With 8 facilities in the Southeast, manufacturing is the heart of where our quality products begin — because we make many of the items sold in our stores.

Our manufacturing plant managers are responsible for managing a wide variety of unique challenges that may arise. From safety to production processing to product quality, each day has a new set of opportunities.

“I think what makes manufacturing unique is that no 2 days are the same,” said Lakeland Deli Kitchen Manager Chris Kelley. “Each day tends to bring a new set of opportunities, and that’s enjoyable to me.”

Chris has worked for Publix for 20 years and as a plant general manager since 2010. He usually starts his workday by reviewing and reflecting on the previous day’s production. While addressing any opportunities or problems that occurred the previous day, Chris meets with production operations and industrial maintenance to remove any roadblocks. Following the daily review, Chris walks the production floor, greeting associates while reviewing safety, quality, housekeeping and production startup activities.

Chris’ goal is to make as many trips as possible to the production floor and attend pre-shift startup huddles to support his teams.

“Pre-shift huddles are extremely vital in getting the day started well,” explained Chris. “Huddles include topics on safety, quality and production. We also perform daily startup stretches and call out associate recognition.”

“Every day, we’re making a product that will be shared and enjoyed by our customers,” said Chris. “That’s the cool thing about manufacturing.”

Interested in food preparation or cooking? Manufacturing may be the place for you. Publix manufacturing has positions across multiple locations, including our bakery and deli plants, deli kitchen, Fresh Kitchen and produce snacks.