US – American multinational food company, Hormel Foods is expanding its meat processing capacity with a completely new production site for dry sausage products.

The new facility is located in Papillion, Nebraska and is reported to cover an area of about 535,000 square feet.

Hormel Foods says that it significantly renovated the facility to become a state-of-the-art food processing facility that includes the latest sustainability processes.

Some of processes at the plant include automated guided vehicles for product transport throughout the plant, automatic rack assists for lifting objects and LED lighting with motion sensors.

 According to a statement by Hormel Foods, the site will be managed under the name Papillion Foods and will make salami and dry sausage products for the company’s Columbus Craft Meats and Hormel brands.

The US food company says that it will hire nearly 350 employees during the first year of the plant’s operations.

“We are excited to be opening up this facility to not only help meet the demand for our branded sausage products, but also provide fantastic career opportunities in our community,” said Ed Finnegan, Papillion Foods plant manager.

Finnegan further noted that they have been able to hire a great team thus far and are “looking to welcome even more to our family at Papillion Foods.”

Hormel Foods is also expanding its meat-free portfolio and recently introduced plant-based protein puffs, an on-the-go snack under its Happy Little Plants brand.

The latest plant-based protein puffs from the company are available in three distinctive flavors namely; Ranch, Nacho Cheese, and Cinnamon & Sugar.

Hormel Foods efforts to develop and launch new products are helping it boost sales.

During its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings call, management highlighted that the company achieved its goal of generating 15% of sales from new products that were formed in the last five years.

 In this context, brands such as Hormel Cup N’ Crisp pepperoni, SKIPPY peanut butter squeeze packs, Herdez Salsa Cremosas as well as Happy Little Plants among others have been contributing to the upside.

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