Land O’Frost informed approximately 125 employees at its Wimmer’s Meats manufacturing facility in West Point, Neb., that the plant will close and operations will be moving to the company’s other facilities. The facility will continue operations into the second quarter 2015 in order to provide a fair amount of time for affected employees to find alternative employment and ensure a seamless transition.

The decision was made after a thorough review of Land O’Frost operations, including manufacturing capacity. All affected employees will be provided with transition packages and stay incentives, and Land O’Frost will also offer outplacement services and local job search assistance. All impacted employees will also be eligible to apply for current openings at other Land O’Frost locations.

“As a family-owned company, this decision was especially difficult, because we understand the impact it will have on our employees and their families,” said David VanEekeren, president and CEO of Land O’ Frost. “We are profoundly grateful for all of the contributions they have made to Land O’Frost, and we’re deeply committed to doing right by them during this transition.”

Land O’Frost acquired Wimmer’s in January 2012 with the intention to operate the West Point facility for many years to come. The determination to consolidate certain production lines was made to enable Land O’Frost to operate competitively and best serve its customers.

“Land O’Frost is honored to have been a part of the West Point community for three years and remains committed to the Wimmer’s, Fairbury, Ambassador and Bassett’s brands,” VanEekeren said. “We will employ the same processes that we do at West Point to create the same high quality products at our other facilities and we will continue to provide our customers with the service and quality they have grown to expect.”

After all production has been shifted from West Point to the other Land O’Frost manufacturing facilities and affected employees have received job search assistance, the company will begin to explore options for the future of the West Point site.

Source: Land O’Frost