Vion to close lard production facility
The Vleesindustrie Valkenswaard site, which specialises in lard and fat production, is to close with activities to be redistributed throughout the Vion business.
Production at Vleesindustrie Valkenswaard will be reallocated to the Vion Scherpenzeel, Vion Emstek and Encebe Vleeswaren locations. Vion Scherpenzeel and Vion Emstek will take over Vleesindustrie Valkenswaard’s production of fat for the Japanese market. Encebe Vleeswaren will take over the production of almost all other products; this is the majority of Vleesindustrie Valkenswaard’s current activities.
Almost all of the site’s 40 employees have been offered a position at another Vion facility, with a consultation on a social plan to be negotiated. The Vleesindustrie Valkenswaard closure is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2020.
Vion added that the Encebe Vleeswaren site recently invested in a new production technique, allowing the business to offer its customers a “broader range of products”.
“The redistribution of activities is an important step for Vion,” said John de Jonge, COO of Vion Pork. “This will enable customers to choose from an even broader range of products. Besides this, it also results in more efficiency and more sustainable production due to the decrease in the number of transport movements. Internal logistics within Vion will improve. Optimising the production chain is one of the focal points in Vion Pork’s strategy.”
