Operations have begun at the new Sanderson Farms poultry complex in Tyler, Texas.
Speaking during the company’s earnings call for the first quarter of fiscal year 2019 on February 26, Joe F. Sanderson Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Sanderson Farms, said the complex opened on February 4.
He further reported that “start-up has gone well,” and that the company expects the facility to move to full production during the first three months of 2020.
The company first announced in 2017 that it would be opening the complex in the Tyler area. At the time of the announcement, Sanderson Farms stated that it would invest about $200 million in the complex, which includes a poultry processing plant, feed mill and hatchery. At full capacity, the company said, the complex will employ approximately 1,700 people, will require 80 contract growers, and will be equipped to process and sell approximately 375 million pounds of dressed poultry meat annually at full production.
In October 2017, Sanderson Farms announced that it had hired its live production managers for the new complex, and it further revealed the next month that it was seeking to hire nearly 100 salaried team members for the complex. In July 2018, Sanderson Farms extended its hiring to fill other positions and hosted a career fair at Tyler Junior College’s West Campus.
During the company’s previous quarterly earnings call in December, Sanderson said that the company would not pursue plans to build another plant in the 2019 calendar year, but would instead work on “getting Tyler opened and maturing both tray pack and foodservice sales.” However, he added that Sanderson Farms would continue to look at sites for potential new plants after 2019.
Sanderson also said during the February 26 call that its plant in St. Pauls, North Carolina, which opened in January 2017, is now running at full production.
