Mars Opens $450M Plant in Ohio
The facility is the company’s largest factory of its kind.
Mars Inc. has opened a $450 million manufacturing plant in Lewisburg, Ohio, for its Royal Canin pet health brand. It is the company’s largest dry pet food factory and the single largest investment in a Royal Canin site. The new 450,000-square-foot plant is part of a larger $6 billion investment in U.S.-based manufacturing by Mars over the past five years.
The company is planning a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the site today. The Preble County plant will create up to 270 new full-time jobs over the next five years. It will produce enough dry pet food to feed 4 million pets annually. Mars officials said the company plans to continue to grow its ability to supply the domestic market.
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Mars, which acquired Royal Canin in 2001, announced plans to build the plant at 6569 SR-503 in 2021. The factory is located on the same site as Royal Canin’s Pet Health and Nutrition Center, one of two global research and development centers for the company. The pet research center has been at the site since at least 2014.
In March 2021, the Ohio Tax Credit Authority approved a 1.521 percent, 10-year job creating tax credit for the new project, according to the Dayton Daily News. That was based on the company’s plans at the time to create about 224 full-time jobs.
J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio president and CEO, said the Columbus-based economic development organization welcomed the company’s decision to choose Ohio for its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.
“We are grateful for the close collaboration with our state and local partners to attract Royal Canin to Preble County, ensuring Ohio plays an essential role in bringing the company’s nutritious products to pets that are loved by household throughout the North American market, Nauseef said in a statement provided to Commercial Property Executive.
Royal Canin expansion
The new factory has earned Silver LEED certification. It uses standardized systems and process designs tested across Royal Canin facilities to replicate the brand’s precise nutrition. The site will be able to manufacture the brand’s entire regional dry kibble portfolio.
The Lewisburg location is the company’s sixth manufacturing facility across the U.S. and Canada. Mars also completed a $200 million expansion of its Lebanon, Tenn., plant in 2022, adding 108,000 square feet to the existing facility and creating more than 90 new jobs.
Mars, which is located in 49 states, employs more than 70,000 people and operates 37 factories in addition to veterinary clinics, labs and 14 global and regional offices. Some of the company’s brands include Snickers and M&M’s, but it also has an extensive pet nutrition portfolio. Pedigree, Whiskas, Sheba and Cesar are among the other Mars pet food brands.
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