US pork processor Smithfield Foods is shutting another plant in the country.
The company confirmed the closure of its factory in Springfield in Massachusetts in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) notice filed with the state on 6 February (Friday).
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The filing said 190 employees would be affected by the closure. The lay-offs will take place between April and September.
In a statement to Just Food, the WH Group subsidiary said the Springfield plant produces dry sausage and will cease operations in August.
Production will be moved to other unnamed plants “which have the capacity to make these products to our same high standards of quality”, according to the statement.
In July 2024, Smithfield said it would close a ham-boning facility in Altoona, Iowa, putting 314 jobs at risk.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataProduction carried out at Altoona was moved to sites in Illinois, South Dakota and Nebraska.
In October 2023, the company announced the shutdown of a pork-processing facility in Charlotte, North Carolina and the transfer of production to its Tar Heel plant in the same state. The decision impacted 107 jobs.
In January, Smithfield agreed to acquire hot-dog brand Nathan’s Famous. It has held the licence to manufacture and sell Nathan’s Famous products in the US and Canada and in Sam’s Club stores in Mexico since 2014, with the deal running to 2032.
Shane Smith, the president and CEO of Smithfield, said at the time: “With our manufacturing scale, marketing strength, product innovation capabilities, and retail and foodservice channel expertise, acquiring Nathan’s Famous will allow us to take the brand to new heights.”
