Food safety company FlexXray said its decision to move its East Coast operations to the Lehigh Valley was based on the region’s growing concentration of food and beverage manufacturers and its strategic location to customers across the Northeast.
FlexXray held a ribbon-cutting for its 26,000-foot facility in Upper Macungie Township early this month. The company relocated from New Jersey and anticipates employing a total of 40 people when operations reach capacity. Officials said the Lehigh Valley’s location – about an hour from Philadelphia and 90 minutes from New York City, was a factor in its decision making.
“It’s just easy for people to get here,” Kurt Westmoreland, FlexXray’s Chief Commercial Officer, said. “The goal of all our facilities is to be within a one-day drive of food manufacturing in a geographical region, so that way they can get a truck to us in one day and get it turned around and they can get it back.”
FlexXray works with food manufacturers to identify and remove foreign material contaminants from products before they reach consumers. Its clients include 16 of the country’s 20 largest food and beverage manufacturers, including many in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding regions.
Major brands with operations in the region include Coca-Cola, Boston Beer Co., Ocean Spray, Just Born Quality Confections, Bimbo Bakeries, Bakerly/Norac, Freshpet, Nestlé Purina, and Spot & Tango, which recently announced a $20 million expansion. The area also continues to attract new companies in the industry, including the Kerry Group, an Ireland-based coffee producer, and Kervan USA, a Turkish candymaker.
“Companies like FlexXray demonstrate how industry clusters continue to mature in the Lehigh Valley. As more food and beverage manufacturers invest here, specialized suppliers and service providers are finding value in locating nearby, strengthening the region’s competitiveness and making it an even more attractive place for future investment,” Kristin Cahayla-Hoffman, Vice President of Business Development & Attraction at Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation.