A £15 million project to substantially upgrade Scotland’s largest fresh milk dairy in Bellshill and secure 265 jobs has had its completion marked by a visit from Scottish 400 metres hurdles record holder and multiple medallist, Eilidh Doyle.
The project by Muller Milk & Ingredients, makers of the Official Milk and Milk Drinks of British Athletics, represents the largest single investment in Scottish dairy processing for more than a decade.
The site in Aberdeen had been closed for two years while the work was carried out.
It gives Muller’s Bellshill dairy the capacity to process more than 370 million litres of fresh milk and cream each year with milk provided by 230 Scottish dairy farmers.
Muller’s Bellshill Dairy Project includes:
- The acquisition of the adjacent bottle manufacturing facility;
- New facilities to accommodate all 265 dairy colleagues;
- A new cream filling hall built with three cream production lines installed;
- Two additional milk production lines installed taking the milk filling hall to nine production lines;
- Six additional raw milk and finished milk tanks added to site taking storage space to 1.8 million litres;
- New cream processing equipment and automation to create new and innovative consumer products;
- An additional energy-efficient cooling plant installed on site; and
- An extended chill area to create additional holding capacity for packed products.
With the future sustainability of the fresh milk processing sector being debated in the industry, the project is part of a plan by Muller to create a profitable, progressive and efficient fresh milk business in Britain, with new capabilities to make the next generation of fresh milk, cream and flavoured milk products.
Bellshill is the only Scottish dairy with the ability to manufacture milk bottles on site which are 100% light-weighted and recyclable. It also makes products using recyclable Tetra Pak cartons made with paperboard, a renewable raw material.
The on-site bottle manufacturing facilities cut down unnecessary movements of vehicles. It also gives Muller the means to further accelerate a reduction in the use of plastic and increase the use of recycled plastic in its bottles to a target of 50% by 2020. Muller has already reached 40% recycled material use in its bottles.
Muller Milk & Ingredients chief executive Patrick Muller said: “Fresh milk deserves to be celebrated. It’s a fantastic, healthy natural product and an essential part of British life.
“Milk from our Bellshill dairy is sourced from local farmers who shape our landscape and our environment. It’s in fridges less than two days after leaving farms because of our investment in processing and logistics infrastructure.
“We are unique in Scotland in that our 100% recyclable packaging is not shipped in from miles away. It’s manufactured in an adjacent site before being directly passed to our filling lines.
It’s clear, however, that in terms of profitability, the fresh milk sector has reached a tipping point. Change is required because if processing goes, it’s gone forever. We are confident that Muller will succeed in this environment because we are well invested, progressive and efficient.
“Muller has strategic partnerships with customers and farmers. This allows us to lead with a comprehensive agricultural and quality agenda and with innovative ways to avoid and recycle plastic.”
“Our employees deserve enormous credit for their work during this major project. Despite significant disruption on site and an exceptionally harsh winter in 2017-18 our team in Bellshill maintained a high level of performance throughout.”
