Pilgrim’s to invest millions in Alabama poultry plant
The company said it would spend $10m renovating its processing facility in Enterprise, which employs over 700 people and processes more than a million birds a week, in the next six months. It added that it had been granted a tax abatement by the local government, which would help offset construction and equipment costs.
The processing facility is one of two planned investments by Pilgrim’s in Alabama, with the company also revealing plans to build a new feed mill facility in Pinckard.
“We are excited to announce our continued commitment to Dale County, the communities of Enterprise and Pinckard, local family farmers, our customers and the Pilgrim’s team members, who work hard every day to make our business a success,” said Jayson Penn, executive vice-president of sales and operations at Pilgrim’s.
“This significant investment is consistent with our strategy of relentless pursuit of operational excellence and will improve our efficiencies, cost structure and competitiveness, while creating a safer work environment for our employees.”
Pilgrim’s recently reported strong second-quarter results, with a 175% year-on-year net income increase on the back of improvements in operational efficiency and aggressive pursuit of added-value exports.
The company is the second-largest chicken producer in the world and has the capacity to process more than 36 million birds per week. An integrated processor which operates in 12 US states, Puerto Rico and Mexico, the company has 28 fresh processing plants and eight prepared food plants, as well as 26 feed mills and 30 hatcheries.
