Schwan’s Set to Expand Pizza Production Facility
Schwan’s has announced plans to build a new 400,000-square-foot expansion at its pizza-manufacturing facility in Salina, Kansas. The announcement of the project comes as the company celebrates the 50th year of operating a pizza production facility in Salina. Company leaders joined government and civic officials at the Tony’s Pizza and Events Center to share details of the expansion and thank the Salina and greater Kansas community.
The new facility will result in up to 225 new, full-time jobs by 2023 in Salina and include automated pizza-production lines, shipping and receiving docks, and office space. The company already employs 1,125 people at its current 550,000-square-foot production facility and distribution center in Salina. Additional projects are planned for the Salina site over the next several years as Schwan’s plans for continued growth in the company’s pizza business, representing an investment of several hundred million dollars in total.
“For 50 years, we have made steady investments in growing our operations in Salina, and our facility eventually became what we believe is the largest pizza production facility in the world,” said CEO Dimitrios Smyrnios. “This new investment in Salina will help ensure that we can achieve our growth plans and continue to provide delicious pizzas to millions of families for decades to come. We are proud of our long-standing commitment to the community of Salina and state of Kansas. […] We especially want to thank our employees at the facility for making the highest-quality foods, day in and day out, for the past five decades.”
The company is investing in the Salina facility to support its growth initiatives in the retail and food-service markets in the U.S. and abroad. Founded in 1952, Schwan’s Company is a subsidiary of South Korean food maker, CJ CheilJedang. Schwan’s Company focuses on making pizzas, desserts and Asian-style foods in food-service venues, grocery stores and other retail outlets throughout North America.
Schwan’s first began operating a pizza plant in Salina in April 1970, when it acquired the Tony’s pizza brand and plant from a Salina businessman. Employees at the facility continue to produce Tony’s and Red Baron pizza for grocery stores nationwide, as well as pizzas for food-service venues such as schools.
During Schwan’s ownership of the plant, the facility has grown from just 18,000 square feet to more than 550,000 square feet, including a distribution center that was added in 2006. The facility has seen more than 80 additions over the past five decades. As a part of the newest expansion, the company is adding state-of-the-art production lines and equipment, capable of making more than 100 million pizzas per year. The facility will also include investments in technology and protocols designed to minimize risks during pandemic situations such as COVID-19, following CDC guidelines and applying key learnings from the on-going global crisis.
The new facility is also projected to have environmental improvements. It will help the company reduce its waste-water output by 10,000 gallons a day, and it will feature equipment designs that deliver natural gas efficiencies of 18,000 standard cubic feet annually. Additionally, Schwan’s is partnering with Evergy Energy to identify efficiency and sustainability programs that align with Schwan’s ongoing corporate responsibility commitments.