Photo courtesy of First Quality
The expanded facilities will be located at 2108 Avondale Mill Road, adjacent to First Quality’s current location in Macon.
Earthmovers are making way for a major industrial expansion in Macon, Ga., that will bring 600 new jobs to First Quality Baby Products, located near Middle Georgia Regional Airport, according to WMAZ-TV in Macon on May 23.
Earlier that day, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced that the $418 million investment is attributable to the state's "consistent and reliable business-friendly environment."
Allen Bodford, president of First Quality Enterprises' Absorbent Hygiene Division, said in a news release that the new building adjacent to 2108 Avondale Mill Rd. will increase the company's baby diaper and training pants manufacturing capacity by 50 percent.
The company's application for an air quality permit from Georgia's Environmental Protection Division indicated the company plans to add eight production lines and two reclamation lines.
First Quality currently employs more than 580 people working in more than 1 million sq. ft. of space in Macon, according to the company website.
As a result of its latest expansion, the manufacturer plans to hire executive, administrative, supervisory and production positions.
"This expansion is a testament to First Quality's innovative products and continuing commitment to the baby diaper market," Bodford added. "We also express our deep appreciation to our dedicated team in Macon for their tireless devotion to First Quality."
He also credited Kemp, the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) and the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority (MBCIA) for their continued support.
The governor said more than 70 percent of the state's economic development projects in 2023 involved existing companies investing in expansions.
"That's a testament to the long-term partnerships we build that continue to pay dividends for communities in every corner of the state," Kemp noted in the news release.
First Quality and its subsidiaries manufacture infant and adult diapers, feminine hygiene products, bath tissue, paper towels and packaging supplies.
First Quality Continues to Expand in Macon
The MBCIA, along with recent Macon leaders, governors, and state economic development officials, have worked closely with First Quality since 2008 when the company bought the old Tyco/Covidien health and medical supply factory on Industrial Highway.
A nearly 110-acre parcel adjacent to the current 70-acre First Quality factory is owned by the MBCIA.
At the time, the Covidien plant was Georgia's first manufacturer to have a certified Work Ready workforce after more than 350 hourly employees successfully completed a state-sponsored skills assessment.
In 2010, First Quality began building its $35 million, 800,000-sq.-ft. facility south of the airport as part of a $200 million, eight-year investment to create an ultramodern manufacturing complex. That construction added 150 jobs and saved about 220 existing positions that would have been lost if another state was chosen instead, according to WMAZ-TV.
Five years later, First Quality invested another $68 million to renovate the 314,000-sq.-ft. plant on Industrial Highway for its Packaging Solutions operation.
Macon's current First Quality diaper factory is in the MBCIA's Airport South Industrial Park, which has another 109-acre tract for the expansion next door.
MBCIA Chair Robby Fountain said the company's latest investment emphasizes Macon-Bibb County's strong local business environment.
"This expansion highlights the confidence that businesses have in our community as a place to invest and thrive," he noted. "We are excited about the opportunities this expansion brings and remain dedicated to supporting First Quality's continued growth and success."
The GDEcD's Global Commerce division partnered with the MBCIA and Georgia Power to secure the expansion project along with Georgia Quick Start, a workforce training program through the state's technical colleges to customize the teaching of job-specific skills for qualifying companies.
Dublin Construction Co. in Dublin, Ga., is already preparing the First Quality expansion site, but WMAZ-TV reported that no timeline has been released as yet for the completion of the building effort.
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