Camden Plywood is one of the top plywood facilities in the South. It is also one of Georgia-Pacific's largest plywood operations. The roots of this facility can be traced all the way back to the late 1800s, and it is still going strong...and about to be even stronger.

To ensure the plant's longevity for years to come, G-P is embarking on an $18 million upgrade that will modernize the facility and help increase efficiency. That's great news for the economy of Polk County and the surrounding area as well as for the continuing outlook for good solid jobs.

The capital improvement plan will focus on three different projects beginning with the plant’s dryer.

“We are rebuilding our dryer, which is close to 40-plus years old,” said George Standley, Camden Plywood Plant Manager.  “The dryer is the heart and soul of plywood operations and is one of the most important stages of production.  Controlling veneer’s moisture content is critical to producing a quality product.” The dryer project is scheduled to be completed this month.

While the dryer is being reconditioned, Camden Plywood will also undergo a project to modernize its stenciling and strapping operation.  Currently performed manually, this job will soon be automated as the plant introduces a robotic strapping and stenciling system.

“This area of operation can sometimes slow down the process since an operator has to manually place a stencil on a bundle of plywood, paint it and remove the stencil.  This process must be performed several times to ensure that all the required markings are captured clearly,” said Standley. “The new automated strapper and stenciling system will increase efficiency.”

The innovative technology will be installed toward the end of June.

Later this summer Camden Plywood will wrap up its capital improvement projects by introducing its robotic patch system. These robots are designed to detect and repair imperfections in wood veneer during production.

Currently, patching veneer is handled by multiple workers who are stationed on the line determining where the glue-like filler is needed and manually using it to repair the wood panels.  According to Standley, the innovative technology will be operated by four robotic technicians who are now being trained on the system.

“Camden Plywood is an example of how plants are being modernized to not only improve production but to attract, retain and challenge industry employees,” said Standley. Modern technology can challenge employees and give them the opportunity to grow their careers.  By adding robots to our lines, it is our goal to provide more meaningful work which leads to greater job satisfaction.”

Georgia-Pacific’s Camden Plywood facility employs approximately 500 people and over the next few months, more than 100 contractors will be onsite performing the upgrades.

Contributed Photo/G-P
Contributed Photo/G-P
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Pictured from (l to r) are Edgar Damian, Georgia-Pacific Precision Technician and Robotic System Trainer, and new Robotic Technicians Nathan Clark, Cristine Klenke, and Victoria Nickerson.

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