PinguinLutosa invests £13m in UK site
The vegetable-, potato product and ready meal manufacturer – which forms part of the Belgium-based PinguinLutosa Food Group – plans to build a new high speed freezing production line, a 10,000 pallet cold store, a more environmentally friendly biological effluent plant and a new product development (NPD) centre at its Norfolk base.
Stuart Robinson, UK marketing and innovations manager, told FoodManufacture.co.uk that the new freezing production line would be capable of dealing with 16 tonnes of vegetables per hour.
And with PinguinLutosa’s UK business split between the retail and foodservice sectors, he said that the new NPD centre would provide innovative solutions to customers operating in both areas.
Robinson said: “The development centre will incorporate two state of the art kitchen’s and presentation areas. This will be the UK’s base for all of its development work with particular focus on its frozen vegetables range and the Oriental Express ready meal brand.
UK md Peter Denolf said: “This exciting investment plan keeps PinguinLutosa at the forefront of frozen food production in the UK and will allow us to continue to offer our customers a highly efficient service as well as top quality British produce.”
PinguinLutosa commissioned a new frozen bean production line last year at King’s Lynn, with £6.2m spent in 2010, while work continues on refitting packing facilities; a separate joint venture with Partner Logistics saw the firm open a new cold storage facility in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.
PinguinLutosa Food Group said it also expects to complete the takeover of French firm D’aucy Frozen Food Group in May 2011; in 2009 the firm’s UK operation turned over £145m, while group turnover (also including Belgium, France, Poland and Hungary) was €431.4m (£374.26m).
In addition to King's Lynn, the company has two further UK production sites in Boston and Bourne, Lincolnshire.
