Dunn vice president and project executive. “Throughout the new facility, you will find modern technologies that are all connected and work harmoniously with one another to bring new levels of efficiency and ease to day-to-day operations.”
JE Dunn expects the facility to be fully operational by the summer of 2024.