National Beef Packing Co. LLC (National Beef), one of the highest-volume beef processing facilities in the country, announced July 27 that it is starting a project to increase its capacity to handle and ship boxed beef products at its Dodge City, Kan., facility. The expansion is scheduled to be completed by December 2017.

“Our customers increasingly require smaller box sizes and weights. This expansion will allow us to deliver on this expanding need and to do so more efficiently,” said Kris Ragan, vice president and general manager at National Beef.

The more-than-$30 million project will include the addition of new box carousels, palletizers and cranes and will increase material handling and box storage space at the facility.

“Our company is committed to investing in projects that help us better serve customer needs for our high-quality beef products,” Ragan said.

National Beef Dodge City employs approximately 2,900 people. The company also operates a processing facility in Liberal, Kan., that employs approximately 3,100 people.