Novus International to open plant in China

Novus International Inc., a Town and Country-based maker of animal health and nutrition products, is opening a new animal feed input plant in China.

The new 23,000 square foot facility, located in the Ma Lu Jiading district, a suburb of Shanghai, will bring Novus closer to China-based customers while expanding overall production capacity.

“This facility is an example of our continued commitment to the Asian market,” said Thad Simons, Novus president and chief executive, in a statement. “This new facility will strengthen our position in Asia and enable Novus’s continued growth in the region.”

Novus International is privately held joint venture between Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.) Inc. and Nippon Soda Co. Ltd. It operates manufacturing facilities in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. The facilities combine to serve customers in more than 80 countries. The company’s products are added to animal feed as supplements.

Novus said China represents an attractive market because of the county’s fast growth rate in agriculture. The company opened a research and development center in Beijing last year, and said the new manufacturing facility would let the company quickly capitalize on research for the Chinese agriculture industry.