In July 2024, weeks before the start of school for millions of children and young adults across the country, nine Georgia-Pacific mechanics from six facilities, including the Rome Lumber mill in Georgia and the Sweetwater Complex in Texas, went back to the classroom at partner Yancey Bros. Co.'s headquarters in Austell, Georgia. For five days, our employees gained equipment specific training on Georgia-Pacific's fleet of 988 loaders. This training was not only designed and offered to help maintain the equipment and grow employees' skill set but provide superior service to our customers.

Yancey Bros. Co., a Caterpillar dealer, hosted the training, and Caterpillar Inc., which produces the 988 loaders, designed the courses. 988 loaders are the primary raw material handling machines used at our gypsum, lumber, plywood, cellulose, and paper manufacturing facilities. The training was designed to help Georgia-Pacific mechanics maintain its loader fleet by identifying the primary features of the machines, locate components and systems on the machines, and accurately describe the machine's main operation systems. By using what they learned during the courses, the mechanics can now quickly pinpoint issues with the loaders and fix them, with fewer calls to find solutions, and decreasing equipment downtime and delivery delays. Georgia-Pacific works hard to be a preferred partner for our customers, not only through the quality of our products, but by ensuring that they receive the products and materials they need in a timely manner.

Knowledge drives creativity, advancements, continuous improvement, and collaborative problem solving. Georgia-Pacific encourages its employees to constantly seek learning opportunities, and one way we facilitate this is through partnerships with organizations to provide training. This contributes to a cycle of mutual benefit between Georgia-Pacific and its partners, and the company and its employees.

"Transforming capabilities in an organization, which includes providing training and education opportunities for employees, doesn't just benefit the employees, but the organization and its partners and customers," said Ishara Howpe Liyanage, director, Georgia-Pacific. "Georgia-Pacific works to provide value for others, which in turn supports our businesses. Partners such as Caterpillar are integral to our growth and success, and we are thankful for this opportunity. We look forward to other training sessions to help our employees grow their skillset."

Learn more about Georgia-Pacific's partnerships and business initiatives here.

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