Now Foods Distribution and Manufacturing Facility

Now Foods has constructed a new production and distribution facility in Sparks, Nevada, in the US. Manufacturing at the new facility started in January 2013.

The plant is Now Foods’ second manufacturing facility in the US. The company manufactures and markets about 1,500 health foods, sports nutrition, nutritional supplements, personal care and beauty products internationally.

Now Foods has a 263,000ft² natural products manufacturing facility in Bloomingdale, Illinois, which is considered the most advanced of its kind in the industry. A local manufacturing facility on the west coast was planned, however, to avoid the need for shipping the products from the midwest, as well as to meet the local community demand.

The estimated investment for the new 165,000ft² centre was about $20m.

Sparks accounts for about 38% of Now Foods’ business and the investment represents a commitment towards the region. The company had been operating a 39,000ft² distribution facility at 990 Packer Way in Sparks since 2003. With increased demand in the region it was planned to have a much larger distribution centre along with manufacturing capability.

The new distribution and manufacturing facility broke ground in 2011. Its completion was envisaged in 2014, but accelerated execution of the project brought the facility online by the beginning of 2013.

Greenfield site choice for the facility

The greenfield site of the facility is on eight acres of land located at 575 Vista Boulevard, near I-80. The city of Sparks was chosen for the facility due to its business-friendly environment and connectivity with other US states. The US Chamber of Commerce rated Nevada as the most fast-growing state in exports with the lowest tax burdens.

Details and economic benefits of the new production and distribution facility

The facility consists of about 50,000ft² of manufacturing area, 70,000ft² of distribution and warehouse space, roughly 6,000ft² of office space and 4,000ft² of cooler and freezer areas.

It is designed to meet the standards of current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) implemented in the pharmaceutical industry.

Every phase of the manufacturing process will be scrutinised by quality control and quality assurance experts for good manufacturing practice production.

The facility is expected to have 125 employees, working in multiple shifts, by the first quarter of 2013. They will include quality control scientists, chemists, technicians, microbiologists and manufacturing management staff. About ten employees will be hired for warehouse and distribution operations.

The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada estimates that the project will bring in about $1.13m to the state’s revenue and northern Nevada region in the first year of its operation. It is expected to generate about $5.6m during the next five years.

Sustainable aspects of Now Foods’ complex

The new building has been constructed using sustainable materials and reduces environmental impact. The facility adopts several environmentally friendly practices and aims for LEED Silver Certification from the US Green Building Council (USGBC).

It incorporates sustainable features, such as air conditioning through a ground source heat pump, photovoltaics (PV) on the rooftop for power generation and rain water harvesting, storage and reclamation.

The facility also has two onsite laboratories featuring two high-performance liquid chromatographs (HPLC) and two gas chromatographs (GC) with ample room. One of its labs is designed on stellar quality standards.

Construction of the Now Foods facility

Construction work on the facility started in August 2011. The project was completed in two phases. The first phase included distribution and manufacturing facilities. The second phase involved the fit-out of the manufacturing equipment and machinery, and related building improvements. The project is believed to have generated 200 jobs during construction.

Manufacturing operations at the new facility commenced in January 2013.

Contractors / collaborators

Heitman Architects designed the Sparks manufacturing and distribution facility. United Construction Company was chosen as the design-build contractor in July 2011.

The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN), the City of Sparks, the Nevada Commission on Economic Development (NCED), Reno Property Management and KLS Planning and Design assisted the company in site selection and facility establishment.

 

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