Johnsonville, the family-owned US sausage maker, has shut down its processing plant in Momence, Illinois.
The closure will impact 274 jobs at the facility, the company said in a statement to Just Food.
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Johnsonville called the decision “difficult” and has notified affected employees at the facility.
The site has been operational since 1962 and producing Johnsonville products since 1995.
Johnsonville will now shift production to newer facilities in Wisconsin and Kansas, aiming to “best optimise” its operations.
The company will invest in these sites to handle the “additional volume” and support “current and future growth”, the statement added.
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By GlobalDataAs part of the move, Johnsonville will create about 100 new jobs in Wisconsin.
The Watertown facility will add a second shift, bringing 75 new roles, while the Sheboygan Falls site will gain 25 jobs.
Hiring for these positions is “already underway” and will continue through the summer, the statement added.
Equipment and assets from the Momence plant are being transferred to other manufacturing locations.
Johnsonville plans to sell or demolish the ageing Illinois facility by the end of the year.
The company also plans to make “significant” investments in its Sheboygan Falls production facilities to expand capacity for “fully cooked” sausage products, addressing “current and future” consumer demand.
Established in 1945, Johnsonville produces over 80 sausage varieties, which are sold in more than 40 countries and served in over 75 US sports stadiums. The company has 4,000 team members worldwide.
In January, the sausage producer acquired its co-packer Salm Partners from Entrepreneurial Equity Partners (E2P).
Johnsonville acquired Salm’s two production plants in Denmark, Wisconsin through the deal.
