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JBS USA reorganizes its presence in the United States while expanding one of the main beef factories in Texas, in a move that involves closures, industrial modernization, and new investments.
JBS USA has begun the expansion of its beef factory in Cactus, Texas, with an investment of $150 million, equivalent to about R$ 773 million.
The project occurs at the same time the company, linked to the JBS group of brothers Joesley and Wesley Batista, announced the planned closure of two units in the United States, located in Souderton, Pennsylvania, and Memphis, Tennessee.
The expansion in Texas includes the construction of a new deboning and processing sector, as well as the enlargement of the area dedicated to ground beef production.
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According to a statement from JBS USA, the works began on February 27, 2026 and are expected to be completed in early 2027.
The investment is part of a reorganization of the company’s operations in the North American market.
In the same move as it ends activities in two facilities, the company directs resources to larger units and modernization projects.
According to JBS USA, the strategy aims to strengthen the operation, increase efficiency, and maintain competitiveness in the long term.
JBS Megaproject in Texas targets efficiency and production
The Cactus factory is located in the Texas Panhandle, a region with a strong cattle presence in the United States.
According to JBS USA, the unit currently employs more than 3,600 workers and purchases approximately $3.3 billion in cattle per year from local producers.
The company classifies the plant as one of its largest beef operations in the country.
The modernization includes a new manufacturing area used in the processing of cuts and an expanded room for ground beef, a segment that is part of the company’s product portfolio in the United States.
In a statement, Wesley Batista Filho, CEO of JBS USA, stated that the investment reinforces the company’s commitment to the North American beef industry and the rural communities where it operates.
According to him, the modernization and expansion of the Cactus unit aim to maintain the business and the families linked to the operation in conditions of continuity.
Besides the industrial impact, the company associates the project with cattle producers, customers, workers, and surrounding communities.
JBS also states that the expansion should improve operational efficiency and increase production capacity, but did not provide, in the consulted statement, a specific estimate of production growth.
Closure of JBS factories was announced in June
The project in Cactus occurs at the same time JBS USA announced changes in its network of units.
On June 12, 2026, the company announced the planned closure of a beef unit in Souderton, in the Philadelphia area, Pennsylvania, and a value-added products factory in Memphis, Tennessee.
According to the company, the decision is part of a broader restructuring of operations in the United States.
JBS USA stated that it intends to support affected employees during the transition and maintain dialogue with local partners and representatives of the affected communities.
In the statement about the closures, Wesley Batista Filho stated that decisions of this kind “are never easy” because they directly affect employees and communities.
The company also said that workers will be able to apply for open positions in other company units in the country.
JBS USA also declared that the production of the affected plants will be absorbed by other operations in the network.
According to the company, this transfer should maintain supply to customers and reduce impacts on commercial service.
JBS USA reorganizes network in the United States
The combination of factory closures and new investments is part of a strategy of operational concentration and modernization presented by JBS USA.
The company states that, in the last year, it made investments in facilities and improvements in the United States, including projects in Texas, Georgia, and Iowa.
These investments, according to the company, focus on prepared foods, higher value-added products, and updating industrial structures.
In the case of beef, JBS USA had already announced, in February 2025, a package of $200 million for units in Cactus, Texas, and Greeley, Colorado.
Of this total, $150 million was allocated to the Cactus project.
Another US$ 50 million was allocated for a new distribution center in Greeley, according to information released by the company itself.
The company also reported that it integrated, at the beginning of 2026, its beef and packaged products businesses into a single operational platform.
The measure was presented by JBS USA as a way to improve efficiency, increase productivity, and expand capabilities in higher value-added products within the North American network.
In the announcement about the changes, the company stated that it needs to maintain efficient, modern operations positioned to compete in the market.
The reorganization, according to JBS USA, combines capacity adjustments, production redirection, and new investments in units considered strategic by the company.
Cactus Unit also receives social investments
In addition to industrial expansion, JBS USA highlights community actions related to the Cactus unit.
Since 2020, according to the company, more than US$ 11 million has been invested in local projects, including parks, improvements in community facilities, support for non-profit organizations, and affordable housing.
The company also mentions the Better Futures program, an initiative aimed at the educational training of workers and their families.
According to JBS USA, more than 259 employees of the Cactus unit and their children were able to pursue education at community college without tuition fees through the program.
The expansion in Texas, therefore, appears within a broader plan of reorganization of the North American network.
The same process includes the closure of units, transfer of production to other plants, modernization of industrial structures, and expansion of segments that the company claims to consider priorities.
For the reader, the central point is in the sequence of decisions announced by the company.
JBS USA closes operations in two facilities and, at the same time, expands one of its largest beef plants in the United States with an investment of US$ 150 million.
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