Maple Leaf to set up meats facility in Canada

Canadian food processing company Maple Leaf Foods plans to construct a new C$395m (US$389.79m), 402,000ft² prepared meats facility in Hamilton, Canada.

This move is part of the company’s C$560m (US$552.62m) ongoing investment in infrastructure and technologies over the next three years, with the aim of establishing a world-class prepared meats network.

Maple Leaf will invest in existing plants in Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Brampton to establish category-focused centres, and will close its plants in North Battleford, Kitchener, Hamilton, Toronto, Moncton and a small facility in Winnipeg by the end of 2014 to consolidate production into new or expanded facilities.

The company also plans to simplify its distribution network by consolidating four distribution centres into two.

Maple Leaf Foods president and CEO Michael H McCain said that through the investment the company is creating a highly efficient, world-class prepared meats production and distribution network that will increase its competitiveness and close the cost gap with its US peers.

While the investment will create approximately 1,150 new jobs, closures of facilities are expected to result in a net reduction of approximately 1,550 positions, with the majority of the workforce reductions occurring in 2014.