Mondelez to expand chocolate manufacturing in Bournville, UK

Food and beverage maker Mondelez International is set to invest £75m in its chocolate manufacturing plant in Bournville, Birmingham, UK.

The move is aimed at enabling the Bournville plant to compete with production plants in other European markets.

With this investment, the company plans to introduce four new manufacturing lines at the plant to expand production.

Of the four new lines, two will be used for chocolate bar production, including Cadbury Dairy Milk, and two for assortments.

The company will also replace existing out-of-date lines, and modernise and enhance the plant’s capacity to produce assortments brands like Cadbury’s Roses and Heroes.

Mondelez International UK and Ireland president Maurizio Brusadelli said that the investment will strengthen the competitive advantage of the facility on an international level.

"It will also contribute to the company’s strategic goals of driving growth and improving margins," Brusadelli added.

The company’s management will consult with employees to improve competitiveness, to identify ways to work more flexibly, and to invest in training and development.

Mondelez International UK chocolate manufacturing director Neil Chapman said that the investment would secure the site’s future for the next generation.

"Through our consultation, we want to hear as many ideas as possible from our employees on how, alongside our £75m investment, we achieve improvements that boost competitiveness, thereby securing the next generation of manufacturing at Bournville," Chapman added.

In early 2011, the company invested an initial £33m investment to cut costs and improve competitiveness at the plant.