Simmons Pet Food opened its expanded flexible packaging facility in Emporia, Kansas, US, in June 2019.
The latest expansion will help meet the demand for cup, tub and pouch packaging. It follows the expansion of warehouse space on Simmons’ east building by 125,000ft² and renovation of the west building into Simmons Pet Food Medical Clinic.
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The ground-breaking for the expansion project was held in November 2017. The project was completed at a cost of $60m.
The expansion project received support from the US Department of Commerce Economic Development Association, the City of Emporia, and the Emporia Regional Development Association. It also received half-cent City Sales Tax for industrial development, extending the funding until the end of 2034.
Simmons Pet Food’s flexible packaging facility location
Simmons Pet Food’s flexible packaging facility is located within the Emporia Simmons Pet Food campus in Emporia, East Central Kansas. The campus spans across 52ha of land, comprising three buildings with a combined square footage of more than 900,000ft².
The facility is situated to the north of the Simmons East Logan Avenue facility and the Simmons West Warren Way facility.
The company was granted land in the Industrial Park III according to the Incentive Compliance Agreement.
Simmons Pet Food’s flexible packaging facility expansion details
Simmons’ flexible packaging facility expansion included the addition of a 200,000ft² production line along with processing and packaging equipment.
The expansion increases the manufacturing capacity of flexible packaging solutions such as wet pet food cup, tub and pouch packaging.
The additional capacity is expected to increase the facility’s annual production to an estimated nine million cases of wet pet food cups and 2.4 million cases of tubs by 2022.
Contractors involved
BlueScope Construction served as the design-build general contractor for the project while Evergreen Design Build assisted BlueScope with the interior designing.
Project benefits
The expansion generated 100 jobs, increasing the total workforce employed at Emporia facility to 500. An additional 100 jobs are expected to be created at the plant’s full capacity.
The new jobs are expected to create an annual payroll of $39.44m, which is expected to rise to $45.27m after the addition of 200 more jobs. This equates to an average annual salary of $64,681.
The company also renovated its office space in the East Logan Avenue building into a Care Clinic for its local team members and their dependents, thus benefitting the community.
Marketing commentary on Simmons Pet Food
Simmons Pet Food is a contract manufacturer of wet and dry pet food and treats. It was founded as a small poultry company in Decatur, Arkansas, by Bill Simmons in 1964.
The company produces and supplies premium and value-focused pet food to other brands and retailers. It is the largest supplier of store-brand wet pet food in North America.
Headquartered in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, the company operates in three states of the US, including north-west Arkansas, Kansas, and New Jersey, as well as in Ontario, Canada. It operates three wet pet food production facilities, as well as sites for the manufacture of dry pet food facility and treats.
Simmons Pet Food is a subsidiary of Simmons Foods, which was founded in 1949. Simmons Foods and its affiliates are family-owned and operated businesses supplying poultry, pet and animal nutrition products.
With a workforce of 7,000 employees, Simmons and its affiliates serve their customers in 50 states and 40 countries worldwide.
