SMITHFIELD, VA. — Smithfield Foods, Inc. has announced the construction of a new distribution center and the expansion of cold storage capabilities at its Tar Heel, N.C., processing facility. The company said it will invest $100 million and add approximately 250 jobs to the facility.
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| Kenneth Sullivan, president and c.e.o. of Smithfield Foods |
“This expansion reflects the promising new era we’re experiencing at Smithfield,” said Kenneth M. Sullivan, president and chief executive officer of Smithfield Foods. “It supports our continued growth and helps us better serve our customers by providing additional capacity and optimizing our distribution footprint.”
Smithfield plans to begin construction of the new distribution center this month. The blast cell cold storage expansion is under way. The distribution center will cover 500,000 square feet with 47,000 pallet positions, and the blast cell cold storage expansion will increase capacity by 140 million lbs. Both projects are expected to be completed by fall 2018.
“At Smithfield, we’re constantly evaluating strategies to achieve greater operational efficiencies and make our supply chain more sustainable,” said Dennis Organ, senior vice-president, supply chain and direct-store delivery (D.S.D.) for Smithfield Foods. “This project will help us accomplish both goals while better serving our customers in the southeastern U.S.”
The Tar Heel facility currently employs nearly 5,000 people and processes over 30,000 hogs per day.
