Hillshire Brands to shutter Alabama plant
by April 4, 2014 4:37 pm 123 views
Tyson Foods competitor Hillshire Brands Co., said Friday (April 4) it plans to close its processing facility in Florence, Ala., eliminating 1,100 jobs by Dec. 30.
The announcement was made in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that details the expected $34 million related costs from this streamlining operation.
"After a comprehensive business evaluation, management determined that the facility will not allow the company to meet its efficiency or long-term profitability expectations," the company noted in the filing. "Production from the facility will be sourced from other locations within the company’s operations network."
The further-processing facility makes Hillshire's breakfast sandwiches and cooks breakfast sausage. It was formerly a Sara Lee plant.
Hillshire ranks No. 12 among meat companies, with annual sales of $3.9 billion, according to the Meat & Poultry Top 100 rankings. Tyson ranks No. 1 with $34.4 billion in sales and recently expanded its breakfast line of retail products that competes directly with Hillshire Brands.