MEXICO – US agri-food giant Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM) has invested US$33m to build a new pet-food production line in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The ingredients supplier said that adding the line will increase the factory workforce by 65% and “optimize dry pet-food production flow”.

Alongside its Ganador and Minino brands, ADM said the investment will also support the development of new product range portfolio.

Jorge Martínez, president of ADM’s pet nutrition business revealed that the plant will be equipped with new technology, such as automated systems.

He noted that the state-of-the-art line will implement work practices aligned with the NOM-036, a Mexican regulation on Ergonomic Risks Factors at Work which aims to reduce risks for workers loading heavy packages.

ADM’s new production line offers a wide range of capabilities throughout Mexico and will expand its capacity to reach foreign markets, specifically in Central America and Colombia.

In a statement, ADM said the new investment follows that in recent years, Jalisco has shown an increase in economic activity and is placed among the three main states in Mexico as a growing and attractive location for qualified talent and investments.

Without a doubt Guadalajara is a strategic, economic location for ADM in Mexico,” said Jorge Martínez.

According to him, the integration of this new production line adds range and flexibility to our capabilities in Mexico enables ADM to triple its capacity, and gives the company a wider international visibility within the pet food market.

Martínez was joined at the inaugural ceremony to open the facility by Pablo Lemus, mayor of Guadalajara, and Amy Scanlon, U.S. Consul General in Guadalajara.

In terms of corporate social responsibility, ADM said the new production line will reuse water through a new treatment plant.

On the sideline of the launch, 1,228 food packages were donated to 300 families living in vulnerable areas of Tepatitlan de Morelos, a city outside Guadalajara, in collaboration with the Food Bank of Mexico (BAMX).

ADM also donated 460 Primavera trees that were planted in different public parks and strips within the city of Guadalajara.