(PRESS RELEASE) BLOOMFIELD – Purina leaders gathered in southeast Missouri to celebrate the completion of a $250 million expansion at the company’s Bloomfield, Missouri, cat litter factory. The project adds two new buildings to the 1.1 million-square-foot campus in southeast Missouri and expands capacity and production capabilities for Purina’s high-performing Tidy Cats litter products, the number one cat litter brand in the United States based on sales. The expansion results in 75 new positions at the factory, which now employs more than 450 people.
The expansion includes a new building dedicated to producing and packaging Purina’s popular Tidy Cats LightWeight litter, upgraded production equipment for other Tidy Cats products, machinery that allows Purina to self-manufacture Tidy Cats jug-style containers and a new warehouse, where finished products are shipped to retailers across the United States. The warehouse stands approximately 10 stories tall and features high-end automated technology.
“Purina’s cat litter business, driven by the Tidy Cats brand, has realized strong growth over the past several years. Expanding our operations in Bloomfield will play a critical role in ensuring that Purina can continue to provide cat owners with innovative products and superior quality,” said Eric Willis, Vice President and General Manager, Purina Cat Litter Division. “The investment in Bloomfield to expand our production, add a new warehouse and bring a significant portion of our package manufacturing in-house allows us to reach more cat owners while also lowering our impact on the environment.”
Bloomfield is the first Purina cat litter factory to self-manufacture its own packaging, which will lead to a significant reduction in carbon emissions. This capability will remove approximately 480 truckloads of packaging supplies, and associated emissions, from the road each month.
This is just one example of Purina’s priority to produce pet care products sustainably. Purina is working toward 100 percent recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025, protecting water resources through partnership and conservation and ensuring responsible sourcing of ingredients. Bloomfield is one of several Purina factories to benefit from Taygete I, a 2,000-acre solar farm owned and operated by 7X Energy in Pecos County, Texas, in its goal to achieve 100 percent renewable electricity by 2025 across all Purina sites. The factory in Bloomfield has already achieved zero waste for disposal, meaning it recycles, reuses, recovers or composts all waste from its daily operations.
Purina’s investment in Bloomfield operations is one of several active expansions at the company’s pet care facilities across the United States. In total, these expansions result in more than $2 billion in investments committed to Purina’s U.S. pet care operations and the creation of more than 900 jobs by 2025. Purina has invested more than $400 million in its Bloomfield facility since 2013.
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“Purina is proud to continue investing in southeast Missouri and providing critical jobs for the region,” said Jeff Goodmanson, Factory Manager, Purina in Bloomfield. “This expansion builds on our 45-year legacy in Bloomfield of providing high-performing and innovative products that cat owners trust.”
Purina employs a total of 2,800 people in Missouri. Purina has been headquartered in St. Louis for more than 125 years, and in addition to Bloomfield, Purina operates factories in Springfield and St. Joseph.
