DECATUR, ALABAMA, U.S. — Bunge North America on April 30 held a grand opening for a new packaging facility and an expansion of its refinery in Decatur, Alabama, U.S. The 130,000-square-foot packaging facility, which is adjacent to the refinery, created 48 new jobs. It improves Bunge’s manufacturing processes to better serve customers in the southeastern U.S., according to the company.

“The efficiency gained by packaging products in Decatur rather than shipping oils to other Bunge locations is key to improving our customer service,” said Beau Meneley, director of operations in Bunge Oils southeast region. “With this facility, we were also able to incorporate the latest food safety and safe quality food (SQF) requirements into the design.”

The plant in Decatur takes soybeans and crushes them to extract the oil and use the remaining protein meal for animal feed.

“As the oil experts, Bunge is committed to creating high quality, innovative products that meet customer demand for more functional, healthier oil products,” said George Allard, vice-president and general manager for Bunge Oils. “Our investment in this state-of-the-art facility enables Bunge to use the latest technology to continue to work toward eliminating trans fat and reducing saturated fat while providing manufacturers with the functionality they need.”