Indiana (USA): Del Monte Foods to close Plymouth facility

On 12 September, after more than 35 years in Plymouth, Del Monte Foods has announced plans to close its local tomato processing facility in February 2018. The company says that about 105 full time employees will be impacted, beginning when production stops in November. Warehousing and distribution are expected to continue until February 2018.
 
According to the Del Monte website, their Plymouth facility "spans 19 acres and consists of five production lines. These lines produce ketchup and tomato-based sauces, along with juice from concentrate in plastic, metal and bag containers year round. Plymouth produces approximately 11 million cases annually of Del Monte/Contadina Brand and private label products."
Del Monte will transition the affected tomato processing activities to its facility in Hanford, California.

“While this decision was a difficult one, we are committed to continuing to meet consumers’ ongoing demands for high quality products at a reasonable value,” said Dave Meyers, chief operating officer for Del Monte Foods.
Earlier this month, Del Monte Pacific said its first-quarter sales edged up 1% due to a "strong'' performance of its S&W branded business in Asia and the Middle East, which offset lower sales in the US.