Mill History

Beginning with a work force of 279 and only one Kraft paper machine, this startup mill provided the area with a foundation of stability and hope, establishing a tradition of prosperity and growth for Palatka and Putnam County that has lasted more than 50 years. During this time, a lot of activity led to a lot of progress:

• Through numerous upgrade and improvement projects, the mill expanded over time, adding a second Kraft paper machine as well as three tissue paper machines along with a state-of-the-art tissue converting operation.
• In January 1979, the mill became part of Georgia-Pacific Corp., which had acquired Hudson. Since that time, the Palatka Operations – as this mill is now known – has benefited from an investment of many millions of dollars worth of modernization programs designed to enable the mill to operate as efficiently as possible and to produce high-quality products that meet the needs of the marketplace.
• Technological upgrades and training for the work force have transformed the Palatka Operations from a labor-intensive manufacturing plant into a computer-based, high-tech operation.
• A concentrated effort since 1988 has helped change the working atmosphere for today’s more than 1,200 Palatka employees from what was a traditionally "top-down" manufacturing environment into a highly involved, high-performance, team-based organization.

And now, more than 500,000 tons of paper is produced each year to serve the needs of customers across the country and around the world. Products manufactured at Palatka Pulp and Paper Operations consist of natural and bleached Kraft paper (including Palatka’s Velumina® brand, "The Only Kraft Paper For Color™"); tissue paper; and a comprehensive line of consumer and commercial tissue products. The Palatka Operations' consumer tissue products include bath tissue, paper towels, and napkins sold under the Georgia-Pacific brand names of Angel Soft®, Quilted Northern®, Brawny® and Sparkle®.