Kellanova Spending $100 Million to Double Cereal Production in British Factory
Despite being in the process of getting acquired, Kellanova today (Oct. 3) announced plans to invest £75m ($100 million) in its cereal factory in Wrexham, North Wales, Great Britain. The company’s largest single investment in British cereal production in more than 30 years will more than double production at the plant, making it Europe’s largest cereal factory, producing 1.5 million boxes per day.
At least 130 new jobs will be created at Wrexham facility. However, the production of other Kellogg’s cereal brands made in the UK – including Corn Flakes, and Crunchy Nut – will transition to Wrexham as the company winds down production at its Trafford Park factory, which is due to close in late 2026.
The Wrexham factory opened in 1978 and is Kellanova’s largest Special K plant in the world. Other brands produced there include All Bran, Bran Flakes and Fruit ’n Fibre.
As well as increasing capacity, two new advanced production lines will enhance sustainability by enabling use of artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to lower energy consumption during the production process. This will help reduce the CO2 emissions of Kellanova’s cereal production by 11% annually. The new production technology also means that more of the raw materials can be used, delivering a 10-fold reduction in food waste across the supply chain.
New packaging lines will also be added, and existing production lines will be upgraded to improve the efficiency of cereal production at the factory. The new lines offer increased flexibility, allowing the company to quickly introduce new cereal formats and ingredients in future to meet evolving consumer tastes.
Kellanova is the 2023 spinoff of the former Kellogg Co. In August, Mars Inc. began a $35.9 billion friendly acquisition of the company.
