U.S.-based Simmons Foods has announced new expansion plans. 88 million in its prepared foods plant located in Van Buren, Arkansas.
The project will add nearly 20,000 square meters to the existing plant to make way for two new highly automated production and packaging lines. Plans also include improved indoor spaces for team members and improved traffic flow in and around the site.
According to Joel Sappenfield, president of Simmons Prepared Foods, “This investment will create 100 new jobs, including highly skilled positions to support robotics and automation processes. This expansion will also support the growth of the local economy and help meet market demand for one of the fastest growing segments of the business – cooked products.”
The company expects to start construction on the project this January and have production online by the first quarter of 2023. Nabholz Construction will act as general contractor for the construction.
Sappenfield notes, “We are excited to build on our success in the region. Our River Valley team is an important part of our company’s overall operations. We have three production locations here in the River Valley, as well as a recruitment center and a Simmons Care clinic dedicated to providing medical care with no additional co-payments exclusively for our team members and their covered dependents.”
Simmons currently employs approximately 600 full-time team members. The operation consists of three production lines, which generate approximately 50 million kilograms of fully cooked premium chicken products per year. The expansion will increase annual production capacity by approximately 100 million pounds.
