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Unilever has completed a five-year transformation of its Burton food factory, establishing the site as a central hub for its UK condiments business.

With 99% of products from Unilever’s Burton site supplied to UK retailers, the investment aims to drive growth in the company's UK foods business by enhancing supply chain efficiency, expanding capabilities and increasing production at the facility.

A second factory has been built next to the existing one, expanding the site footprint by 50% to 31,000 square metres and adding Hellmann’s production alongside Marmite, Bovril and Colman’s. With nine advanced production lines now in operation, Unilever said that the site has doubled its output to produce an average of 9 million jars and bottles of condiments per month.

The new factory includes machinery and automation, such as robotic palletisers and real-time data capture systems, to streamline operations and minimise waste. The addition of 3D printing capabilities allows rapid replacement of machine parts, reducing downtime and improving reliability.

The upgrade has also created 160 new jobs and provided existing employees with opportunities to develop skills in digital manufacturing.  

Andre Burger, Unilever UK & Ireland's foods lead, said: “The investment in our Burton site and new factory reaffirms the site as a key food hub for British produce, making delicious condiments that are helping to create meals in homes up and down the country every day".

"By bringing all our condiment production under one roof and focusing on advancing digital capabilities, we’ve really optimised our supply chain and manufacturing whilst significantly increasing the site’s capacity. The investment has already delivered record breaking growth for the site and will be key in supporting the continued growth of our food business and market leading brands here in the UK."

"This investment is a celebration of our history in Burton as well as a commitment to its future. It is testament to the continued commitment and expertise of our teams at the site that its transformation has delivered such incredible growth so quickly.”

According to Unilever, the investment has also accelerated the reduction of the environmental footprint of the site, minimising food waste and reducing carbon footprint of products.

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