Nestlé to offer 350 well-paid jobs at new $675M coffee creamer factory in Glendale
With Nestlé USA’s new coffee creamer factory in the northwest Valley set to open in the coming months, the food and beverage company has begun hiring for multiple positions as part of its plans to deliver hundreds of jobs to the area.
The $675 million manufacturing plant in Glendale, just north of Luke Air Force Base, will produce creamers for Nestlé’s Coffee-Mate, Starbucks and other brands, and is estimated to create about 350 jobs, including engineers and manufacturing personnel.
Construction of the 630,000-square-foot factory is about 95% complete, according to a company spokesperson.
Nestlé is looking to open the factory later this summer after it completes safety checks and operator training, among other things, the spokesperson said. The company must also conduct product trials and testing to get the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's green light before making products.
Months ahead of the factory’s opening, Nestlé is in the process of filling a variety of positions, based on a list of available jobs in Glendale posted on the company’s career page online.
What jobs are available and how much do they pay?
Some positions include multiple technician roles, a production operator, maintenance and production supervisors, quality technicians and specialists, and a factory supply chain operator.
The openings are a mix of hourly and salaried positions, with some being eligible for $2,500 sign-on bonuses. One opening for a night shift utilities technician is offering a $4,000 sign-on bonus.
The utilities technician position requires a high school diploma or GED, as well as a minimum of five years' experience with mechanical, electrical, refrigeration, boiler, and knowledge of chilled water glycol systems.
Some of the hourly jobs offer a pay range of $40 to $43 an hour, like an electrical & automation technician. Other roles, such as an electromechanical technician, can make between $36 to $38 an hour.
As far as education requirements go for the hourly jobs, electromechanical technicians must have a high school diploma or GED, just like a utilities technician. A high school diploma or GED is preferred for the factory supply chain operator and the production operator.
Economic stimulation
In March 2022, the Glendale City Council unanimously approved a resolution supporting the company’s application to the federal government for foreign trade zone status on the 139-acre property.
Foreign trade zones are designated areas in the U.S. where qualifying companies are granted federal tariff and tax relief. In Arizona, such companies can also see a reduction in property taxes.
Having the zone in the Glendale enhanced its ability to compete with other metro-Phoenix towns that already have such zones for industry attraction, Randy Huggins, the city’s then-economic development officer, told the council during the March 8, 2022 meeting.
“FTZs encouraged local economic stimulation and increased the local tax base as compared to vacant agricultural lands,” said Huggins, who is now the city’s development services director.
Once the roads are completed, the spokesperson said, the company’s newest factory will be located at 8351 N. 150th Avenue, off Northern Avenue.
Shawn Raymundo covers the West Valley cities of Glendale, Peoria and Surprise. Reach him at sraymundo@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Nestlé opens 350 jobs at new $675M coffee creamer factory in Glendale
