2 minute read - 3rd May 2022
IPN to invest £6m at pet food factory in North Wales
Inspired Pet Nutrition (IPN), the company behind the Harringtons and Wagg pet food brands, is to invest more than £6m in its plant at Kinmel, North Wales.
The investment will triple the site’s wet dog food tray capacity to more than 75 million units a year and will follow a two-stage process, with the first stage coming later this year in the form of a second processing and filling line.
The new line, set to be operational by January 2023, will be three times faster than the existing line – which already runs 24/7. It will be focused on the wet tray production for the Harringtons brand, whilst also seeing IPN move to create its own label products.
Inspired Pet Nutrition is to invest £6m at its pet food factory in North Wales to boost production capacity / Picture: IPN
Increased product demand for its Harringtons wet tray range, which features a mix of human grade freshly prepared meat and vegetables, played an important role in the expansion of operations. With the new investment, overall wet dog food capacity will increase by 75% compared to last year, with further increases over the next 18 months as the investment project is completed.
Dominic Whelan, site operations manager at IPN Kinmel, said: “The wet tray market in both the branded and own label sectors looks set for even further growth, and this significant investment will ensure we can meet demand. Two years ago, IPN Kinmel produced about 4,000 tonnes of finished goods, this has now risen to an astonishing 10,500 tonnes.”
James Lawson, CEO at IPN, added: “This is an exciting development for the business as we will significantly increase production at Kinmel – the UK’s only FreshCook and carbon negative wet food facility – and it will help us on our journey to become the UK’s most sustainable pet food manufacturer. The investment will also play a key role in making Harringtons a £100 million Masterbrand across multiple categories and species.”
The new filling equipment will also enable IPN to offer a choice of wet tray formats, including fully recyclable aluminium trays.
Turnover at IPN Kinmel has risen from £11.5m during the financial year ending June 2019 to more than £20m in the last financial year ending in June 2021. The site currently has a workforce of nearly 100 – up from 85 in 2019.