FDBusiness.com

International food and drink group Princes, which is part of Mitsubishi Corporation, has completed the first phase of a planned £80 million investment in its Long Sutton site in Lincolnshire, England, with the opening of a new pea plant. The investment is Princes biggest ever capital investment. Long Sutton is the firm’s largest food production site in the UK, producing a range of canned products including peas, pulses, beans, bean meals, fruits and canned ready meals. The site is one of the largest employers in the area, and its operations support hundreds of regional jobs in businesses and industries that provide raw materials and services.

“This is a hugely significant milestone in our £80 million investment programme at Long Sutton, and we are very pleased to have delivered the new pea plant both ahead of schedule and in time for the start of the busy pea season in Lincolnshire,” says Andy Hargraves, Programme Director at Princes. “Our development programme is providing state–of-the-art equipment, better energy efficiency and increased production at the site, and is a major part of our commitment to UK manufacturing and providing long-term, high quality employment opportunities in the area.”

The core investment project at Long Sutton is worth over £63 million and is set to continue over a two year period, during which the factory will remain fully operational. The project will involve the refurbishment and development of significant aspects of the site including a new raw material warehouse and handling facility, new ingredients processing kitchen and a flexible production line for canned ready meals.

A further £17 million is also being invested in capital projects over the same period, including a replacement hydrostat cooker, a soft water plant and new anaerobic digester, which processes waste into biodegradable material, and the implementation of a new IT system. This represents a total investment in the site of £80 million over the next 18 months.

Princes also recently completed a £4 million investment in new staff welfare facilities, a canteen and improved office spaces for employees at the site.

With a global supply network and a portfolio of branded and customer own brand products, Princes is one of Europe’s fastest growing food and drink groups. The group’s head office is based in the UK and it also has a growing presence across continental Europe, which is managed from an office in The Netherlands. Princes also operates dedicated sales and marketing offices in Poland, France and Italy and tuna processing facilities in Mauritius.