Packaging firm invests £18M and creates 70 jobs
A south Wales food packaging firm is planning an £18M investment that will create 70 jobs and safeguard a further 170 roles.
Seda UK md Lorenzo Angelucci told FoodManufacture.co.uk the money will be invested over five years, with more than one third spent in the first 18 months.
“We have secured additional contracts with major customers, which require additional capacity to be installed at our Blackwood site,” said Angelucci.
‘The opposite trend’
The firm’s target market ‒ the foodservice business sector ‒ continues to show moderate growth, which was “the opposite trend to what may be expected during the current economic downturn”, he said.
“People generally have less money to spend but still want to enjoy eating out, and also the food chains have improved their offer range and quality, while offering a relatively low cost to the consumer.”
Seda’s expansion plan focused on building a new unit on a plot adjacent to the firm’s existing buildings.
Angelucci said its policy of sourcing locally where possible would benefit the local economy.
He also thanked economy minister Edwina Hart for the Welsh Assembly’s support in winning the investment from its Naples-based parent company. “We have been competing with other European sites [owned by the parent company] to secure this investment here in Wales.
