Inside International Paper’s Innovation Center
The International Paper Atlanta Innovation Center, located in the Centergy Building of Tech Square, serves as a strategic hub for data science, analytics, and operational innovation across the company’s nationwide mill network. The location was chosen to offer proximity to other innovation centers and provide direct access to Georgia Tech’s talent pool, research capabilities, and startup ecosystem.
According to Allen Turner, manager of the Atlanta Innovation Center team, the center focuses on three core areas: equipment health, process and flow optimization, and support for the customer service group serving International Paper’s mills. Intern projects have included diagnostics for mechanical systems, chemical process modeling, and optimization of mill operations such as steam generation and pulp bleaching.
Maggie Xia
The Innovation Center has partnered with Georgia Tech graduate programs, including the Master’s in Analytics, to bring interns who contribute to business intelligence, AI-driven diagnostics, and machine learning initiatives. One former intern, Maggie Xia, works full-time as a data scientist at International Paper. Xia earned both her Bachelor’s in Economics and her Master’s in Analytics from Georgia Tech.
Xia initially joined International Paper as an intern, working on proof-of-concept projects involving custom interfaces and predictive modeling tools. She developed a “what-if” interface used by mill operators to explore production scenarios, which is now customized for individual mills across the company. She also worked on mill balance modeling, collaborating with teams on the containerboard side of the business.
Hired full-time in September 2024, Xia continues to support data science initiatives across the company, utilizing tools such as Python and Azure to enhance analytics at scale. She notes significant growth in International Paper’s technical capabilities since her internship.
The Innovation Center remains a lean, business-focused unit that delivers value through applied analytics, diagnostics, and operational support, emphasizing practicality and direct impact.
Below is a 2022 video by the company, focusing on the Atlanta office as the company's Advanced Analytics Center.