FrieslandCampina Consolidates Cheese Packaging Plants
FrieslandCampina plans to close down its Den Hollander Food cheese packaging plant in Lochem, Netherlands, and to transfer the activities to the cheese packaging plants in Wolvega and Leerdam. 139 jobs will be lost as a result.
By cutting costs and capitalising on the need for new packaging concepts FrieslandCampina wants to improve its competitive position on the growing European market for sliced and pre-packed cheese.
The management of FrieslandCampina Cheese plans to close down the cheese packaging plant in Lochem in the first quarter of 2016. As well as cutting cheese, Den Hollander Food packages cheese in slices, chunks and squares, and in grated form. Den Hollander Food’s current location does not allow FrieslandCampina to key into future packaging requirements.
An amount of Eur19 million will be invested at FrieslandCampina Cheese in Wolvega and Leerdam to set up new packaging lines and accommodate the relocation of packaging lines from Lochem. In the future, the plants in Wolvega and Leerdam will be equipped to handle a greater variety of cheese packaging formats for both the European and the international markets. The number of jobs in those plants will increase by nine.
