£4m investment seals bright future for major food factory

More than 40 jobs have been created following a major refit of one of Scotland’s largest food ingredient manufacturers, with output on track to exceed pre-pandemic levels before the end of the year.

Macphie’s Tannochside facility has restarted full-scale production for the first time since it consolidated all operations to its Glenbervie headquarters near Stonehaven in mid-2020, a move in response to the forced closure of many of its customers’ businesses.

In the intervening period, the North Lanarkshire facility has been stripped back to the bricks before a £4 million refit and layout change that will now enable it to add new lines over the coming months as part of major business growth plans.

Andy Stapley, chief executive with Macphie, said of the “biggest ever investment programme” since the acquisition of the site in 2000: “The facility is at the very cutting edge and is allowing us to deliver quality that shines through.”

The 25,000 sq ft facility will see the production of frozen ice cream inclusions to supply multinational ice cream brands.

Investment in equipment, including state-of-the-art manufacturing lines and end-of-line packaging machinery will enable it to compete for and deliver further contracts in the ice cream and frozen dessert market. The refit was overseen by Atom (TPM) Ltd and delivered by Marshall Construction.

Andy added: “This investment has enabled us to create and fill 40 new jobs in a part of the country that has experienced a number of permanent factory closure.

“This is only the start of it too. We anticipate production to grow rapidly over the next 12 months and that will see us continuing to create new jobs in a broad range of positions.”

Macphie is an internationally renowned ingredients manufacturer that was established in 1928 and now employs more than 250 people across its three sites.

The firm has grown from its roots as a craft baker into an ingredients supplier worth over £60m, supplying global food brands, household name businesses and the wholesale sector.

Its vision is to be the go-to partner for food brands around the world, turning ideas and creativity into practical solutions. That and its “simply clever” strapline reflects its passion in making life easier for chefs and bakers.

Sustainability has been a key element to the fourth-generation family firm. It was among Scotland’s first businesses to achieve B Corp status in 2015, having successfully evidenced an unwaveringly high standard of social and environmental performance.

To find out more about Macphie, visit: https://www.macphie.com/

To register interest in employment opportunities at Tannochside, visit: http://www.macphie.com/careers

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