Report: Pratt planning new warehouse in Kansas

KANSAS (From news reports) -- Even before Amazon finally confirmed in October that it is building a massive new warehouse in Park City, Pratt Industries had started making plans for its own large warehouse, office and production facility there.

No one with Pratt Industries returned calls this summer or this week, but there's no doubt about its plans.

The Georgia-based company, which bills itself "America's 5th largest corrugated packaging company and the world's largest, privately-held 100% recycled paper and packaging company," is a major supplier to Amazon elsewhere.

The new facility seems to be in conjunction with Amazon's plans, but that's not confirmed.

What is confirmed is that Park City annexed 80 acres on the east side of Hydraulic between 53rd and 61st, rezoned it light industrial and platted it for Pratt Industries.

The company hasn't submitted building permits or plans to the city, but it has hired companies from Ohio, where it has another new facility, including Dayton, Ohio-based Miller-Valentine Group as its contractor, Dayton architect James C. Hawthorn and Ohio structural engineer Schaefer.

That's according to paperwork for something called Project Vast.

Like the requests for proposals to bid on work at the Amazon warehouse, which was dubbed Project Starship, this project is using a code name. Also like Project Starship, where the Amazon name appeared on one of the sheets -- most likely accidentally -- the Project Vast paperwork also shows the Pratt Industries name in a few spots -- most likely accidentally.

The new Pratt Industries building will be about 925,000 square feet, which is almost as large as Amazon's one-million-square-foot fulfillment center.

It's not clear how or if Pratt Industries' Wichita facilities will be affected. The company purchased Wichita's Love Box Co. in 2005.

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