Cargill opens nearly $50 million automated beef shipping facility in Dodge City

Cargill on Wednesday formally opened a nearly $50 million automated distribution center at its Dodge City beef processing plant.

In the new building, more than 9,000 feet of conveyor belts connect to towering shelves that stretch the entire height of the building. The shelves hold about 133,000 60-pound boxes of beef — the equivalent of 17,000 head of cattle, according to the company. Crane-like devices move boxes on and off the shelves. The system stores an average of 40,000 boxes, while shipping another 40,000 every day.

Gov. Sam Brownback, along with company and government officials, marked the opening.

The company said that, in addition to having lower operating and maintenance costs, the new system is more environmentally sustainable due to improved energy use, part of the company’s ongoing efforts to reduce the plant’s environmental impact.

“As customer requirements become more complex, we strive to maintain a reputation of exceeding their expectations. Our processing plant at Dodge City plays a key role in our beef business, and the new distribution system will help us retain our ability to promptly deliver the highest quality products to our customers,” John Keating, president of Cargill Beef, said in a statement.

Cargill Beef is based in Wichita. The Dodge City facility is the largest of Cargill’s six U.S. beef processing plants. It opened in 1979 and currently processes more than 5,400 cattle each day, distributing products across the nation and to seven countries worldwide.

This story was originally published January 20, 2016 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Cargill opens nearly $50 million automated beef shipping facility in Dodge City."