The £110M expansion of the site will create 300 new food manufacturing jobs and 100 roles for apprentices, interns and graduates via the Nestlé Academy. The Academy was set up to attract new talent and invest in skills and training for the future of the food business.
The majority of the 400 roles will be filled over the course of 2013.
The Tutbury site produces the Nescafé Dolce Gusto ‘coffee shop at home’ system, which launched in the UK, Germany and Switzerland in 2006. The investment will treble the existing production capacity of the product, which continues to increase in popularity. It is now available in 41 countries and saw increased sales of 40% in the UK in 2012.
The move will introduce 12 new high-speed production lines that will manufacture pods for sale in the UK and export.
The development will also bring together all forms of coffee production on one site, including freeze dried, spray dried and pod technology.
£500M investment programme
The Tutbury extension is part of Nestlé’s wider £500M investment programme in the UK.
Paul Grimwood, chairman and ceo, Nestlé UK & Ireland said: “Over the last five years we have undertaken a multimillion pound investment programme in the UK, establishing our next generation of world-class competitive manufacturing facilities. This investment in Tutbury will extend our best-in-class facility, trebling our production capacity for export.”
In November prime minster David Cameron visited the Tutbury site to view the factory and the plans for the Dolce Gusto extension.
Cameron said: “This new investment by Nestlé and the jobs it will create is brilliant news for UK manufacturing and for the local community.
‘Brilliant news for UK manufacturing’
“This demonstrates what can be achieved by investing in capacity and people as Nestlé has done consistently over recent years. The jobs created by this new investment will benefit both skilled workers and those leaving school who will be able to train in the workplace to become the skilled workers of the future.
“Manufacturing is crucial to the new economy we’re building – an economy where we’re making and selling the products the world wants to buy. This investment shows the confidence that there is in the UK, it is clear that we have got a great manufacturing future.”
Grimwood said: “Recruiting the best people for our business is key to our continued success. Through the Nestlé Academy we will double our number of apprentices, graduates and internships supporting the economy through the training of skilled workers. We will also provide on the job training, which will open academic study to those who otherwise might not feel this is a route open to them.”
Over the past five years Nestlé’s UK investment programme has included:
- £200M spent transforming its confectionery factory in York into a “best-in-class manufacturing facility”
- creating a £40M European centre of excellence for Nescafé Cappuccino in Dalston, Cumbria
- establishing a £20M seasonal confectionery manufacturing centre in Halifax
- building a new £35M environmentally sustainable bottling plant in Buxton
- a £7M expansion for Nestlé’s global Research & Development centre for confectionery in York.
Meanwhile, the firm was drawn into the horse meat scandal this week (February 18), after traces of horse DNA were found in its processed beef products. The firm has apologised to customers.
For more breaking news, subscribe to our free newsletter delivered to your desktop every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.