MG are playing games and the real BIG BOY's are watching on the...

MG are playing games and the real BIG BOY's are watching on the sidelines

http://www.borderwatch.com.au/archives/6376

Jobs boost from cheese factory expansion

Posted on February 17, 2010, 8:08am

Milk giant Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory yesterday announced a major expansion of its boutique cheese factory near Mount Gambier.

The expansion which will boost production at the Mil Lel site from 300 to 1500 tonnes per year is expected to create up to 25 additional jobs and will become a packaging, cutting and shredding facility for domestic product.

The companys only processing facility outside its factory at Allansford near Warrnambool, chief executive officer John McLean claimed yesterday he wanted to ramp up production and possibly introduce two shifts at the site.

While conceding production had been small scale since the company bought a Mount Gambier small boutique cheese company two years ago, he said Warrnambool Cheese and Butter wanted to significantly expand its domestic product to lessen the impact of fluctuating export commodity prices.

He said the company had appointed a chief executive officer to run the expanded facility from within its own group and predicted jobs would treble at the site.

We are installing the new equipment and will probably be operational in April, said Mr McLean, who returned to the role of CEO following the company experiencing a tumultuous period.

The contracts are ready and the product is set to go Australia-wide. The facility will not only be waxing cheese, but will be cutting and packaging cheese for the domestic market.

We are certainly broadening our wings.

Mr McLean said the company would also package cheese products that would be branded under different names.

He said the company wanted to build on its growing domestic products such as the popular Sungold milk products.

We want to get away from the exchange rate as much as we can, Mr McLean said.

Regarding its future, he said the company wanted to continue to grow the Mil Lel site that was now an integral part of its operation.

We have grandeur plans for the site in the long-term, Mr McLean said.

Meanwhile, Grant District Council chief executive officer Russell Peate yesterday described the announcement as fantastic news.

This is welcome news given it is expanding and additional jobs will be created, which is well and truly needed in the Lower South East, Mr Peate said.

It is also great to see more value adding of product in the region that will be sent across Australia and I hope the factory will expand further.

Mr Peate said the Limestone Coast was one of Australias leading dairy hubs.

This area has the potential with its rainfall and prime land to facilitate more value-adding of dairy products for the rest of Australia, he said.

As a council we are only too pleased to support this expansion.

The Mil Lel factory was previously owned by Kraft and employed 80 people before it closed in 1993.