Unilever opens $20 million expansion at Tatura, just 13 months after first announcing the project.
“This represents a significant milestone for Unilever in the Goulburn Valley and ensures our future as a major food manufacturer in the district for many years to come” said the Unilever Australia Chairman, Peter Slator.
94 new jobs were created for the expanded Tatura plant, along with a AU$20million investment in infrastructure and equipment.
In February last year, Unilever announced that their Tatura based foods factory would be expanded to accommodate the production from their Knoxfield factory, which was closing. Unilever Tatura was just one alternative to take over the Knoxfield production, with a Unilever foods factory in Thailand also hotly competing for the business. With the assistance of local and state government, Tatura was able to secure the Knoxfield production over the Thai option.
Within 6 months of the announcement last February, production of several well known Unilever brands such as Continental Cup-a-Soup had moved from Knoxfield to Tatura. By March 2008, all production had been uccessfully moved to Tatura and housed in the newly created 11,000 square metre facility.
“The move of our dry foods manufacturing to Tatura is a very visible vote of confidence in the Goulburn Valley, its labour force and its infrastructure” Mr Slator said. “The fact that we could be fully operational in just over 12 months is also a testament to the local contractors who worked tirelessly to bring the project in on time and on budget. However, the greatest praise needs to go to our own team here at Tatura who planned and executed the move from Knoxfield and the expansion at Tatura with energy, precision and great attention to detail.”
The opening was also attended by the Minister for Regional and Rural Development, the Hon. Jacinta Allen, M.P., Mayor Eric Bott, Justin Hanney, CEO of Regional Development Victoria and a number of senior Unilever management.