Simmons Moves Plant; 100 to Lose Jobs

Simmons Foods Inc. of Siloam Springs is moving its deboning operations from Van Buren to Southwest City, Mo.

The Van Buren Main Street facility employs about 850 of Simmons’ 4,400 workers. The company estimates about 150 positions at the current site will be eliminated through attrition and transfers, but only about 100 people will actually lose their jobs.

Simmons invested more than $4 million in 2001 to expand its par-fry and breading capacity of the Main Street plant. The relocation of the deboning division will give the Main Street facility additional floor space for future expansion of product portioning, marinating, par-frying and breading capabilities.

The transition is expected to be completed in late January.

“Although the company is phasing out deboning operations at the Main Street plant, we plan on increasing employment in other areas of the plant, enabling us to minimize the number of full time employees impacted by this decision,” said Todd Simmons, president of sales and marketing for Simmons.

Simmons has another Van Buren plant at 2101 Twin Circle Drive, which produces fully cooked products.

“Our customers are demanding more value-added products,” said Buddy Pilgrim, CEO of Simmons. “Focusing the Main Street plant on further processed products will allow us to be more effective at supplying our customers with the quality and volume of products they need. This will ensure new job opportunities in the future, in both Van Buren and in Southwest City.”

Simmons has 425 contracted farmers in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.