Tyson Foods has officially opened a new $300 million fully-cooked food production facility in Danville, Virginia, delivering on its strategy of accelerating long-term growth, operating as efficiently as possible and investing in its poultry business. 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 four million pounds of premium quality, fully-cooked poultry products weekly to meet the increasing demand for iconic 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.
“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,” said Donnie King, president and CEO, Tyson Foods. “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,” said Wes Morris, group president, Poultry, Tyson Foods. “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 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.
About Tyson Foods, Inc.
Tyson Foods, Inc. is one of the world’s largest food companies and a recognized leader in protein. Founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson and grown under four generations of family leadership, the company has a broad portfolio of products and brands like Tyson, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Ball Park, Wright, Aidells, ibp and State Fair. Tyson Foods innovates continually to make protein more sustainable and affordable to meet customers’ needs worldwide and raise the world’s expectations for how much good food can do. Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the Company had approximately 139,000 team members on September 30, 2023. Through its Core Values, Tyson Foods strives to operate with integrity, create value for its shareholders, customers, communities and team members and serve as a steward of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it.
