J. R. Simplot Company, headquartered in Boise, is intending to construct a sophisticated plant for processing of potatoes. The new plant will span an area of 380,000 sq. ft. on the company’s original processing facility site in Caldwell. The site preparation is expected to start in next May and operations may start by spring of 2014 with the biggest single investment by the company in Idaho.
The existing Caldwell plant will be replaced by the new one, which will also compensate for the potato processing plants located in Aberdeen and Nampa, Idaho. The company is planning to shut down these two existing plants in the coming two to three years, which will lead to a loss of about 800 jobs.
Bill Whitacre, president and CEO of the company’s, told that the plant will recruit 250 employees and local engineering companies will be given opportunities in construction management of the project. He added that the closure of the existing plants will result in loss of jobs for the present employees, but these employees will be allowed to apply for jobs at the new plant. He also went on to say that the company also provides onsite counseling, separation packages and out-placement services to ensure a smooth transition.
Burns & McDonnell, a nationally recognized and veteran organization in the food and beverage sector, is the main design firm of the plant. Mark McKellar, president of Simplot Food Group, said that the new plant would be more eco-friendly as it generates lesser carbon footprint and consumes lesser water compared to the existing plants. He added that the production output of the new plant will equal the combined output of all the three existing plants. According to him, the site of the new plant is well connected by rail and road transportation, and has easy access to raw potatoes, water and expert labor force, which will help in operation and maintenance of the state-of-the-art plant.
Source: http://www.simplot.com