The investment has resulted in a major transformation at the plant, said Nestlé. “For the first time in the UK all forms of coffee production including freeze dried, spray dried and pod technology had been brought together on one site creating a Coffee Centre of Excellence,” it said.
Counting the additional 425 jobs created by the investment, there were now said to be 1,000 people in highly skilled jobs in manufacturing and engineering, with 23 apprentices and nine graduates working at the site.
Last year the Tutbury site produced more than 1.8bn Nescafé Dolce Gusto coffee capsules. Exports to 70 global markets accounted for 85% of production. Leading export destinations were: Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico and the US.
‘Powering the national economy’
Nestlé’s investment was “powering the national economy and supporting the local community”, said the secretary of state for Business, Innovation and Skills.
“The Midlands Engine [of economic growth] is home to a diverse range of exciting businesses and its continued success is creating jobs for all, from apprentices to highly skilled manufacturers,” said the Conservative Member of Parliament for Bromsgrove.
“Today’s [March 10] announcement is another example of why the economy here has been outperforming the rest of the country since 2010.”
Nestlé UK and Ireland chairman and ceo Fiona Kendrick said: “It represents a very significant investment in our Tutbury factory which is now a true centre of excellence for our coffee business.
‘Made processes more efficient’
“We are taking the UK’s productivity challenge incredibly seriously at Nestlé and this investment has made Tutbury one of our best examples of that. We have made processes more efficient, given our employees new skills and equipped them with state-of-the-art machinery with which to do their job.”
The Tutbury opening followed the launch of Nestlé UK’s project to boost productivity.
The manufacturer’s Productivity in Practice project was a series of insights linking productivity gains through investment in new technology and sustained improvements by the “company’s people at all levels”.
Meanwhile, the Food Manufacture Group is staging a free, one-hour webinar on lean and green food and drink manufacturing and evaluation processes at 11am on Tuesday April 26. See box for details.
Free webinar – Lean and green manufacturing: realising world class potential
Food Manufacture’s free, one-hour webinar – Lean and green manufacturing: realising world class potential – will take place at 11am on Tuesday April 26. Dedicated to revealing the latest thinking on lean and green food and drink manufacturing and evaluation processes, the webinar will provide key insights on the business benefits of refining the lean and green approach.
Also under the spotlight will be the lean and green validation processes for suppliers adopted by Marks & Spencer (M&S) and how these approaches can deliver advantages for everyone involved.
Taking part will be:
- Helen Sisson, Greencore group technical director
- Louise Nicholls, Marks & Spencer, head of responsible sourcing and packaging and Plan A
- Jeremy Praud, partner Lauras International
To reserve your free place, email Mike Stones.
Once registered, delegates can listen at any time to the broadcast, any number of times, for six months.