ConAgra Foods’ Lamb Weston business has announced to invest $30m to expand operations at its facility in Boardman, Oregon.
The expanded facility will enhance the processing capacity to make formed products such as hash brown patties and potato puffs. The facility expansion is likely to result in 50 new jobs.
The company is expanding the facility to meet increase in demand for frozen potato products domestically and internationally.
The construction on the facility is expected to begin in spring this year with completion is slated in 2017.
The expansion will boost processing capacity by around 50 million pounds once the facility becomes operational.
Lamb Weston president Greg Schlafer said: "With the frozen potato category growing globally, we have tremendous opportunity to support our customers' growth in the US and around the world.
"To capture that growth, we need to make more products. Expanding our operations in the Columbia Basin - with access to great potatoes, people and ports - just makes sense."
The Boardman facility is strategically located closer to prime growing, storage and shipping operations, as well as with easy access to Port of Morrow.
The company had started the facility's expansion in June 2014 by adding 300 million pounds of capacity with a new fry line. Lamb Weston planned to invest $200m including the the latest announcement.
Port of Morrow general manager Gary Neal said: "Lamb Weston's planned expansion shows their continued commitment to the Port of Morrow, Boardman and the Mid-Columbia region as the right place to do business. Their ongoing investments add good paying jobs to our Region and we are fortunate to have such great partners at the Port."
Lamb Weston is a ConAgra brand that specializes in frozen potato products has 22 manufacturing facilities across North America, Europe and China.
Image: Lamb Weston's frozen potato manufacturing facility to be expanded. Photo: Courtesy of phasinphoto/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
