ocolate producer Mars has opened its first new manufacturing plant in 35 years in north America.The news confirms expectations that the confectionery market will continue to grow in 2014 and beyond.
The manufacturer opened the $270 million facility in Kansas in the United States.
Located south of Topeka, the new site has capacity for producing 39 million M&Ms every day - enough to fill 1.5 million fun-sized packs.
The plant will employ more 200 people, and the company has contributed $200,000 to redevelopment efforts in the area.
The 500,000 square-foot facility is pursuing a gold certification for environmental sustainability from the non-profit US Green Building Council.
“We have been growing, and we see future growth,” said the company, adding that "we need the capacity".
A US industry analyst said confectionery companies can expect the annual growth in chocolate sales to stay above 3% into the future.
The family-owned Mars Inc reports annual net sales of $33 billion.
The company has more than 72,000 employees in 74 countries.
