Crisps manufacturer Pringles, owned by Kellogg’s since 2012, is investing 30 million euros in its factory in Mechelen, Belgium. The aim is to make the production site more sustainable and efficient.
Increase capacity
Pringles produces around 104,000 tonnes of crisps every year in Mechelen. Currently, the factory runs at its full capacity, as it is also operating at full speed during the night and on public holidays. For maintenance only, the production lines are briefly shut down.
Expanding in the vicinity is no easy task. The factory is surrounded by a railway line, homes and a Procter & Gamble facility. “By making our production lines more reliable and our planning more efficient, we have already been able to increase our production capacity by 20 per cent over the past five years,” said Operations Manager Peter Van Puyvelde in Belgian newspaper De Tijd.
But that on its own is not enough. The 25-year-old factory is also in need of some modernisation. That is why Pringles is investing around 30 million euros in the site. There will be a new boiler and air combustion installation, for instance. “This will make our factory more sustainable, reduce costs and enable us to produce 10 per cent more thanks to the new installations.”
Worldwide, Pringles has seven factories. Mechelen is one of the three largest. “Pringles is available in 140 countries, and we export to more than 40 countries in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East,” says Van Puyvelde.
