Georgia-Pacific trials autonomous drones at Alabama pulp mill upgrade

Georgia-Pacific is piloting an autonomous drone system at its Alabama River Cellulose pulp mill in Perdue Hill, Alabama, to standardise monitoring of construction progress on the site's USD 800m modernisation programme. The drones replace manual pilot-operated flights, aiming to improve consistency of progress data and reduce staff exposure to hazards on the industrial site. The trial is part of a broader digital delivery strategy targeting a connected digital twin of the facility.

Why this mattersAutonomous inspection tools tested on a major capacity project point to wider adoption of digital construction monitoring across pulp and paper capital projects.

• Georgia-Pacific is testing an autonomous drone system at its Alabama River Cellulose mill in Perdue Hill, Alabama.
• The mill is undergoing an USD 800m modernisation and expansion programme announced in 2025, running through 2027.
• The drone system standardises image capture for daily, weekly and monthly construction progress monitoring, replacing manual pilot-flown surveys.
• Georgia-Pacific said approximately 1,500 drone inspections have been carried out across its operations, without specifying the period.
• The project feeds into a wider digital delivery programme covering reality capture, 3D modelling and a planned digital twin.
• Alabama River Cellulose, acquired by Georgia-Pacific in 2010, produces bleached softwood kraft market pulp and fluff pulp.

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