Catalyst, a \manufacturer of microbial blends, vitamin and mineral premixes and specialty products for the feed industry, will invest nearly $1 million over two years to modernize its facility in Urbandale, Iowa.

“Demand for product from our plant is growing rapidly, and we need newer, faster equipment moving forward,” company owner Jim Zamzow explained.

The investment is part of an ongoing partnership with Clear View Enterprises, a poultry product distributor based in Tontitown, Ark.

“We can sell everything Catalyst can produce at this juncture, so we started working together on a plan to expand production capacity last fall,” Clear View managing partner James Thompson said. “In more than 40 years of involvement in this industry, we have watched our competitors move from distribution into manufacturing, and history has proven there is a definite loss of focus on customer service on the distribution side of the business. This is the main reason we chose to partner with the people at Catalyst on the packaging of our products. This allows Catalyst to do what they do best and Clear View to do what we do best.”

In the past year, Catalyst said it has invested in new dock levelers for the shipping area, repaired and replaced roofing, purchased new forklifts and made major investments in truck loading and transit areas around the Urbandale facility. The most recent purchase is a small-pack machine designed to handle the fastest-growing part of the business.

“Small-pack pre-measured products for the poultry industry are a really big deal,” Justin Toler, key account manager for Catalyst, said. “Food safety concerns have pushed farm managers in this direction. They prefer them because employees don’t need to measure or weigh the ingredients. They just tear the pouch, dump it and move on.”

Catalyst’s owners have been involved in the animal feed and premix business for more than 85 years. Named Triple-F for many years and more recently called Pharmtech, the company offers products for companion animals, retail feed and fertilizer distributors and the agriculture industry worldwide. It has headquarters in Nampa, Ida., and manufacturing facilities in Idaho and Iowa.