Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream began a $180 million expansion project.

Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream began a $180 million expansion project that will triple the capacity of its Laurel, MD, manufacturing facility and include a state-of-the-art warehouse that will serve the eastern US. The project, which will create 300 new jobs, is scheduled for completion in 2007.

Crowley Foods is expanding its Bristol, VA, cultured products plant. The $2.7 million project will facilitate the integration of Crowley's operations with HP Hood, which purchased Crowley and Kemps in 2004 from National Dairy Holdings.

A $10.5 million, 640,000-sq.-ft. facility is being built in Lakeland, FL, by Southern Wine & Spirits of America.

Fonterra Cooperative opened a new milk component processing plant in the Hautapu region of New Zealand. The $15 million plant will incorporate milk protein fractionation technology, which will be used for extracting lactoferrin from milk.

Galvamet, a manufacturer of factory insulated metal wall and roof panels, will begin construction of a new panel manufacturing plant in Shelbyville, IN, in August. Production capacity will be 12 million sq. ft. per year.

Barber Foods began work on a multi-phase 210,000-sq.-ft. processing and warehouse facility in Portland, ME. Phase I consists of 60,000 sq. ft. of freezer and 13,000 sq. ft. of cooler renovations. Phase II will include utility upgrades and converting remaining building areas into production lines for fresh and cooked product.