Macphie’s Tannochside facility has restarted full-scale production for the first time since it consolidated all operations to its Glenbervie headquarters near Stonehaven in mid-2020, a move in response to the forced closure of many of its customers’ businesses.

In the intervening period, the North Lanarkshire facility has been stripped back to the bricks before a £4 million refit and layout change that will now enable it to add new lines over the coming months as part of major business growth plans.

Andy Stapley, chief executive with Macphie, said: “This is our biggest ever investment programme at Tannochside since we acquired the site in 2000 and is a show of our long-term commitment to the region.

“The facility is at the very cutting edge and is allowing us to deliver quality that shines through.”

The 25,000sq ft facility will predominantly see the production of frozen ice cream inclusions to supply multinational ice cream brands.

Investment in equipment, including state-of-the-art manufacturing lines and end-of-line packaging machinery will enable it to compete for and deliver further contracts in the ice cream and frozen dessert market. The refit was overseen by Atom (TPM) Ltd and delivered by Marshall Construction.

Mr Stapley added: “This investment has enabled us to create and fill 40 new jobs in a part of the country that has experienced a number of permanent factory closure. This is only the start of it too. We anticipate production to grow rapidly over the next 12 months and that will see us continuing to create new jobs in a broad range of positions.”

Macphie is an ingredients manufacturer that was established in 1928 and now employs more than 250 people across its three sites. The firm has grown from its roots as a craft baker into an ingredients supplier worth over £60m, supplying global food brands, household name businesses and the wholesale sector.