Colgate-Palmolive’s pet division has invested heavily in drive capacity and flexibility to carry Hill’s Pet Nutrition in new growth segments in various markets, Noel Wallace, CEO of Colgate-Palmolive, said at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) conference on Feb. 23 in Boca Raton, Florida, USA.
These changes are demonstrated by wet products coming from Hill’s Tonganoxie, Kansas plant, which is the company’s most sophisticated plant in the world, he said.
“This allows us to really penetrate the market with a full assortment of different types of products in the wet segment that historically haven’t been there in the past,” Wallace said. “It will also allow us to increase shelf space and compete in fast-growing segments around the world.”
Hill’s Pet Nutrition has opened a new plant in Kansas
The Tonganoxie plant opened on Oct. 2023. The 365,000-square-foot facility increased the company’s production capacity for canned pet food and provided a runway for continued expansion of Hill’s Science Diet and Prescription Diet brands. The facility is located on more than 80 hectares.
Hill’s Tonganoxie plant incorporates strategic automation and technological advances in the pet food industry. The facility is designed to be “smart.” Some of the innovations include:
- Artificial Intelligence will enable a digital food safety vigilance system
- Automation and robotic devices
- Improved food safety system
- End-to-end digital process/safety monitoring
The goal of these technologies and processes is to improve speed to market by shortening the production cycle, while also offering long-term flexibility to innovate new formats and products.
About Hill’s Pet Nutrition
Hill’s Pet Nutrition sells more than 300 products, primarily through authorized pet supply and veterinary retailers in more than 80 countries worldwide, according to the Petfood Industry’s leading company database. Hill’s operates major manufacturing and warehousing facilities in Bowling Green, Kentucky; Topeka, Kansas; Emporia, Kansas; and Richmond, Indiana, USA. Its main research center is located in Topeka, Kansas, USA. Hill’s also operates major manufacturing and warehousing facilities in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.
