Hormel Foods announced Dec. 22 that it has opened up its newest facility, a 535,000-square-foot plant in Papillion, Neb., that will make specialty dry sausage under the Papillion Foods label.

The renovated plant will include automation for smoother, more efficient operation, such as automated guided vehicles for product transport within the plant, automatic rack assists for lifting objects and LED lighting with motion sensors.

“We are excited to be opening up this facility to not only help meet the demand for our branded sausage products, but also provide fantastic career opportunities in our community,” Ed Finnegan, Papillion Foods plant manager, said in a statement. “We’ve been able to hire a great team thus far and are looking to welcome even more to our family at Papillion Foods.”

Hormel expects to hire about 350 workers for the Papillion plant during 2021.