Classroom learning is essential, but for advanced manufacturing students who considering a career in modern manufacturing, nothing beats a site visit.
Recently, students enrolled in the Grenada School District Advanced Manufacturing program had the opportunity to tour our paper mill in Grenada, Mississippi. The program, which is operated in partnership with Holmes Community College, organized the visit as a way to give students valuable insight into industrial manufacturing, including safety, operations and career opportunities in one of the region's most advanced facilities.
Karen Roach, general manager at Grenada Mill, and her team gave participating advanced manufacturing students an overview of the plant's daily operations, highlighting the importance of safety, quality control and efficiency in paper manufacturing. The students also gained an understanding of the various career paths available at the mill, including roles in machine operation, engineering, maintenance, quality assurance and logistics.
"Manufacturing is about more than just production. It's about innovation, problem-solving and teamwork," says Roach. "It's exciting to welcome students who are eager to learn about this industry and show them that opportunities in advanced manufacturing are right here in their own community."
The site visit gave the advanced manufacturing students a new perspective on how raw materials are processed into finished goods and how each role in the plant contributes to the overall operation. During the tour, they learned about the complex process of transforming timber into newsprint. The process begins with raw timber, which is debarked, chipped and processed into pulp using thermomechanical techniques. The pulp is then cleaned, refined and pressed into thin sheets before being dried and cut to size for distribution. (Learn more about how paper is made.) Newsprint, a lightweight, low-cost paper, is primarily used in newspapers and commercial printing because of its ability to absorb ink efficiently and its high production volume.
"I didn't realize how many steps go into making newsprint and how important precision and efficiency are," says Dajuan Loston, an advanced manufacturing student who participated in the tour. "It's really cool to see how the skills we're learning in class connect to jobs in the real world."
"This visit opened my eyes to career paths I hadn't thought about before," adds Ryan Williams, another student who attended the event. "There are so many technical jobs involved, and I can definitely see myself working in this kind of environment."
The tour allowed advanced manufacturing students to see firsthand the impact of advanced manufacturing techniques in large-scale industrial production at a world-class facility. Domtar's Grenada Mill is recognized as one of the most modern, high-speed and efficient newsprint production facilities in North America. Built in 1989, the mill produces high-quality, cost-competitive newsprint, which is distributed to newspaper publishers across the Southeastern United States, Mexico and Latin America. The facility benefits from its proximity to Gulf Coast ports, allowing efficient access to international markets. Additionally, it's known for its sustainability initiatives and has been repeatedly recognized by the Tennessee Valley Authority for its energy efficiency improvements. The mill currently employs 169 workers and indirectly supports more than 500 jobs in the local economy.
As the Grenada School District/Holmes Community College Advanced Manufacturing program continues to expand, experiences like this will help more students connect their classroom learning with real-world applications, giving them the tools and knowledge needed for future careers in industrial manufacturing.
