DANVILLE, Va. — Tyson Foods not only just opened a new $300 million fully-cooked food production plant, but robots and other high technology are now in use.
The 325,000-square-foot facility is located in Danville, Virginia, and officially opened on Tuesday, Nov. 28.
According to its press release, Tyson's robots are "helping cook and package" chicken nuggets at the facility. The food processing company says the facility will soon produce "approximately four million pounds" of fully-cooked meat products weekly such as chicken nuggets and wings.
Tyson says this is one of its "most automated facilities to date." The facility has a variety of new features including a wearable safety armband for its workers that according to Tyson, will "improve worker health, safety and productivity." The device is described as having sensors that collect and send "environmental data" to safety managers that will help "identify risk exposures."
Some other technologies featured in the plant include:
- high-speed automated case packing lines
- high-speed robotic case palletizing units
- a product inspection process that incorporates metal detection, X-ray and vision grading
President and CEO of Tyson Foods, Donnie King says this is a big step in the company's technology investments.
“This facility delivers on our commitment to ensuring best-in-class service for our customers and accelerating our long-term growth,” said King.
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