Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 8/22/17


Smithfield Foods Inc. announced today it will build a new distribution center and expand its blast cell cold storage capabilities at its processing facility in Tar Heel, N.C.

The company will invest $100 million and add nearly 250 new jobs between both projects. In addition to the new positions, additional employment opportunities will also be available within Smithfield's logistics partner.

"This expansion reflects the promising new era we're experiencing at Smithfield," said Kenneth M. Sullivan, president and chief executive officer for Smithfield Foods, in a news release. "It supports our continued growth and helps us better serve our customers by providing additional capacity and optimizing our distribution footprint."

Smithfield will begin construction of the new distribution center this month. The new distribution center will be 500,000 square feet with 47,000 pallet positions. The blast cell cold storage expansion, announced earlier this year, is underway and will increase the facility's capacity by 140 million pounds. Both projects will be complete in fall 2018.

Smithfield's Tar Heel facility is the largest pork processing plant in the world and produces fresh pork products for customers across the globe. Currently, the facility employs nearly 5,000 people and processes more than 30,000 hogs each day.

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