Expansion Management

Biorational Products Plant Opens in Iowa

April 4, 2013

Once operational, the plant will not only be manufacturing products for use in agriculture but will also be a major consumer of corn, soybeans, and other commodities.

Adrienne Selko

OSAGE, Iowa – While Valent BioSciences Corp.’s new 130,000 square-foot manufacturing plant in Iowa will become operational in the spring of 2014, today a 500-ton crane, the second largest in North America, has hoisted the large scale industrial fermenters into the building.

The six-story tall fermenters have an annual production capacity in excess of 15 million gallons and will soon drive the first ever facility designed and built specifically for the manufacture of biorational products.

Valent BioSciences develops and commercializes biorational products used in agriculture, public health, and forestry.

The plant will have the capability to manufacture a broad range of biorational products including microbial insecticides, fungicides, and nematicides, as well as plant growth regulators.

“As knowledge about how our products work and how they create value has increased, we’ve seen tremendous growth on a global scale,” said Tom Green, vice president of Global Supply Chain and Manufacturing, Valent BioSciences. Sumitomo Chemical Co. (IW 1000/168) is the parent company of Valent BioSciences.

Once operational, the plant will not only be manufacturing products for use in agriculture but will also be a major consumer of corn, soybeans, and other commodities.

The Osage project remains on budget and ahead of schedule, having completed 330 consecutive safe work days to date since last year’s groundbreaking.

Plant utilities are scheduled to come online this fall, as the company’s new quality assurance laboratory will become the first functioning portion of the facility . Hiring has begun to fill the 90 skilled positions being created with the creation of the plant, and the company anticipates the full staff will be in place by the first of the year.

About the Author

Adrienne Selko | Senior Editor

Focus: Workforce, Talent

Follow Me on Twitter: @ASelkoIW

Bio: Adrienne Selko has written about many topics over the 17 years she has been with the publication and currently focuses on workforce development strategies. Previously Adrienne was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck? which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics and EHS Today.

Editorial mission statement: Manufacturing is the enviable position of creating products, processes and policies that solve the world’s problems. When the industry stepped up to manufacture what was necessary to combat the pandemic, it revealed its true nature. My goal is to showcase the sector’s ability to address a broad range of workforce issues including technology, training, diversity & inclusion, with a goal of enticing future generations to join this amazing sector.

Why I find manufacturing interesting: On my first day working for a company that made medical equipment such as MRIs, I toured the plant floor. On every wall was a photo of a person, mostly children. I asked my supervisor why this was the case and he said that the work we do at this company has saved these people’s lives. “We never forget how important our work is and everyone’s contribution to that.” From that moment on I was hooked on manufacturing.

I have talked with many people in this field who have transformed their own career development to assist others. For example, companies are hiring those with disabilities, those previously incarcerated and other talent pools that have been underutilized. I have talked with leaders who have brought out the best in their workforce, as well as employees doing their best work while doing good for the world.