Simmons Pet Food opens $60 million facility in Emporia, Kan (US)

Simmons Pet Food Inc. and Affiliates, recently opened a $60 million Flexible Packaging Facility in Emporia, Kan (US).

The 208,000-square-foot plant is expected to add 100 new jobs to the existing workforce of 500 people. By 2022, 200 new jobs are expected to be added. Before the facility opened, Simmons Pet Food employed 500 people at its Emporia location.

The plant began operating in May and will increase Simmons’ production capacity for flexible wet pet food packaging. The plant features new cooking technology and packaging automation and can produce cup, tub and pouch packaging. By 2022, it will have an annual capacity to produce 9 million cases of wet pet food cups and 2.4 million cases of tubs.

Simmons Pet Food supplies custom and private label pet food in the United States and Canada and operates three wet pet food production facilities, a dry pet food facility and a treats production facility. The plants are in Northwest Arkansas, Kansas, New Jersey and Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1949, Simmons is a vertically integrated supplier of poultry, pet food and feed ingredients. The privately-owned, family-led business has more than 6,000 employees throughout North America.