Camden, New Jersey-based
Campbell Soup Co. will invest $8 million to expand production capacity for tortilla chips at its Franklin plant, located at 4625 W. Oakwood Park Drive.
The expansion, announced in a Tuesday press release, will create 40 new jobs. The $8 million investment is part of a supply chain optimization plan, which includes the closure of a plant in Jeffersonville, Indiana and $230 million worth of investments through 2026 at four plants in the United States.
Those plants include Franklin, Wisconsin; Hanover, Pennsylvania; Maxton, North Carolina; and Richmond, Utah.
“To fuel growth and transform our manufacturing and distribution network, we must invest and further strengthen our supply chain,” said
Dan Poland, chief supply chain officer at Campbell’s. “By leveraging our best-in-class in-house capabilities combined with the expertise of trusted manufacturing partners, we will continue to make the highest quality products, with a more agile, flexible, and cost-effective manufacturing network. We continue to evaluate optimization opportunities across the network to build our supply chain of the future.”
The Franklin plant opened in 1998 and employs more than 600 people. The 300,000-square-foot plant is currently used to make goldfish crisps (cheddar, salt and vinegar, and sour cream and onion flavored) and pretzels (15 varieties of Snack Factory pretzel crisps and 10 varieties of Hanover pretzels).
Beginning in late July, the Franklin plant will also manufacture five types of tortilla chips.
"These actions are another significant step in transforming Campbell’s supply chain into a competitive advantage," according to Monday's announcement. "The company is investing in its best-in-class manufacturing sites, leveraging its network of leading co-manufacturing partners, and closing inefficient sites and shifting production to more modern and effective plants."
The Franklin facility was originally built for Gardetto's, which was sold to General Mills in 1999. Nannette "Nan" Gardetto retained ownership of the facility and launched Baptista's Bakery there, which was sold to Charlotte, North Carolina-based Snyder's Lance Inc. in 2014, which was acquired by Campbell Soup Co. in 2018.
