Sir Stuart Rose, executive chairman of Marks & Spencer, has officially opened the National Centre for Food Manufacturing at the University of Lincoln’s Holbeach campus.
The new £3.5 million centre is a state-of-the-art food packaging and processing training factory for food sector employees located in southern Lincolnshire.
The centre will also support the university’s development agenda for research and innovation in food packaging and automation for the sector.
Sir Stuart was joined at the opening by members of the Employers Steering Group, equipment manufacturers and organisations that have contributed funding for the building itself.
The centre sees many of the region’s food companies working together to support the facility. It offers a range of training opportunities, from bespoke short courses to degree programmes for food sector employees at all levels.
Sir Stuart said: “Holbeach will ensure a steady flow of trained professionals into the food manufacturing industry, enabling companies like M&S to benefit from continual innovation from our suppliers. We have strong links with Lincolnshire through long-standing relationships with manufacturers in the region and look forward to working with graduates of Holbeach in future years.”
Dean, Val Braybrooks, who oversees the Holbeach campus, said: “What is innovative about Holbeach is that the provision has been shaped and dictated by the employers whose businesses the campus supports. This partnership has created arguably the best resource of its kind in the UK. It will be a valuable asset in ensuring the sector’s future in a highly competitive global market.”
The training factory provides a ‘real-life’ environment and top-of-the-range industry-standard equipment including: a £1.5 million fully-automated production line for ‘ready meals’; gas analysis equipment for modified atmosphere packing; packaging coding and dating equipment; a sauce depositor; ultra-violet technology; and forklift truck.
The project was funded by Lincolnshire County Council with support from the European Regional Development Fund, Lincolnshire Enterprise, East Midlands Development Agency and the University of Lincoln.
