July 29 (Reuters) - Candy and snacks giant Mars on

Tuesday announced plans to invest $2 billion more in its U.S.

operations through next year to bolster the company's ongoing

efforts to expand manufacturing in the country.

The Twix and MilkyWay chocolate maker has already invested

more than $6 billion in U.S. manufacturing in the last five

years and the new funding will support a $240 million facility

for Nature's Bakery in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The new facility, opening on Wednesday, will create over 230

new jobs in the region and have the capacity to produce about

one billion candy bars every year, Mars said.

"The U.S. is our biggest and most important market, and a

key engine of growth for the long term - not only through our

legacy manufacturing footprint but also through the expansion of

strategic acquisitions like Nature's Bakery, which is already

scaling quickly," said Mars CFO Claus Aagaard.

Many companies are doubling down on their U.S. production

capabilities after the Trump administration imposed sweeping

import tariffs aimed at narrowing the trade deficit and

prompting multinational firms to bring manufacturing back to

America.

About 94% of Mars products sold in the U.S. are produced

locally.

The company announced a $36 billion deal to buy Pringles

maker Kellanova ( K ) in August, and has received approval from

U.S. antitrust regulators while EU counterparts opened a

full-scale investigation last month.