Fuchs North America held a groundbreaking ceremony on June 23 for its new headquarters in Hampstead, MD. More than 150 people attended the event, including Fuchs North America employees, representatives from state and local economic development agencies, elected officials and other dignitaries.

According to Dan Cooper, CEO of Fuchs North America, plans for a new facility have been in the works for a number of years. “Our strong growth and increased demand for our products made it possible to envision a true state-of-the-art facility that enables us to develop, manufacture and deliver customized seasonings and flavor solutions faster and better than ever,” he says.

For more than half a century, Fuchs North America has operated out of its headquarters offices in Owings Mills, MD. Despite several major expansions in the 1970s and again in the 1990s, the company says it has outgrown the facility, with little ability to expand on the remaining grounds.

The new headquarters in Hampstead will be situated on a 21-acre campus and double the company’s manufacturing capacity. It will include expanded R&D test lab facilities encompassing a microbiology lab, quality assurance lab, sensory lab and state-of-the-art presentation kitchen.

On the manufacturing side, new or expanded capabilities will include mix manufacturing, spice milling and sterilization, and packaging and warehousing featuring the latest stock picking and inventory management technologies.

Construction of the facility is expected to be completed in late 2016.