Kepak announces £5.5m investment

Irish food company Kepak has announced plans to invest £5.5 million in its Merthyr, Wales, facility.

With the investment, Kepak is looking to enhance the Merthyr site’s Central Prepared Meats (CPM) packaging facility. The capital will also support the introduction of new, innovative technologies to strengthen the company’s sustainability credentials.

According to Kepak, the move will lead to an increase in the site’s livestock requirements.

Kepak’s CEO, Simon Walker, said: “We are very pleased to be investing in our Merthyr plant, which is a strategically important site for Kepak. As a growing food business, Kepak is committed to continually investing in its sites to ensure we are optimising the work we do through innovative methods. The enhancements that will be made to our Merthyr plant will not only help us to achieve greater capacity but to importantly grow the number of colleagues we employ at the site and support local farmers with a significant uplift in demand for livestock.”

The investment will result in over 100 new jobs, with roles being created across areas including manufacturing, operations, IT and engineering.

Kepak Merthyr’s general manager, Chris Jones, added: “We are delighted to be announcing this significant investment at the Kepak Merthyr site, including the creation of 100 vital jobs supporting the local economy. This investment will bring about enhancements to our facilities, ultimately doubling the site’s CPM packaging facility [and] significantly increasing our demand for livestock, which is excellent news for local farmers. At Kepak Merthyr, we are committed to supporting local communities and being a good employer, and this investment is further evidence of that commitment in action.”