031224 Tyson to Shut New England Meat Plants

Tyson Foods has announced plans to move production from two New England meat processing facilities to plants in other regions of the country. The goal is to further improve long-term manufacturing efficiencies, the company says.

The facilities, located in Manchester, New Hampshire, and Augusta, Maine, will close in early February 2004. Tyson Foods acquired both plants with its acquisition of IBP, Inc., in 2001. About 712 people are employed at the two facilities.

The majority of the Manchester plant production, which largely consists of sandwich meat for foodservice customers, will be moved to facilities in Council Bluffs, Iowa; Fort Worth, Texas; Goodlettsville, Tennessee; and Chicago, Illinois.

The company says the Manchester plant is an older facility and it has determined the amount of capital required to bring it to a competitive level and to maintain appropriate food safety standards, would be better spent to accommodate production in newer, more modern facilities.

The majority of the production of the Augusta plant will be consolidated into the company's facilities in Buffalo, New York, and Concordia, Missouri. The Augusta facility makes hot dogs, sausages, boneless hams and deli turkey products.

RETURN TO HOME PAGE

E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com