2 Sisters has announced a major expansion to its Cambuslang poultry site near Glasgow less than two months after revealing the sale of another Scottish site and potential job losses at a third.
A “multi-million pound” investment will see 2 Sisters – part of Ranjit Boparan Singh’s Boparan Holdings group – build an 11,000 sq ft extension to its existing Cambuslang site, generating up to 50% additional capacity.
It is also expected to create up to 180 new jobs.
The extension will house high-volume ovens, spiral chillers and freezers. The existing site will also be refurbished.
“This is great news for the workforce at the Cambuslang plant who have fought hard to protect their livelihoods and will also be a welcome boost to the local economy”
James Kelly MSP
2 Sisters said that an agreement by the site’s existing employees to change shift patterns and move to a seven-days-a-week, 24-hour operation had been key to the expansion going ahead.
“We’re delighted to have come to an agreement with the unions and extended our working hours at the factory. This has unlocked the expansion plan and in turn means we can take on 180 additional colleagues,” said Olivier Goudineau, MD of 2 Sisters added-value poultry.
The new shift patterns will start from mid-February.
“This is great news for the workforce at the Cambuslang plant who have fought hard to protect their livelihoods and will also be a welcome boost to the local economy,” added Rutherglen and Cambuslang MSP James Kelly.
Cambuslang – which 2 Sisters bought from Dutch meat processor Vion in March last year – produces added-value poultry such as roasted and coated chicken products.
Rescue plan
In November, 2 Sisters announced a “rescue plan” for its Scottish poultry business, citing oversupply of poultry and falling consumer demand.
The plan included the sale of its Letham site in Angus and proposed job losses at its Coupar Angus site in Perth and Kinross.
It has been in discussion with the Scottish Government with a view to carrying its rescue plan forward.
In an update in December, 2 Sisters claimed its rescue plan had the potential to increase Scottish poultry processing by 40% in the long term and create several hundred new jobs.
“I hope this expansion signals the beginning of further investment in the Scottish poultry industry,” Goudineau added.
No comments yet