Tyson Closing Springdale Research Plant

Tyson Foods had closed a research-and-development plant on Ford Avenue in Springdale and plans to transfer the 60 or so employees to other Tyson facilities in the area, said Gary Mickelson, spokesman.

Krista Cupp, of the company’s public relations department, said in an e-mail to 5NEWS that “most hourly team members are being offered permanent positions at other Tyson Foods locations near Springdale in the Northwest Arkansas area.”

Mickelson said it is unclear what the company will do with the facility, which is where specialty products were developed.

Cupp said the facility has been in operation for more than 15 years and was the R&D pilot plant until many of its functions were moved to other sites. Its operations were suspended this week, she said.

“In recent years, due to Tyson’s business strategy to operate more efficiently, most of the products made at the plant have been relocated to other facilities or consolidated to better meet the needs of our customers,” she said.