New Nestle Plant Manager Shares What Future Can Be

People. Safety. Quality. Cost.
These are the four key parts to the Nestle operation philosophy and are what Nestle Plant Manager Andy Darley wants to implement as the company takes over ownership and operation of the former ConAgra plant in Trenton.
Darley spoke at a meeting of the Trenton Rotary Club last Thursday, introducing himself and giving members a chance to learn about what the company envisions at the local plant. Nestle, which is the largest food and beverage company in the world, officially took ownership of the plant on May 31 after many months of negotiation, which included an agreement with the city of Trenton that allowed the facility to stay in operation.
Darley was part of those negotiations and recognized former City Economic Developer Ralph Boots and North Missouri Economic Development Alliance interim director Phil Tate for their efforts in making the sale a reality. Darley said discussions needed to remain confidential as negotiations moved forward and both men were “highly professional” in working with Nestle to make sure the right agreement was in place.
After two days of employee orientation, Nestle went back into production on June 6. Darley noted that while most plants have nine months to get their workforce up and running, Nestle had a nine-week period to get ready. Because of what he termed “great employees,” the plant was able to go into full production on its target date.
Right now there are just over 160 employees, including 20 that were just hired after production had already begun. Darley has nothing but praise for the employees at the plant, noting that they have bought into the Nestle operation philosophy, which is much different than that of ConAgra. Darley spends a lot of time with his employees on the production floor, something he feels is important in determining what works best in getting the best production possible.
Chef-Mate products will be what is primarly canned at the Trenton plant, which also has an agreement with ConAgra to continue to produce some of the products that were being made here previously.
Short-term plans for the plant include “stabilizing production” and working to make improvements to the plant. While the building itself is in good shape, Darley said there are many pieces of equipment that will need to be removed. Some will be replaced while space will be left where other equipment was located for possible future production expansion. Darley said that while there is no timetable for expansion, it is part of the long-term plan, adding that the plant “is very capable” of having expanded production.
Darley said plans are under way for an event to officially celebrate the opening of the plant, with a tentative date of Tuesday, July 10. Additional details will be made at a later date.