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Simmons Foods has announced that it plans to invest $100 million to expand its prepared foods operation in Van Buren, Arkansas, US. The project will add 65,000 square feet to the existing facility to make way for two new highly automated production and packaging lines. The plans also include enhanced interior spaces within the site for workers and improved traffic flow in and around the plant. Simmons Foods' Van Buren site currently consists of three production lines, producing approximately 110 million pounds of fully cooked chicken products annually. The expansion will increase annual production capacity by an estimated 100 million pounds. The company currently employs approximately 600 team members at this location. Simmons Foods' subsidiary, Simmons Prepared Foods, is a farm-to-fork poultry producer based in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, that primarily supplies chicken products for the foodservice industry. Joel Sappenfield, president of Simmons Prepared Foods, said: “This investment will create 100 new jobs, including highly skilled positions to support robotics and automation processes. The expansion will also support growth in the local economy and assist in meeting market demand for one of the fastest-growing segments of the business – cooked products." The company expects to break ground on the project this month and have production online by the first quarter of 2023.