“Earlier this month, we broke ground on a new 90,000 square foot facility located in Pasco, WA,” says Marsha Verwiebe with Volm Companies. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Wednesday, August 10 at the property site. Volm provides packaging and equipment solutions to the fresh produce industry. At the new facility mesh bags and other packaging will be manufactured for the potato and onion industries in the Northwest. In addition, it inventories onion and potato packing machinery and parts.
Potatoes and onions
Potatoes and onions rank as the number one and two most important produce varieties for Volm. “We produce and distribute nearly any type of packaging used in the storing, packaging and shipping of fresh potatoes and onions,” shared Verwiebe. “We also offer the most complete line of scales and bagging equipment available in the market today” she added. The Pasco location serves all of the Western states, including Washington, Oregon, California and the Western Canadian provinces.
Growth driven by need for automation
In 2007, Volm acquired a packaging supply company based in Pasco. With Volm’s expertise in self manufactured packaging products, the company was able to supply both the onion and potato growers and shippers in the area with more solutions. “We differentiate ourselves as we offer both equipment and packaging solutions,” shared Verwiebe. “The need for automation in the handling, packing and shipping of fresh produce has driven our growth.”
Due to growth, the main facility now is too small, forcing us to house our inventory in other facilities and use modular buildings onsite to accommodate our current staff" said Daniel Mueller, President & CEO. “Our goal is to strive to be the Most Valued Partner to our customers, and this new facility will help us more efficiently meet their daily service needs from a centralized location, as well as more completely meet our customer’s increasing standards for food safety.
The new distribution facility will be located at the 5700 block of Industrial Way in Pasco, less than two miles from the existing location. Construction is expected to be completed in spring of 2017.
