Ocean Nutrition to expand in Nova Scotia
The new owners of Ocean Nutrition say they are going to spend millions of dollars expanding their operations in Dartmouth and Mulgrave.
Dutch multi-national Royal DSM bought Ocean Nutrition earlier this year for $540 million and promised to take the fish oil operation global.
On Thursday DSM executives were in Dartmouth announcing a North American wide re-organization.
"We are planning to make a number of multi-million dollar investments in Nova Scotia," said Rick Greubel, DSM's President of Human Nutrition and Health. "Not just in Dartmouth but also in Mulgrave."
Rick Greubel said employment will grow in technology, manufacturing and research and development.
Ocean Nutrition is already a leader in the production of fish oils and concentrates used in food additives. The research being done in Nova Scotia will now expand to include processing other marine and plant life.
Along with the expansion there is some contraction in Nova Scotia. Some jobs are being moved to New Jersey.
The company will not say how many people are effected by the transfer of sales and marketing. But over all DSM said the present Nova Scotia workforce of 200 will grow.
"At the end of all of our investments and transition, that number will increase by 10 to 20 per cent," said Greubel.
So while some Ocean Nutrition jobs are going, more will be created. The Nova Scotia operation has found a place in the global supply chain.
"When we made the acquisition it was based on a growth premise," said Greubel. "What we found here was a tremendous team of people that are really passionate. They've built a great business and they are going to help us take it global."
DSM said it will spell out how much it will spend in Nova Scotia early in 2013.
