Plant targets expansion towards the U.S.Hispanic market

May 18, 2006 -- San Pedro Garza García, N. L., Mexico. – Sigma Alimentos, S.A de C. V. (Sigma), the leader in refrigerated foods in Mexico, announced today it will build a plant for the production of cold cuts in Seminole, Okla. The company expects the new plant to begin operations during the third quarter of 2007.
“Our current and potential penetration in our target market, justifies the building of a plant in the U.S.” commented Mario Paez, Sigma’s President. “We want to be closer to better serve our Hispanic customers. The new plant will join our current 10 distribution centers in operation, plus the ones we plan to open in the near future,” he added.
The plant, located in Seminole, will require an initial investment of approximately 50 million dollars, which will include a state-of-the-art, highly-automated plant. Construction will begin within the next two months. Employment will start at 200 jobs, and expand to 300.
“The announcement that Sigma-Alimentos will construct a plant in Seminole is great news for that town and for all of Oklahoma,” said Governor Brad Henry. “Sigma knows Oklahoma is a business-friendly state that boasts a tremendously hard-working and highly skilled workforce.”
Oklahoma’s location was a significant factor in Sigma’s decision. “Oklahoma is the perfect place for our purposes,” said Paez. “Its strategic location is not only close to production zones for our main raw materials, it also facilitates the distribution of our products to the markets we are currently serving,”
Amy Polonchek, interim executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, says the Sigma announcement shows the state's commitment to developing its rural economy. “The Department of Commerce is excited by our continued success in rural Oklahoma,” said Polonchek. “Sigma and its parent company Alfa have significant operations around the world, and this speaks highly of Oklahoma’s competitiveness in the world-wide marketplace. Sigma’s new location in Seminole shows that rural Oklahoma has what it takes to compete in today’s global economy.”
Today’s announcement was welcome news in Seminole. “We could not be more excited about Sigma’s decision to locate in Seminole,” said Chayne Fisher, Mayor of Seminole. “This is a major leap forward for our City. I am so proud to be a part of what is going on in Seminole right now. We are fortunate to have leadership that has allowed us to position ourselves to take advantage of opportunities like this. I know this is going to be a great partnership between Sigma and Seminole.
The new U.S. plant will bring important benefits, not only for the consumer of the products, but for Sigma as well. For instance, products with longer shelf life will be offered to customers, logistics will vastly improve, and savings in costs and expenses will be obtained.