News Potatoes
McCain continues to invest and expands the Lelystad factory
McCain Foods' positive outlook for the future is reflected in the amount of investment the company has made this year. The French fries producer is actively fighting climate change and hopes to set foot in Russia soon. The latest investment is the expansion of the factory in Lelystad. The first pile for this was driven on Monday 12 October.
The McCain Foods factory in Lelystad will be expanded by 9.000 m2, increasing production capacity by 33%. The expansion involves an amount of €65 million. "In this year with many uncertainties, we are pleased to see that McCain is investing in the long term and thus laying a stable foundation for the future," said Luc Geurts, director of McCain Lelystad. The main purpose of the expansion of the factory in Lelystad is to be able to meet the growing market demand. "With this expansion, we can improve work efficiency."
It is not the first investment in a factory this year. In early July, McCain Foods announced its intention to build its first factory in Russia† With this factory it hopes to be able to take advantage of the relatively cheap raw materials and to save considerably on logistics costs, although the question is whether the Russian potatoes meet the quality requirements. This plan is closely aligned with the Russian government's ambitions to be more self-sufficient and to play a more dominant role in global agricultural exports.
Investing in sustainability
The themes of 'sustainability' and 'climate change' also play a major role at McCain Foods. In mid-August, the French fries producer announced that it was investing almost €28 million in the United Kingdom. With this, the company wants to help potato growers to better arm themselves against the consequences of climate change† The money can be used, among other things, to invest in more sustainable irrigation systems and other innovative technologies, such as self-propelled harvesters.
End of September McCain announced that it is establishing a fund, in partnership with McDonalds, to support potato farmers in the UK using innovative techniques and technologies to improve soil quality and water management in the country. With this, the producer also hopes to support the climate goals of the British government. An amount of €1 million is involved in this fund.
Sustainability is also high on the agenda in the expansion of the factory in Lelystad. With the expansion, the French fries producer hopes to achieve energy savings of approximately 15%. In addition, McCain Foods is investigating the possibilities for further reduction of CO2 emissions. The aim is for the renovation of the factory in Lelystad to be completed by February 2022.
Kimberly Baker
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