East Anglian ingredients supplier EDME Ltd has announced a proposal to develop a new factory. The site will help them to increase their production capacity, as they supply a number of bakeries and manufacturers across the UK.
New site plans
The new site, should it be approved, will be built at Horsley Cross. It will be a modern facility representing the best on offer on the current market. If you are interested in working at such a site, make sure to turn on your job alerts for this area here so that you don’t miss the opportunities when they are advertised.
The requirement for the new site comes as the existing facility is increasingly not fit for purpose. Costs there have soared to over £700,000 a year as a direct result of the fact that it does not suit their needs well. It occupies a space of just under 13,000 m2, but the problem is that much of the floor space cannot be used.
When taking into account the need to meet food safety as well as health and safety requirements, it has become increasingly difficult for the company to continue to grow within such a restricted space.
The new site that they are building will measure 15,350 m2, with the additional second phase adding another 18,000 m2. The height will be 21.7m at the tallest point.
Increasing demand needs to be met
The firm have declined to divulge just yet the value of the investment they will be putting into the business. They did, however, speak about how desperately the new space is needed.
“The growing demand for natural wholegrain – and premium gluten-free – ingredients means that we are looking to increase production capacity for EDME,” said Managing Director Mark Hodson. “It is challenging to do this on our current site. We have therefore submitted a planning application to develop production facilities at Horsley Cross, just four miles from Mistley, and still within the borough of Tendring. It will take some time for the application to be processed by the planners – no changes to current location and operations are imminent. We will keep our neighbours and the local community informed as and when there are any significant updates.”
If you are looking to polish up your CV in anticipation of new roles being available in the Horsley Cross area, make sure to check our advice here and consider whether there is anything that you can do to make yourself more attractive to employers. There will always be plenty of competition for local roles, and it is not yet clear whether the full workforce will be able or willing to move with the site – even with it being such a short distance.
The plans are no doubt far into the future, as once the planning application has been approved there will still need to be a building phase which could potentially take a year or more. Watch this space for updates on the progress of the project.
