Global avocado packer-shipper Mission Produce has announced in a press release the completion of a multi-million dollar major renovation and expansion of its packing facility in Uruapan in the western Mexican state of Michoacán.
Mission, which has operations in Mexico, Peru, Chile, New Zealand, Canada and the US, carried out the overhaul primarily to accommodate a 20 per cent increase in demand for avocados in the US.
“The Mexico packing plant has all of the newest fruit handling technology, energy efficient systems and operational efficiencies making it one of the most modern avocado facilities in the world,” explained Mission president Steve Barnard.
The company said major expansion has been carried out in the areas of packing, pre-cooling, receiving, cold storage and bagging. An integrated automated computer system has also been incorporated throughout the facility.
“The improvements have more than tripled the packing production rate where we can now easily move 1m lbs of fruit a day,” added Mr Barnard.
The project began in early 2009 and addresses every step in the packing and shipping of avocados, according to Mission.
To that end, coldstorage capacity has more than tripled in size which the company claims will give it the logistical flexibility to consolidate loads at the source which ultimately reduces costs further down the line.
Other aspects of the project include the construction of a three-story, 10,000ft2 office building, which is planned to start in December.
Production and facility monitoring cameras for internal quality control will also be installed, as well as state-of-the art-refrigeration with energy efficient equipment and controls, automated monitoring, alarms, messaging, remote access and support capability.
The majority of the avocados packed at Mission’s Mexico facility are trucked to one of the group’s eight ripening and distribution centers in the US and Canada.
