The expansion is the first in a series of projects to increase the capacity of the Limeira plant to 4000 annual metric tons. The capital investment will also improve worker and process safety, reduce environmental emissions, cut manufacturing costs, and improve product quality. The project is slated for completion by March 2000.
Engineering studies are underway.
By this investment in the Limeira plant, we are broadening our product sourcing and positioning the Food Gums Division to retain its leadership as a competitive, world-class supplier of pectin. Hercules acquired the Limeira plant as part of its bolt-on acquisition of Citrus Colloids in 1998 and now ranks as the world's largest producer of pectin, a natural food additive derived from citrus and apple peels. Pectin is used typically in the food industry as a stabilizer and gelling agent in jams, jellies, and dairy products. The current investment commits Hercules to further development of this cost-effective pectin extraction technology. Hercules also produces pectin at two European plant sites, Lille Skensved, Denmark and Grossenbrode, Germany.