FDBusiness.com

Mondelēz International, makers of the UK’s favourite treats including Cadbury Dairy Milk, BelVita, Maynard’s Bassetts and OREO, has announced plans to invest £15 million into its Bournville site, the heart and home of Cadbury.The investment will include £11 million to create a new, line of the future for Cadbury Dairy Milk tablets as the company consolidates the majority of its tablet production at the site. The new, highly efficient line will enable 125 million more of the iconic large sharing bars to be made at Bournville annually, with additional capacity for any future growth. Alongside the new line, Mondelēz is also planning to invest a further £4 million at the site to increase its chocolate making capacity, to ensure sufficient chocolate mass to meet current demand and anticipate future needs.

Louise Stigant, UK Managing Director, Mondelēz International, comments: “At a time when manufacturing in the UK is facing significant challenges, it has never been more vital to secure the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of our business. We now have an opportunity at Bournville to further invest in its future as the home and heart of Cadbury by bringing more Cadbury Dairy Milk production to Bournville.

“This investment will continue the modernising of our production processes at Bournville and ensure we are meeting the need for a highly efficient and robust supply infrastructure for our iconic Cadbury Dairy Milk tablets.”

This latest commitment follows more than £80 million of investment since 2014 to modernise the Bournville factory and drive efficiencies. Just five years ago, production costs at Bournville were three time more than those of similar factories in Germany and other European markets. As a result of investment at the site, production efficiency has increased by more than 30% since 2014.

Roberto Gambaccini, Bournville Manufacturing Director, Mondelēz International, says: “Thanks to our investments over the last seven years and our colleagues’ commitment to improving productivity, Bournville is now much more competitive across our manufacturing network, particularly when it comes to producing high volume products such as Cadbury Dairy Milk tablets. It’s important that we continue this journey and this investment will see us take full advantage of the efficiencies that modernisation, and upskilling can create to continue the growth and success of the Bournville site.”

Joe Clarke, Unite national officer for food, drink and agriculture, adds: “The announcement by Cadbury of a new line at the Bournville site to handle 12,000 tonnes per annum of additional chocolate, which equates to 125,000,000 Cadbury Dairy Milk bars, is a vote of confidence in the UK workforce. To complete consultations and negotiations to deliver this fantastic investment, even in the midst of the Covid restrictions, is a credit to the trade union representatives, the members and the business.”

The Bournville factory is home to Mondelēz International’s Global Centre of Excellence for Chocolate research and development, including its innovation kitchen where all Cadbury products across the globe are invented.

The factory makes products including Cadbury Dairy Milk, Giant Buttons, Wispa, and Cadbury Creme Eggs. It is supported by satellite sites at Chirk and Marlbrook, where sustainable cocoa beans are processed and fresh British and Irish milk is added.