Atlanta based Graphic Packaging Holding Company, a leading provider of packaging solutions to food, beverage, food service, and other products companies completed a $600 million, 350,000 SF expansion project in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The project will allow GPI to manufacture approximately 900,000 tons of coated recycled paperboard annually in Kalamazoo, representing 44% of North American production of the product. The project is to install a brand new state-of-the-art coated recycled board machine, the company is one of the largest producers of folding cartons and paper-based food service products in the United States.

The project consisted of hot-dip galvanizing material for four new buildings: a mill, a corrugated container storage area, a boiler house and a finished goods warehouse over a 24-month period. Communication always is important in working with fabricators on large projects that are time sensitive, the galvanizing team sorted and verified incoming and outbound shipments to the job site. Storage of up to fifty loads at a time were required throughout the project. This allowed both the fabricator and the galvanizer to stay ahead of the steel erecting schedule.

The coordination of the project consisted of daily and weekly calls with Merrill Steel discussing the ever-changing schedule and sequence coordination to meet the demands needed to keep the project running smoothly and on-time. The stair assemblies were assembled by the galvanizing team with careful coordination between the fabricator and the grating and handrail manufacturer. This hot-dip galvanized project will stand the test of time, coating durability, corrosion performance, life-cycle cost and sustainability will help them achieve their anticipated manufacturing output by more than 70 percent for many years to come. It is truly a standout HDG project for the ever growing American cardboard and paper making industry.