Butterball ham
Butterball's Montgomery facility manufactures hams for the company..
 

MONTGOMERY, ILL. —  Butterball L.L.C. plans to close its Montgomery processing plant by July 17. The company said the closure is due to evolving consumer and customer demand. The plant closure will impact 600 employees.

Jay Jandrain, Butterball
Jay Jandrain, c.o.o. of Butterball

“We are committed to retaining as many of our Montgomery employees as possible, and are committed to offering relocation assistance to any of our team members who have an interest in staying with the company and accept an available position at another location,” said Jay Jandrain, chief operating officer. “In addition, we will be working diligently with leaders across the enterprise and with other resources in the days and weeks ahead to identify and provide opportunities for outplacement and retraining for those affected, and will be seeking support from local and state economic agencies to find a buyer for the facility with the hope of securing new opportunities for the local economy.”

The Montgomery plant entered the Butterball manufacturing network in 2012 when Butterball acquired Gusto Packing Company. The plant covers 260,000 square feet and allowed Butterball to expand the company’s value-added turkey business while utilizing 50% of the existing equipment for pork processing. The most significant innovation to come from the Montgomery facility was the launch of a branded ham line.

The Butterball line of hams — Honey Ham, Black Forest Ham and Virginia Baked Ham — debuted in May 2016 at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago.