August 13, 2019
Tyson Foods to rebuild Kansas, US beef plant recently damaged by fire
Tyson Foods plans to rebuild its beef plant which was partially destroyed by a fire this month, the company said on August 12.
The facility, currently of operation, is based in Holcomb, Kansas, the United States. The rebuilding will happen at the same location. According to Tyson, officials are still assessing the damage, so it's too early to establish a timeline. In the meantime, work to clear damage has already begun.
"This is a difficult time for our team members and their families, and we want to ensure they're taken care of," said Steve Stouffer, group president of Tyson Fresh Meats. "Today, we will notify our full-time, active team members that they'll be paid weekly until production resumes."
Stouffer said the team members may be called on to work during this time to help with clean-up and other projects, but regardless of the hours worked, all full-time active employees are guaranteed pay.
"We're taking steps to move production to alternative sites," Stouffer said. "Tyson Foods has built in some redundancy to handle situations like these and we will use other plants within our network to help keep our supply chain full."
Tyson Foods operates six plants in Kansas, employing more than 5,600 people. In the company's fiscal year 2018, it paid US$269 million in wages within Kansas and estimated its total economic impact in the state to be more than US$2.4 billion.
- Tyson Foods
