Lamb Weston / Meijer joint venture invests €120 Mio in Bergen op Zoom facilities

View on part of the LWM Bergen op Zoom facilities (Google Streetview, acquired 2009)

View on part of the LWM Bergen op Zoom facilities (Google Streetview, acquired 2009)

december 04, 2014

Lamb Weston / Meijer, maker of frozen potato products and dried potato flakes, is investing € 120 million euros in its Bergen op Zoom plant located in the southwest of the Netherlands.

A new state-of-the-art production line for premium frozen products will be installed and the facilities will be expanded to accommodate the new line. The line is currently planned to be fully operational in mid -2016. The expansion is expected to create approximately 50 new jobs.

Leading company invests in the future

The new line and the reconstruction of the facilities emphasizes Lamb Weston / Meijer’s ambition to set high standards in the market in terms of both products and production facilities. The new line will enable the company to meet the growing international demand for high-quality potato products and concepts.
 

Three of Lamb Weston / Meijer’s premium products

Three of Lamb Weston / Meijer’s premium products

This new production line for premium products is an example of Lamb Weston / Meijer’s continuous investment in meeting the growing market and customer demands and the optimization of processes. The new line is aimed at strengthening the company’s leading position in the international market for frozen potato products, improving customer service and driving innovation.
 

Update:

Conagra Foods comments on the expansion


The expansion by Lamb Weston / Meijer is consistent with ConAgra Foods’ strategy to grow its international business. As large, global quick-serve restaurant chains continue to expand rapidly across the globe, this significant investment by Lamb Weston / Meijer is expected to accelerate ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston’s dynamic international growth with customers.

International consumption of frozen potato products continues to climb with the worldwide frozen potato category projected to grow by 1.8 billion pounds between 2013 and 2018. (Euromonitor, September 2014).

“ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston is well positioned to meet customers’ emerging market growth through our highly efficient, well-established dual sourcing model supplying our customer base with frozen potato products from both North America and Europe,” said Paul Maass, president Private Brands and Commercial Foods, ConAgra Foods.

“In addition, local potato sourcing and production will play an important role in the future for select countries, such as China, where we expect the most growth.”

ConAgra Foods began production in its newly acquired frozen potato facility in Shangdu, Inner Mongolia, on Oct. 31 after investing in updates to the facility to meet exacting standards for employee safety, food safety and quality.

In June, ConAgra Foods completed the expansion of its frozen potato facility in Boardman, Ore., which supports domestic and international customer growth.

The Conagra Foods press release further states that investment in the Netherlands is being financed directly by Lamb Weston / Meijer with no additional capital investments from its joint venture partners.

Read full Conagra Foods Press Release