June 8, 2012 (AgNewsWire) Nufarm Americas, Inc. will be opening a new plant for formulating fungicides, insecticides, growth regulators and seed treatments in Alsip, Ill.

As part of this initiative, Nufarm will relocate its North American headquarters and the global head office for the groupís seed technologies business, Nuseed, from Burr Ridge, Ill., to the new Alsip site. The project involves a capital investment of approximately $9 million.

Once operational, the new plant will formulate most of Nufarm's expanding range of fungicides, insecticides, growth regulators and seed treatments in North America and will support the growth of these segments.

The in-house production capacity for these market segments will offer Nufarm flexibility to better meet changing market needs in-season and will reduce the companyís inventory carrying costs. Additionally, the centralized location in the Chicago area places Nufarmís production within a one-day transit to most key customers in the United States.

Darryl Matthews, Nufarm Americaís President, said the products that will be manufactured at the new plant represent growing segments of Nufarmís portfolio.

"This facility will give us the opportunity to work closely with our customers to be more flexible on production of these products in response to their needs," he said. "The central location of this new plant means we can have product to customer locations quickly."

The Alsip location of the new plant, about 15 miles from Nufarm's Chicago Heights, Ill., herbicide manufacturing facility, will also allow Nufarm to leverage combined purchasing power for packaging materials and other supplies and to manage shipments to customers better by enabling combined shipments.

Manufacturing operations in the new plant are expected to begin in early 2013, with the relocation of Nufarm's North American office from nearby Burr Ridge scheduled for later in the year. Initially, the new plant will employ about 10.

Nufarm Americas, Inc. is a subsidiary of Nufarm Limited, a manufacturer, supplier and marketer of crop-protection products based in Australia. Nufarm is recognized as one of the leading agricultural and turf chemical manufacturers in the world. Nufarm Americas, Inc. formulates products that serve the agricultural, professional turf, vegetation management and forestry markets in the United States.