Apr 07, 2009 08:39 ETPet Ecology Brands, Inc. Becomes Operational in New Headquarters and Manufacturing Facility
MIAMI, FL--(Marketwire - April 7, 2009) - Pet Ecology Brands, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: PECD) announced that its new 15,000 square state of the art manufacturing facility in Miami, Florida is now operational. The facility has been specifically designed for the custom manufacturing of its patented litter products to include conveying, blending and packaging equipment for high volume requirements. The manufacturing site, co-located with the Company's corporate offices includes a fully equipped testing laboratory for quality assurance and new product development. It is intended that other products will eventually be produced from this same facility.
Ralph Steckel, President and CEO, noted that, "The new manufacturing facility provides Pet Ecology with significantly increased production capacity, estimated to be in excess of 1.2 million pounds of litter per month. This allows us to approach major discounters such as Walmart and Target with the confidence that we can deliver product, while simultaneously expanding our presence in retail food and drug chains." He went on to say that, "The capacity of our plant is approximately 6 times greater than what we can secure from our present outsourced contract manufacturing locations and it gives us the flexibility of being able to react immediately to customer product need."
He also noted that, "We have been able to secure from component vendors cost reductions approximating 35%. Combining this with an expected 65% reduction in the cost of blending and packaging due to having our own manufacturing site would say that we expect to be more than competitive in the market place than we have been in the past while maintaining and improving our margins."
The Company reported further that on or about April 17, 2009 a custom software installation will be completed allowing for improved customer ordering, support and management reporting.
About Pet Ecology Brands, Inc.
Pet Ecology Brands, Inc. has developed a revolutionary patented cat litter that destroys urine odor, clumps, and is earth-friendly. The litter is ultra-lightweight and convenient to use (3 lbs works like 21 lbs of clay/sand-based products), it is 100% flushable and safe for sewer and septic tank systems. Most importantly, it is completely safe for cats and our environment, and does not contain any sodium bentonite, as used in many competing brands. The design helps to protect the landfills, and yet does everything that clay litters do... and more. It has the ability to help indicate certain diseases commonly occurring in cats. The technique used is similar to that found in Merck's Veterinarian Manual. However, this litter not only warns of possible illness, but may also help indicate how far along the illness may be by the color the litter changes to, thereby providing the pet owner significant additional benefits and an early warning system concerning the cat's health.
Pet Ecology's K-9 Fat Free Dog Treats™ are the first fat free treats on the market that meet the standards of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and offer dog owners an effective means to provide their pets with a non-fat tasty treat. They are also cholesterol free and sodium free. According to U.S. News & World Report, "the number one health problem for dogs is obesity." Today, dogs are fed fat rich food and treats, and often get significantly less exercise than required to maintain an ideal weight and healthy condition. Overweight dogs are more prone to serious injury, skeletal stress, and the same complications that people experience with significant weight gain via fat rich diets, ranging from heart and lung problems, to skin and kidney diseases, to circulatory and immune system issues.
SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The statements, other than the statements of historical facts, may be deemed to contain forward-looking statements with respect to events, the occurrence of which involves risk and uncertainties, including, without limitation, demand and competition for the company's products and services, the availability to the company of adequate financing to support its anticipated activities, the ability of the company to generate cash flow from operations and the ability of the company to manage its operations. As statements regarding future events concern management's estimates of future results of operations, and as these estimates are based on many elements beyond management's control, differences from management's estimates may occur, and such differences may be material.
