JBT Marel announces renovation and expansion of Sandusky Customer Innovation Center

Formerly known as the Food Processing Technology Center, the Sandusky Customer Innovation Center is one of three global JBT Marel facilities specifically designed to mirror customers’ production lines for real-life testing and prototyping. Sandusky also joins a broader network of twenty-two customer technology centers operating under the global JBT Marel umbrella.

The approved project includes a 3,880-square-foot expansion east of the existing technical facility. Groundbreaking is planned for this month, with construction expected to take 6–8 weeks.
The new addition will expand the facility’s capacity to demonstrate full line capabilities in support of customers and their processes. The remaining space will continue to house a wide range of small and mid-size food production equipment, bringing the venue ever closer to offering end-to-end product demonstrations for customers.

A Legacy of Innovation in Sandusky

JBT Marel’s Sandusky facility has a long history of innovation and customer collaboration in food processing wherein 1981 a need for a dedicated area within the facility was created to demonstrate food processing equipment to prospective customers. Prior to this, customer product trials could only be conducted when a machine became available on the manufacturing floor—an environment not well suited for food testing. Thus, the first Food Processing Technology Center was born.

The concept quickly proved to be a major success and an effective sales tool, establishing the foundation  for what would become today’s Customer Innovation Center.

As the facility expanded, JBT Marel was able to install a complete batter, bread, fry, and oven-cook line which allowed customers to test and refine products such as chicken fingers, cheese sticks, and nuggets in a controlled, real-world environment.

In 1996, JBT Marel completed a 30,000-square-foot building expansion to house a new, state-of-the-art Food Processing Technology Center. This increased the dedicated food processing area to 12,000 square feet, featuring:

• Two separate test kitchens
• Multiple conference areas
• A fully equipped multimedia presentation area for classroom-style training

Rebranded as the Customer Innovation Center, the facility continues to serve as a vital sales and customer training tool. Today, it supports over 400 activities annually, including customer testing, process validation, training, and ongoing support for JBT Marel’s engineering and applications teams.

A Global Hub for Co-Creation and Customer Support

The Sandusky Customer Innovation Center is designed to mirror customers’ own production lines, enabling real-life testing and prototyping from concept to industrialization. The facility supports:

• Co-creation of solutions to specific production challenges
• Development of innovative products on an industrial scale
• Showcase events targeted at specific industries, processes, and further processing applications
• Customer meetings, training sessions, and hospitality in a dedicated, professional environment

Most importantly, the Sandusky plant is staffed by highly experienced personnel with deep technical and application knowledge, ensuring customers receive expert guidance throughout their testing and development journey.

Press Conference and Facility Tour

Members of the media, customers, and community stakeholders are invited to attend a press conference and facility tour, including food samplings made on JBT Marel equipment:
Date: Thursday, June 25
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Location: JBT Marel Sandusky Customer Innovation Center
1622 First Street, Sandusky, Ohio

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about the expansion, tour the facility, and experience firsthand how JBT Marel partners with customers to optimize food processing operations.