A groundbreaking ceremony marking the construction phase of the new Advanced Manufacturing Centre facility is taking place at the Unilever hub in Port Sunlight today.

Due for completion in 2017 the 6,500 m2 centre, which once completed will roughly be the size of a football pitch, is to house a state-of-the-art pilot plant enabling scientists and engineers to test new ideas during personal care and home care product development on a factory scale.
The appointment of BAM Construction means work is now underway on the Centre at Unilever’s Research & Development site. Senior company and construction representatives were on hand to mark the occasion for what is a new milestone in the 127 year history of the site and the latest in a line of recent investments into the Port Sunlight hub totalling £200 million.

Cameron Jones, Unilever Port Sunlight Site Leader, said: “Today heralds a new phase on our journey of research and development at our historic Port Sunlight home. In building the Centre we are renewing our commitment to R&D in the UK and the North West. From here we will have the capacity to innovate products with increased speed and efficiency, which we will turn into winning products to be enjoyed by tens of millions both here and around the world.
The Centre, which is boosted by investment from the UK Government’s Regional Growth Fund, will be configured to allow close working with industrial and academic partners. It will be a flexible facility that will test new and transformational technologies and will house replica equipment and conditions found in Unilever sites around the globe. This will allow the team of scientists and engineers to create consumer focused innovations and quickly scale them for Unilever’s global supply chain team also based in Port Sunlight.
 

Cameron Jones

Unilever Port Sunlight Site Leader