The Arnott’s Group has announced that it will supercharge the growth of the 180degrees business by investing in the business’ manufacturing capabilities in New Zealand.
The decision to invest in local manufacturing follows The Arnott’s Group acquisition of the premium cracker maker in May this year. The simple upgrade at the 180degrees Glendene manufacturing facility in Auckland has the potential to increase capacity by up to 80 percent.
The upgrade will free up additional floor space, accommodate new ovens and create a number of bakery and packing jobs, extending the operational hours of the site.
Mike Cullerne, Arnott’s Group Country Director in NZ said the decision to invest in the existing facility made sense following an initial three-month business review.
“Working together with the production team we realised that by making some quick changes to the site we would be able to ramp up production significantly and begin driving the growth that we identified as possible for a category leader like 180degrees.
“We have exciting plans for innovation and growth, both domestically and internationally and the upgrade of the manufacturing facility will unlock these opportunities for the business.
“Coming in to summer we know there will be added demand for our range of premium entertaining products and we’re really excited to be able to introduce in to the market some new innovative products that will be sure to excite and delight on any cheese platter.
“From the outset we’ve been on the same page with former owners, Jill, Nigel and Frank about what the future of 180degrees could look like and we continue to work closely with them to realise these goals.”
Arnott’s Group Head of Transformation, Simon Lowden noted that the investment was part of the Group’s strategy to become a regional powerhouse of consumer food brands.
“The acquisition has given us access to the premium cracker category and enabled us to use our legacy knowledge and relationships to drive this known and loved business to new heights.”
