Redpack delighted to partner Walkers Crisps with their £58m investment

Redpack Packaging Machinery are delighted to partner with PepsiCo brand Walkers Crisps in their recently announced £58m investment at their Leicester factory. Redpack will supply their flow wrap machines to the project.

The investment will see a new manufacturing line installed, the replacement of existing machinery with more sustainable equipment, as well as an extensive upgrade of employee facilities for the site’s 1,120-strong workforce.

The investment would also mean new training opportunities for employees, with up to 100 new roles being created to manage workload across the new equipment and technology.

This announcement follows a £24m investment in PepsiCo's Lincoln factory announced in 2021, as well as further investments in its Leicester distribution centre along with Skelmersdale and Coventry Walkers sites in the UK. There will be additional installations throughout Europe and the Middle East in recent years.

Installation of the new line will increase capacity at their factory and enable the production of more Walkers snacks.

PepsiCo report that this is their biggest investment in the UK in the last 25 years. Additionally, the factory in Leicester is one of the world’s biggest crisp factories and home to Walkers Crisps and snacks, which celebrates its 75th birthday this year.

Simon Martin from Redpack Packaging Machinery commented “We’re thrilled to be working yet again on a project to create more sustainable flow wrapped multi-packs, along with creating British jobs.”

Simon concludes “The new compact packaging equipment will also be installed to reduce the amount of virgin plastic used in multipack outer packaging by 56 tonnes a year.”