Koch Fertilizer Canada ULC reports it is constructing a new headquarters in Brandon, Manitoba, that will bring together operations, logistics, and sales and marketing under one roof, with office space for more than 100 employees. Currently, Koch Fertilizer’s Brandon personnel are spread out in several buildings, some of which are offsite. The two-story building is scheduled to open in fourth-quarter 2020.
Koch said the $33 million project, one of the largest investments ever made at the site, is the first of several significant upgrades designed for expansion, efficiency, and improved environment, health, and safety performance. Koch Fertilizer expects to invest nearly $130 million into the overall improvements to the site over the next five years. Brandon-based Horizon Builders Ltd. has been selected as the project’s general contractor.
“Brandon is a critical part of the company’s overall operations, and we are always looking for ways to improve for our customers,” said Plant Manager Paul Liddle. “Not only are we making a significant investment in our business and our community, but our plans are a clear demonstration we are growing in Manitoba and believe we have a strong future in the province.”
The facility will include a new control room with upgraded process control instrumentation, plus the laboratory and maintenance shop. Koch is also building a new access road to improve the customer and driver experience at the facility.
Koch bought the Brandon nitrogen manufacturing complex, along with distribution assets in Oak Bluff, Manitoba, and Watson and Tuxford, Sask., from J.R. Simplot Co. in 2006 (GM Aug. 21, 2006). At the time, Simplot had already made several upgrades to the facility, which was built in the mid-1960s. Koch announced another round of upgrades in 2013 (GM Dec. 23, 2013).