A DelicateTouch - New line at Newtownards
Friday 18th June 2010
We have recently installed a fourth new production line* at our Newtownards facility which is set to increase capacity.
The DelicateTouch line was developed in house as part of a Research and Development project, supported by Invest Northern Ireland, and was designed by our Engineering Manager; Edward Norton.
The project was defined following an analysis of production procedures within the business which highlighted some specific needs. However we soon found that there were no solutions in the market that would suit our needs.
Speaking about the line Andrea Nelson, Production Director said “The DelicateTouch line was developed to help us address some of the issues that are often faced on standard production lines such as bruising or excessive product handling and the waste that is caused as a result”
She went on to say “It has also allowed us to increase the speed of production as there is no need for the manual handling of product from one stage to the next. This has helped us to run large volume orders more efficiently with the ability to produce up to 1 ton per hour per line”
Willowbrook continues to invest in the company and is currently building a new extension at the Killinchy facility as well as identifying any new opportunities for R&D.
If you would like to know more about Invest NI’s R&D programme, please click here.
If you would like to know more about the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, please click here.
*The fourth DelicateTouch line has been introduced as part of a Processing and Marketing Grant project that is supported by: The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas.
For further details on this or any other news story, please contact Lucy Clifford-McBrinn using the ‘contact us’ page.