Mars Petcare invests an additional $117 million in Arkansas facility
With sales of wet pet food being up 18% compared to last year, Mars is doubling down on its investment, only months after it announced a $145 million investment for this same manufacturing facility.
This latest investment will further expand the facility’s manufacturing operations with the addition of two production lines, support construction of a new warehouse, allow for updates to existing equipment and create more than 140 new full-time Associate positions – on top of the more than 120 jobs announced in January.
Collectively, Mars Petcare has invested a total of nearly $540 million in its Fort Smith facility.
“In January, I was pleased to join company leadership and local officials to celebrate Mars Petcare’s growth in Fort Smith,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said. “And here we are – only nine months later – celebrating yet another expansion at the company’s Fort Smith facility. I commend Mars Petcare for its commitment to our state and its tireless efforts to serve families by providing our pets with the highest quality products.”
Facility expansion is underway and all phases of the project are scheduled for completion in 2023. With the latest investment, Mars Petcare will build a new 47,000 square-foot warehouse and add two additional production lines to the facility. This, plus new production lines previously announced – a total of four – will increase production capacity by more than 75 percent, which is equivalent to more than 1 billion meals per year.