Canada-based poultry and pork products manufacturer Olymel is planning to invest $7.7m to expand its poultry processing facility at St. Damase in Quebec, Canada.
The plan will see an addition of 15,000ft2 of space at the facility, along with upgrades which include a new air chilling room.
The additional production capacity at the facility will enable the firm to improve its services for its clients, including those in the rotisserie and the retail distribution sectors.
The construction on the expansion is slated to begin on 15 May. On completion, the facility will have more than 95,000ft2 of area. Currently, the facility employs more than 350 employees who work in two shifts.
The expansion is part of the company's plans to strengthen its Olymel and Flamingo brands and enable it to better serve private labels.
Olymel president and CEO Réjean Nadeau said: "This major investment in our St-Damase plant reflects the dynamism of the poultry sector. Olymel will soon be announcing another major investment at its Brampton, Ontario poultry further processing facility. Our company is equipping itself to better meet demand from its customers by boosting its production capacity, which also benefits the entire poultry sector in Quebec.
"In terms of volume, thanks to its network of facilities and its business partnerships, Olymel is now the number one poultry processing company in Canada. This new investment in St-Damase and projects elsewhere in the poultry sector, both completed and planned, will also help to consolidate our presence on the markets, while generating important spinoffs for poultry producers."
The expansion is expected to be completed in September. During the renovation phase, the plant will continue to remain operational.
In 2015, the company had made a $10m investment in the poultry further processing plant at Ste-Rosalie, Montérégie.