US food company Rich Products plans to invest $18m to expand and revamp its customer innovation center at its headquarters in Buffalo, New York.
The expanded customer innovation center will facilitate customer interaction from across the world. It will feature new technology as well as product development facilities, which will be used by the company to develop new products in collaboration with customers.
Rich Products uses the customer innovation center to collaborate with food companies or restaurant chains, in order to develop new products that address the customer's needs.
The project is expected to create 17 new jobs, in addition to the 671 existing positions at the headquarters. The construction work will begin in a month and is scheduled to be completed by March 2014.
The company will receive $4.9m in grants and tax credits from the state. It is also likely to seek sales tax incentives through the Erie County Industrial Development Agency.
Rich Products, established in 1945, offers frozen foods to in-store bakery, food service, and retail marketplaces worldwide.