Me & My Factory
Finding the perfect blend at Nestlé Tutbury
David Guest – area manager at Nestlé Tutbury – has been with the manufacturer more 15 years, having started as an engineer and working his way up in the company through projects, into production management and back into engineering.
When talking about his journey within the business, Guest explained how Nestlé had a culture that was rarely talked about when referring to it as an employer.
“There's such a wonderful group of people in every factory I've worked in which does create this kind of family feel,” he explained. “There’s an environment where not only do you feel safe, but you also enjoy your work because of the complexity of the technology is in parallel with it. It gives you fantastic opportunity.”
History of Nestlé Tutbury
From humble beginnings as a milk factory in 1901 to implementing coffee production in 1959, Nestlé Tutbury now stands as a ‘centre of excellence’ for Nestlé coffee brands including Nescafé Original, Nescafé Gold, Nescafé Azera and Nescafé Dolce Gusto.
The site employs more than 710 members of staff, including apprentices, graduates and placement students. In 2011, a £110m investment was made to expand the Nescafé Dolce Gusto manufacturing facility, increasing production capacity and creating 300 jobs. By the end of 2016, the total investment in the factory amounted to £325 million.
“If I talk specifically about the category of coffee, the transformation in the scale of Tutbury site has been vast over the last ten or so,” Guest added. “Just to see that growth take place, and the people that come with that growth, it's a big change for the local community and for the company.”
Retaining staff
Nestlé Tutbury has been known to retain staff for many years, with many citing a positive atmosphere of supportiveness and opportunity to grow as the major drivers behind their decision to stay.
Nestlé Dolce Gusto training coordinator Hana Vosickova has been with the company for nearly 12 years. Throughout her career, she has always felt like someone has been around to help her succeed in whatever position she was in.
“When I showed some interest [in part of the business], there was always an offer do it, try it and for me to succeed,” she continued. “There's always some way could do something together and that nothing is impossible.”
Meanwhile, join Food Manufacture as we stepped inside BakeAway's Corby site on the previous episode Me and My Factory.
