Tyson Foods opens innovative fully cooked food production plant in Virginia

Tyson Foods has officially opened a new $300 million fully cooked food production facility in Danville, Virginia, to support long-term growth, operating as efficiently as possible and investing in its poultry business. According to the announcement, it is one of the company’s most automated plants to date, marking the deployment of innovation pilots and prototypes at scale.

The 325,000-square-foot facility represents a significant investment in the local community and will produce approximately 4 million pounds of premium quality, fully cooked poultry products weekly to meet the increasing demand for Tyson brand products, both in retail and foodservice.

Located in the Cane Creek Centre, a local business park owned by the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County, the facility has created nearly 400 new jobs for the southeastern Virginia region.

Donnie King, president and CEO, Tyson Foods, said in the announcement, “Danville represents a significant commitment to the region and we take our responsibility to enhance the communities where we live and work seriously. This plant is also a significant step toward our ongoing goal of operational excellence by investing in innovative technology and automation. This facility delivers on our commitment to ensuring best-in-class service for our customers and accelerating our long-term growth.”

The Danville facility is one of the company’s most highly automated plants to date, featuring high-speed automated case packing lines and high-speed robotic case palletizing units. The technology helps to maximize operational efficiency and increase overall team member safety. It also includes a product inspection process that incorporates metal detection, X-ray and vision grading to ensure consumers receive high-quality products.

The Danville facility is the company’s first at-scale integration of wearable armband devices to improve worker health, safety and productivity. The award-winning solution, for every frontline team member, integrates technology featuring sensors that relay environmental data to safety managers to better identify risk exposures.

“The combination of our team and technology at Danville will strengthen our ability to better meet demand for retail and foodservice fully cooked Tyson brand products,” Wes Morris, group president, Poultry, Tyson Foods, said in the announcement. “The Danville plant incorporates the latest technology that brings real-time intelligence to our processes, products and workplace experience for team members.”

Tyson Foods has also partnered with Danville Community College to create a Maintenance Technology training program to support the growing field of industrial maintenance with competitive pay and many opportunities throughout the company.