The Battle Creek, Mich.-based cereal and snack manufacturer expects to add at least 45 full-time jobs at its Keebler bakery in Grand Rapids, Mich., by relocating a baked-bar production line from an existing Illinois production facility.

Kellogg, Battle Creek, Mich., says it wants to relocate a baked-bar production line to its Grand Rapids, Mich., bakery from an existing Illinois facility that is not owned by Kellogg.

The move would bring the total number of workers at the bakery to 478, helping to anchor its presence in the area, according to recent Grand Rapids city commission agenda reports. Kellogg estimates that it will spend $18 million on the installation of an oven, packaging equipment and conveyors. The oven will bake Special K Crisps, an increasingly popular Special K snack product, and reportedly has the potential to make other baked products. According to Grand Rapids Economic Development Department reports, Kellogg considered at least two other locations for the baked-bar production line, one in Michigan and one out of state.

The company selected its Grand Rapids bakery, which specializes in producing Pop Tarts, because it had an edge over other locations including Battle Creek, says Kellogg spokeswoman Kris Charles. “The Grand Rapids facility produces primarily baked goods and as a result is better equipped to operate the new line,” she notes.