Cargill announces meat slicing relocation
A total of 118 employees are affected by the news, and will be offered a severance package, as well as opportunities to relocate to other company sites in the region.
The firm said the decision had been made following a thorough assessment of the future needs of its turkey and cooked meats business.
Cargill said the closure of the Springfield site would better serve its customers as the products being sliced and packaged there involved meat produced at other locations, including Nebraska City and Waco – the location where these operations will move.
Ruth Kimmelshue, president of Wichita, Kansas-based Cargill Turkey & Cooked Meats, said: "Given the scale of our facilities where this work is going, the proximity to raw materials, and technology-driven efficiencies that can be gained, in addition to the shipping logistics benefits for our customers, we believe this move better positions us for future growth in a highly competitive environment."
The Missouri facility will close on 11 March 2015.
In related news, the company published its second-quarter fiscal 2015 earnings last week, with earnings up 41% to $734m.
David MacLennan, president and chief executive of Cargill, said: "With first-rate performance in our agricultural, animal nutrition and meat businesses, Cargill posted strong results, outpacing recent quarters by a good margin."
He said the company "drew on the diversity" of its global animal nutrition and protein businesses "to help animal and livestock producers make the most of favourable demand fundamentals and satisfy consumers’ growing interest in adding more protein to their diets".
Cargill said results in its Animal Nutrition & Protein business were led by Australian beef processing and US cattle feeding and pork processing.
