Gulf Coast Food & Beverage Industry Plans $1.4 Billion in Expenditures

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Industrial Info is currently tracking more than $1.4 billion in major capital and maintenance expenditures within the Food & Beverage Industry at sites along the Gulf Coast, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. More than 70 capital and maintenance projects are being developed or are under construction along the Gulf Coast, with startup dates as far away as 2013. Project values range from $500,000 to $100 million. There are more than 700 major operational plants across the four states that process, manufacture or distribute food and beverage products.

In Texas, a majority of planned investments is geared toward building new warehouses and distribution centers, and include companies such as Sysco, Ben E. Keith, and Glazer's. Beyond plans for new warehouses and distribution centers, projects being developed include the expansion of a dairy facility, a new meat packing plant, and an egg-laying and packing plant.

Expenditures for Louisiana tally up to $450 million. Plans for a new rice mill, the expansion of two coffee plants, and a new cold storage warehouse are among the 19 projects identified in the state.

The relocation of a food distribution center worth $40 million is one of the six projects listed for Mississippi. The remaining five projects have a combined investment value of $40 million and range from $3 million to $25 million.

Figures for Alabama show nine capital projects that have a cumulative value of $131 million. Projects range from $1 million to $60 million and include the $20 million restart of a sucralose plant in McIntosh.

With plans on the table to build 25 facilities from the ground up, grassroot construction, worth about $839 million, accounts for nearly 58% of all expenditures. Two of the largest projects are both valued at $100 million and include a new grocery distribution center in Denton, Texas, and a sugar refinery in Patoutville, Louisiana. The number of planned grassroot facilities by state is as follows: Texas, 17; Louisiana, 5; Mississippi, 2; and Alabama, 1.

Industrial Info's coverage of the Food & Beverage Industry in North America includes more than 7,000 operational facilities and more than 450 plants that are being planned or are under construction. Currently, Industrial Info is tracking more than 870 active capital and maintenance projects in the Food & Beverage Industry across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico that were generated and updated in previous months and are valued at $19.8 billion.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.