Escanaba, Michigan (WLUC) – Wells Township Commission approved Bireld’s proposal for a Forest Products Processing Renaissance Zone (FPPRZ). This is the next step in the company’s historic investment.
Billerud is one step closer to the largest investment project UP has ever seen. The Swedish owner of the Escanaba paper mill wants to invest $1 billion in the mill.
Marty Fittante, CEO of InvestUP said, “Ultimately, it will be a generational effort to sustain this factory and these jobs and the economic impact it has entrenched not only in Delta County but in the Upper Peninsula. It’s about investing in between.
Now, one more step. The Wells Township Board voted to approve his FPPRZ for 15 years. This reduces factory taxes and makes investments easier to pay for. The state is responsible for subsidizing taxes for schools and public libraries.
said Michael Glodowski, Vice President of Technical Services at Billerud.
Currently, the factory produces graphic papers such as magazines and specialty papers. This investment will add a new machine called KM7. This allows factories to make carton boards – like the boxes that hold smartphones.
“Any cosmetic company or boxed premium alcohol will be a potential customer in the future,” Grodowski said.
With this investment, the factory will retain 823 employees and create new jobs during construction, which will begin in 2025.
There will be another public meeting on Tuesday at 3:00 pm at the Delta County Chamber of Commerce. There, the Escanaba Township Board will vote on his FPPRZ permit.
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