Workers build framing in April for an 85,000-square-foot expansion at Procter & Gamble’s Tambrands production facility in Auburn. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Employees at Tambrands on Hotel Road in Auburn were informed last week about the company’s plans to further expand manufacturing capacity.

According to parent company Procter & Gamble, the expansion complements work already underway, including the previously announced warehouse and direct-ship capacity, as well as maximizing current equipment and scaled-up staffing to produce record levels of tampons per day.

“This is great news for our facility and the Auburn community and recognizes the ‘can-do’ attitude of our employees,” plant manager John Fultz wrote in a note to employees.

Procter & Gamble said the expansion is the result of an assessment process that began last year and is part of the company’s broader supply chain strategy to more effectively and efficiently serve consumers and customers.

The plant is the only production facility for Tampax brand products in North America, but also supplies product for Europe and Asia. Procter & Gamble and other tampon manufacturers have been facing sporadic shortages in stores around the country in the past six months, news that has garnered national media attention. P&G has said the Tambrands plant is producing between nine and 11 million tampons a day, working around the clock to meet consumer demand. The company’s chief financial officer has also acknowledged supply chain problems and difficulty sourcing raw materials.

P&G has not released specifics on a time frame for the construction, scope of the work or issued any figures on projected costs. The city has not received any new permit applications from Tambrands as of last week. The company said the expansion will create dozens of new jobs for construction and production.

This story originally was published as part of “Medical marijuana dispensary Urban Farms opens in Lewiston” The Buzz offers quick hits about trending area business happenings. Have a Buzzable tip? Contact business writer Christopher Wheelock at 689-2817 or cwheelock@sunjournal.com