Direct Table more than saves its bacon with a £20m plant

Bacon processor Direct Table Foods will open a £20m, purpose-built factory in Bury St Edmunds next month to replace the previous plant, which was burned down in November 2004.

Md Tony Stanton said: "We managed to keep about 70% of the business after the fire by increasing production at our other site in Cuffley, Hertfordshire. But we weren't able to carry on with all of the lines and we had to make about 100 people of the 220 people there redundant.

"We kept the rest of the staff on while the replacement site was being built by bussing them to our other plant."

The new factory, which will produce rashers, joints and steaks using what are claimed will be the latest pork curing, control, slicing and packaging technologies, has nine production lines and a large pallet storage despatch area, which will allow for on-site picking, said Stanton.

Because the factory is purpose built, it has also been possible to incorporate the latest thinking on energy and water efficiency, he added. This included using very energy-efficient refrigeration technology, recycling heat from refrigeration compressors and a syphonic water recovery system to collect rain water from the roof for use in toilets and yard cleaning.

The factory would also enable the company to produce bespoke products for multiple retail customers, with the biggest opportunities at the premium end of the sector, said Stanton.

"The priority for us is winning back the 200t of business we lost after the fire."

Located just off the A14, the factory has a production capacity of 300t a year, and there was scope for future expansion at the 2.4ha site.

"We are really looking forward to moving in. This is one of the most sophisticated bacon processing plants in Europe," said Stanton. "The new equipment will give us total control over production, guaranteeing top-quality bacon."