Unilever plans £40m Port Sunlight investment
CONSUMER products giant Unilever is creating 150 jobs at its Port Sunlight base on the Wirral.
The Anglo-Dutch group, behind top household brands such as PG Tips, Hellman’s mayonnaise and Persil washing powder, plans to invest £40m at Port Sunlight.
The company said its plans would transform its historic home of Port Sunlight into a “significant centre of excellence” for the manufacture of shampoo and shower gel, with growth potential for the next decade.
The investment was welcomed by Cllr Phil Davies, leader of Wirral Council, who described it as “potentially fantastic news” for the business and the local area.
“We are tremendously proud of the quality of work that takes place at Port Sunlight and the relationship that has developed between Unilver and the village.
“The company’s contribution to the culture, heritage and economy of Wirral is massive and I am pleased that a global company like Unilever continues to have confidence in Port Sunlight as a significant base for its operations.”
While there was good news for North West, Unilever said it plans to cut 800 jobs in a cost savings drive which will see the closure of factories in Swansea and Slough, a distribution site in Bridgend, south Wales, and an office in Ewloe, Flintshire.
It blamed “very tough” economic conditions in the euro zone for the restructuring.
The group said the changes would take effect by the end of next year and could lead to 500 direct job losses and about 300 redundancies among contractors and third parties, with some posts outsourced to its IT centre in Bangalore, India.
UK and Ireland chairman Amanda Sourry, said:”Like many companies today, Unilever faces the challenge of creating growth opportunities against a backdrop of very tough economic conditions in Europe.
“While Unilever is growing well in the UK and globally, it will always be necessary to make changes which raise our game and ensure our continued success. We believe these proposals would substantially strengthen our platform for long-term growth and competitiveness.”
Unilever said in a statement: “At the heart of the changes is a proposition to invest over £40m in Port Sunlight that could see it become an unrivalled multi-functional hub within the Unilever global organisation.
“The feasibility of these proposals will be reviewed over the next three months and if they go ahead, would transform Port Sunlight into a significant centre of excellence for the high-volume, high technology manufacturing of products from shampoo to shower gel – with growth potential for the next 10 years.
“In addition, the site would benefit from the creation of an expert IT centre in Lever House at Port Sunlight, which, through an ambitious programme of innovation and continuous improvement, would enable the business to use technology to respond more quickly to market developments and improve how it serves customers and consumers.”
Some 400 staff at the exisiting IT base in Ewloe, will be required to move to the new IT hub, the company said.
