KANSAS CITY, Mo. – National Beef Packing Company LLC plans to increase boxed beef shipping capacity at the company’s Dodge City, Kansas, processing plant with a capital improvement project of more than $30 million.

The project includes box carousels, palletizers and cranes in addition to expansion of material handling and box storage space at the plant. The company expects the project to be completed by December 2017.

“Our customers increasingly require smaller box sizes and weights. This expansion will allow us to deliver on this expanding need, and to do so more efficiently,” Kris Ragan, vice president and general manager, National Beef, said in a statement. “Our company is committed to investing in projects that help us better serve customer needs for our high-quality beef products.”

National Beef Dodge City plant employs about 2,900 workers, and is one of the highest volume beef processing facilities in the country. This expansion project is the third National Beef has announced. In April 2015, the company revealed plans to expand its Kansas City office space to 42,000 sq. ft. to accommodate growth in the company’s call center which supports its online meat, poultry and seafood business, Kansas City Steak Company.

And in June 2015, the company announced a $9 million expansion at the company’s Moultrie, Georgia, case-ready processing plant. National Beef secured approximately $875,000 in state and local incentives for the expansion.