FDBusiness.com

UK dairy co-operative First Milk has received planning approval to redevelop its cheese packing site at Maelor near Wrexham, to create a UK centre of excellence for cheese packing and storage. As well as the redesign and rebuild of First Milk’s cheese packing operation, Grocontinental, one of the UK’s leading storage and distribution companies, has also received the green light for the construction of a cold store on the Maelor site that will house all of First Milk’s maturing cheese.

Work will begin shortly on the redevelopment and is scheduled for completion in Autumn 2013. The total cost of the site redevelopment will be £17 million.

First Milk’s manufacturing director Paul Rowe comments: “This redevelopment builds on the significant investment in new technology at the site over the last eighteen months. We have had very positive feedback on our proposals from our retail customers, who can see the clear benefits from the redevelopment in terms of workflows, efficiencies and the scope it provides to increase production.”