A few days before one of the biggest candy-related holidays of the year, The Hershey Company on Wednesday unveiled a new state-of-the-art processing facility.
Hershey CEO Michele Buck was joined by several officials, including Gov. Josh Shapiro and U.S. Rep. Scott Perry at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Reese Chocolate Processing plant.
Built on 55 acres at a former Friendly’s restaurant at 1000 Reese Ave. in Derry Township, the facility supports the production of Reese’s, Kit Kat and Hershey’s products.
Buck noted it’s the company’s first new manufacturing facility constructed in Derry Township in more than 30 years. The 250,000-square-foot plant is also the company’s most automated to date.
“It’s Hershey’s first fully digitally integrated manufacturing facility with high levels of automation, exemplifying the next step in our digital manufacturing road map,” Buck said.
Shapiro praised Hershey for selecting Derry Township as the location for the plant, saying they could have built it anywhere.
“It’s a point of pride for us and we’re grateful you have doubled downed on your commitment to Pennsylvania,” he said.
Shapiro highlighted the efficiency of the state’s permitting process, noting his administration worked with Hershey on permits for the project.
“We were able to approve these permits in record time,” he said. “They got these permits faster than ever and it’s an example of how we’ve trimmed all the wait times for all our permits across Pennsylvania.”
Specifically, Shapiro said his administration has reduced the Department of Environmental Protection permit backlog by 88% and cut business license wait times from eight weeks to two days.
The plant is part of Hershey’s $1 billion initiative to strengthen its supply chain. The multi-year investment includes the new plant, 13 new production lines and upgrades to 11 existing lines.
Buck said about 100 people are employed at the plant with plans for additional workforce growth as operations expand.
Jason Reiman, Hershey’s Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer, said the company’s investment in automation will provide people with skills that will be needed in the future of manufacturing.
The facility also supports Hershey’s growth by expanding its production capacity and allowing for the introduction of new products, he said.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups will continue to be made at the nearby H.B. Reese Candy Co. Reese’s is an economic engine for Hershey’s, and drives much of its growth.
“Reese’s is one of the largest snacking brands and our goal is to continue growing that in a lot of different forms,” Reiman added.
The plant expands Hershey’s campus and is adjacent to its Hershey West plant and near the company’s technical center.
Wednesday’s ceremony also included Sen. Patty Kim, Rep. Tom Mehaffie, Dauphin County Commissioner Mike Pries and Derry Township Supervisor Natalie Nutt.
The ribbon cutting comes just one week after filming was announced to begin next month for “Hershey,” a story about Milton S. and Catherine Hershey.
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