ST. LOUIS, Oct. 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Nestlé
Purina PetCare announced a $550 million
investment to build a new factory in Williamsburg Township, Ohio, to meet
increasing demand for its high-quality, nutritious pet
foods.
The Williamsburg Township
location will join Purina's network of 21 existing manufacturing
locations across the United States
and be the company's first new factory built from the ground up
since 1975. This expansion is part of a broader growth plan
for Purina and marks the second new factory Purina has announced in
2020 after the company revealed plans in late September to convert
a former brewery into a new pet food factory in Eden, North Carolina.
"Purina is excited to be building two new factories in the U.S.
over the next few years. This growth is a testament to strong
consumer demand for our high-quality nutrition that helps pets live
longer, healthier lives," said Nina Leigh
Krueger, President, Purina. "Our new Ohio
factory will build on our more than 90-year history of making
science-based dog and cat foods that pet owners trust. We are
grateful for the partnership at the state and local levels, and
we're excited to call Clermont
County home and support this great community for a long
time."
"Close collaboration between JobsOhio, its local partners and
the Development Services Agency were essential to attracting
Purina's newest facility and 300 jobs to Ohio," said Ohio Governor Mike
DeWine. "Talented workers in Clermont County will manufacture Purina's most
recognizable brands from the plant, which will play a critical role
in Purina's global growth strategy."
Preliminary plans call for Purina to invest
$550 million to build its new factory in southwest
Ohio and produce leading dry dog
and cat food brands, including Purina Pro
Plan, Purina ONE and Dog Chow. The 1.2 million-square-foot
facility will sit in Williamsburg
Township's South Afton Industrial
Park. Purina plans to employ more than 300
people at its new factory location by 2024. Many of these
jobs will include professional staff, production operators,
technical staff and engineers. Construction will begin this
fall, and the factory is expected to be operational
in 2023.
"Clermont County is an
excellent location for Purina's newest factory thanks to the
region's distribution opportunities, a workforce with great
potential and strong community values," said Nolan Terry, Vice President, Manufacturing,
Purina. "We have a unique opportunity to bring all of our best
technical and innovative manufacturing thinking under one roof as
we construct this facility from the ground up."
The facility's design will be inspired by innovative Nestlé
facilities around the globe and will be built to Purina's
world-class quality and food safety standards. The facility will be
Purina's most technologically advanced pet food factory, utilizing
robotics and innovative digital tools and featuring a training
center to promote learning and development.
While investing in its operations, Purina is committed to making
pet care products in an environmentally responsible manner.
Purina's new operations will be designed with sustainability at the
forefront, including a commitment to send zero waste for disposal,
and production processes designed to recover and reuse heat
and water. Purina also is striving to make the facility 100
percent powered by renewable electricity in the shortest
practical timeframe, while supporting the company's ambition for
zero environmental impact in company operations by
2030.
Purina received proposals from state and local agencies,
including Williamsburg Schools,
Williamsburg Township and the Port
Authority, with support from Clermont County Commissioners.
This support provides the opportunity for Purina to expand its
pet food operations while retaining and attracting top talent over
the long term. The Ohio Development Services Agency approved a Job
Creation Tax Credit to support the project.
"With today's announcement, Nestlé Purina PetCare is an
incredibly welcome addition to the Cincinnati region's food manufacturing
ecosystem, where we boast some of the other biggest brands in the
country," said Kimm Lauterbach, REDI
Cincinnati president and CEO. "More than 300 food and flavoring
companies do business in the Cincinnati region, and Nestlé Purina PetCare
is the most recent company to recognize its perfect fit for the
company's $550 million investment at
the South Afton Industrial Park, a JobsOhio SiteOhio Authenticated
site. I'm grateful for the work of our partners at JobsOhio, the
Ohio Development Services Agency, Clermont County, Williamsburg Township, and Duke Energy that
has supported this project and we look forward to watching Nestlé
Purina PetCare grow and succeed in the Cincinnati region."
"Governments don't create jobs, businesses do," said
David Painter, President of
Clermont County Board of
Commissioners. "Commissioners invested in South Afton Industrial
Park to provide the infrastructure and space where private business
could create jobs for our residents. Now, Nestlé Purina will invest
over $550 million in capital
improvements at South Afton.
Williamsburg Township and
Williamsburg Village will benefit
from income tax revenue. Williamsburg local school district will
receive negotiated payments in lieu of taxes for coming decades.
Clermont County will recoup its
initial investment in South Afton.
This is a win for Clermont County
government, the Williamsburg area, Nestlé Purina and the residents
of Clermont County."
Overall, Nestlé employs 3,300 people across the state of
Ohio, with operations in
Solon, Marysville, Cleveland, Brecksville and Zanesville, spanning Nestlé USA, Nestlé Professional, Nestlé Foodservice
and Nestlé Purina operations.
To view and apply for positions at Purina's newest factory,
please visit purinajobs.com/WilliamsburgTownship. To receive alerts
and updates on new available positions, visit
purinajobs.com/OH.
The new factory announcement in Ohio is another step in Purina's continued
growth that began last year in Hartwell,
Georgia – the company's first new factory to open in 20
years – and continued last month with the announcement of plans to
establish Purina's first manufacturing operation in North Carolina.
Located along the Virginia
border, the new factory in Eden, North
Carolina will revitalize a former brewery and transform it
into an innovative, technically advanced pet food manufacturing
facility scheduled to begin operations in 2022. Preliminary plans
call for Purina to invest $450
million to renovate the existing structure in Rockingham County and produce leading dry dog
and cat food brands, including Purina Pro
Plan, Purina ONE and Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets.
Purina plans to employ more than 300 people at the new 1.3 million
square foot factory location by 2024.
The company has also committed to capital investments this year
in Clinton, Iowa, and Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, where additional
investments of more than $30 million
are creating another 150 jobs. In the last five years, Purina has
invested $1.5 billion in its U.S.
operations.
Key Facts for Nestlé Purina:
Total investment in this facility: an estimated
$550 million
Total investment across the U.S. in the last five years: $1.5
billion
Total square footage of Williamsburg
Township facility: 1.2 million
Expected number of employees: 300 by 2024
About Nestlé Purina PetCare
Nestlé Purina PetCare creates richer lives for pets and the people
who love them. Founded in 1894, Purina has helped dogs and cats
live longer, healthier lives by offering scientifically based
nutritional innovations. Purina manufactures some of the world's
most trusted and popular pet care products, including Purina ONE,
Pro Plan, Fancy Feast and Tidy Cats. Our more than 8,000 U.S.
associates take pride in our trusted pet food, treat and litter
brands that feed 49 million dogs and 66 million cats every year.
More than 500 Purina scientists, veterinarians, and pet care
experts ensure our commitment to unsurpassed quality and
nutrition.
Purina promotes responsible pet care through our scientific
research, our products and our support for pet-related
organizations. Over the past five years, Purina has contributed
more than $150 million towards
organizations that bring, and keep, people and pets together, as
well as those that help our communities and environment
thrive.
Purina is part of Nestlé, a global leader in Nutrition, Health
and Wellness. For more information,
visit purina.com or subscribe here to get the
latest Purina news.
About REDI Cincinnati
The Regional Economic
Development Initiative (REDI) Cincinnati is the first point-of-contact for
companies locating or growing in the 16-county region at the heart
of southwest Ohio, northern
Kentucky, and southeast
Indiana. REDI Cincinnati is
supported by top business leaders and community partners and
staffed by a team of economic development experts who are uniting
the Cincinnati region to compete
globally.
The future is bright, and we're building it, right now. Join us
at REDICincinnati.com.
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SOURCE Nestle Purina PetCare