AUBURN — Tambrands of Auburn and its parent company, Procter and Gamble, officially opened a new packaging facility in Auburn staffed, in part, by people with disabilities.

Executives and workers cut the ribbon Tuesday morning on a new FlexiCenter, a corner of the massive Auburn factory where shipments are customized for special orders.

When complete, the facility will employ about 60 people, 18 of whom will have one or more disabilities.

Procter and Gamble hopes to replicate the FlexiCenter and its workforce in a variety of other factories.

“We want to ensure that everyone is valued and everyone is included,” said Linda Clement-Holmes, the multi-national company’s chief diversity officer.

Tambrands is one of Procter and Gamble’s two Tampax factories and the only one in North America. It currently employs 447 people in Auburn.

For more on the story, see tomorrow’s Sun Journal.