A year after announcing a $195 million expansion at its manufacturing facility in Jefferson, Nestlé Purina is testing its newest production line with plans to start making sellable products within the next two months.
St. Louis-based
Nestlé Purina PetCare Company said
last April it planned to increase production of its wet pet food brands in Jefferson by nearly 50%, including Pro Plan, Fancy Feast, and Beneful IncrediBites. The expansion will create 100 jobs once the new production line is running full-time.
As part of the expansion, Nestlé Purina constructed a new warehouse to accommodate growing production needs. The warehouse added nearly 35,000 square feet of space to the company’s plant located at 111 W. Plymouth St.
The new warehouse was needed because space within the facility that had previously been used for storage was converted to house processing and packaging equipment.
In total, there are now three production lines that can manufacture wet pet food at the Jefferson plant. Additional technological upgrades were also made.
“The expansion includes upgrades to our packaging equipment, including the addition of robotic palletizers,” said the company in response to written questions. “These systems automate the stacking of completed cases of pet food into units for shipment, improving efficiency and consistency.”
The WEDC is supporting the expansion project by authorizing up to $1.7 million in performance-based business development tax credits over the next five years. The actual amount of tax credits Nestlé Purina will receive is contingent upon the number of jobs created and the amount of capital investment during that period.
In addition to its main Jefferson facility, Nestlé Purina purchased the former Timewell Drainage Products facility located at 201 W. Plymouth St. for $2.29 million last December.
The facility is located immediately southwest of Nestlé Purina’s existing manufacturing plant. Part of the Timewell building is currently being used as a trailer drop lot. However, in the future, the company plans to use the space as a warehouse to support increasing wet food production.
"The Jefferson factory is integral to Purina's operations, contributing significantly to the feeding of over 46 million dogs and 68 million cats annually," said representatives from the company. “Jefferson has been a fantastic partner in our growth. The city has shown strong support for our expansion—from assisting with land acquisition for our new parking area to facilitating the purchase of the nearby Timewell property. The community's collaboration and long history with Purina make it an ideal place to continue investing in modern manufacturing.”
While Nestlé Purina doesn’t have plans to start making new products at the Jefferson plant, the company says the equipment added there provides extra flexibility.
"As we continue installing additional processing equipment into 2025, we’ll have the capability to produce any of the products currently made on our existing lines," said company representatives. "This flexibility will allow us to quickly adjust production to meet shifting business demands."
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