Nestlé invests $90 million to upgrade Australian pet food plant
Nestlé Australia announced July 30 plans to expand its Purina PetCare manufacturing facility in Blayney. The company will invest $90 million to upgrade production areas, install new equipment and facilitate increased production and export capacities at the facility.
This latest upgrade marks nearly $200 million in total investments made by Nestlé in Blayney over the last decade.
“Nestlé is committed to investing in continuous improvement of the Blayney site, and this investment also signals the continuous support for the broader Blayney community,” said Andrew Devlin, factory manager of the Blayney plant.
“The upgrade is estimated to take about 18 months, during which we estimate there will be 100 construction, installation and commissioning jobs here on site, with an estimated $10 million of civil works planned,” Devlin added.
More than 80% of raw materials, including meat and grains, used for pet food production in Blayney are sourced locally. Following this upgrade, Devlin said increased production will also increase the company’s usage of local ingredients.
“Increased production capacity will also help us to boost our local and export volumes,” he added. “More than $45 million of pet food left Blayney for export last year, including to Japan, New Zealand and Thailand.”
Currently, Nestlé employs more than 280 people at its Blayney facility and supports approximately 60 local businesses in western New South Wales.
Purina manufactures Pro Plan, Supercoat, Felix, Fancy Feast and Purina One pet foods in Blayney. The Australian facility began producing pet food in 1989.