OSI Food Solutions Poland broke ground in Ostroda for a new production facility on September 27, 2012. This new building will house a state-of-the-art beef processing plant, replacing an older existing facility in the area. This new development will help safeguard the roles of the 93 employees that OSI employs here.
“It makes perfect sense to keep the new plant in the same geographical area, because we have developed a team of people and a local expertise here,” said OSI Europe’s Commercial Director John Gray. “OSI has been operating in Poland since 1991, and we wanted to retain this existing team of valued employees.”
The groundbreaking festivities began with a speech from OSI Poland's Managing Director Waldemar Kowalkowski, as he recounted the history of OSI Poland over the last two decades.
“The production of hamburgers started in Ostroda in 1993. Today the hamburgers produced in the Polish plant are delivered to Poland, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Baltic states,” he said. “Taking into account the market development for the last few years, we are confident that in the new plant, more people will find job opportunities. Employment at OSI could increase by 30%, respectively.”
The investment of €25 million ($32 million) will begin with phase one of the project, which includes a three-story, 6,000 square meter (64,600 ft²) processing and storage building. The plant is expected to be operational in the second quarter of 2013, with an estimated production capacity of approximately 25,000 tonnes (55 million lbs), which could expand if customer volume requirements increase. The total investment establishes the technical infrastructure for the whole plot purchased by OSI, measuring approximately 11.5 hectares (27 acres), and could be the base for further investment.
“I am delighted to be here to take part at the official start of this very important project,” said Phil Marsden, managing director for OSI Food Solutions, Europe. “OSI has been working alongside McDonald’s in Poland since the beginning, and with this investment we are creating the capacity to continue to support growth well into the future. We see this plant as an important strategic investment in a country with a strong agricultural future.”
Marsden went on to thank the entire OSI team for its hard work, and also thanked the local government and officials for their support in the planning process as well as the support given to OSI throughout its presence in Poland.
In addition to the Polish meat processing facility, OSI also owns an abattoir in Gora, Poland, operating within its Foodworks division, and staffs an office in this country. The principal activities of these facilities are related to the primary and secondary processing of beef and beef products, to produce beef patties for McDonald’s restaurants throughout eastern Europe.
Source: OSI Group LLC
