The J.M. Smuckers plant in Scottsville is on track to begin production in May. The company is installing equipment and hiring employees, Public Relations Coordinator Kim Baker said. That equipment needed a little more space than the original design called for. We have slightly increased the building due to process refinements, she said. The plant, which makes frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches called Uncrustables, creates opportunities for people in Allen County to have a place to work inside the county instead of driving to Bowling Green or Glasgow, said Larry Wilcher, a member of the Scottsville-Allen County Industrial Development Authority. Were glad to have Smuckers join the list of companies who operate in Scottsville and Allen County, Wilcher said. The city council will make an annual appropriation to the IDA from tax receipts on the Smuckers property to pay debt service on the loan used to buy the property, Mayor Rob Cline said. The city has water and sewer lines ready for Smuckers, Cline said. Things are looking up, he said. The company, which was voted the No. 1 company to work for recently by Fortune magazine, just bought International Multifoods Corp., which makes Pillsbury baking mixes and ready-to-spread frostings; Hungry Jack pancake mixes, syrup and potato dishes; Martha White baking mixes; and Pet evaporated milk and dry creamer. Combined sales are projected to exceed $2.3 billion, based on 2004 fiscal estimates. The Smuckers plants opening follows an announcement last year that Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems will discontinue production at one of its Scottsville facilities, eliminating 160 jobs. Smuckers will employ 150 to 200 workers, Wilcher said. The IDA has an ongoing effort to try to recruit more industry to the county also, he said. There is space available in an industrial park south of the city where Halton Company is located. That was the first spot Wilcher and the IDA showed the Smuckers representatives, but it wasnt large enough. We believe that the general climate in Allen County is excellent, Wilcher said. Improvements to U.S. 231 should be complete by the end of the year, cutting the time between Scottsville and Interstate 65 to about 15 minutes and the county is close to the Kentucky Trimodal Transpark. As a county, were very excited about the future, Wilcher said. Smuckers has plenty of room to expand at its site. The company originally bought 50 acres for the plant and added more than 30 more acres, Wilcher said.