If you’ve shopped for toilet paper in Northeast Florida these past few weeks, you might be feeling desperate as you encounter empty store shelves.
But just down the road from Jacksonville, the Georgia-Pacific plant in Palatka is working 24/7 to crank out one the coronavirus pandemic’s most sought-after items.
The Palatka plant makes Angel Soft, Quilted Northern, and other paper products.
Georgia-Pacific spokesman Mark Brown told WJCT News the company is maximizing shipping logistics to meet the extra demand.
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“In the last couple of weeks, our mills and regional distribution centers around the country have managed to ship out 120% of normal capacity. So, that is part of the effort to keep store shelves stocked and these essential products in the hands of consumers," he said.
Brown said the 1,000 employees of the Palatka plant are being asked to stay far apart from each other on the factory floor.
At the time of this story’s publication, Putnam County had 25 confirmed cases of coronavirus, six hospitalizations and one death.
Michelle Corum can be reached at mcorum@wjct.org, 904-358-6308 or on Twitter at @MCorumonME.
