Food manufacturing experts strike a deal to bolster services

An expert in the food and drink manufacturing supply chain is going into the New Year on a stronger footing following its latest acquisition.

Derbyshire-based Integrated Food Projects, which provides independent advice to food and drink businesses including Samworth Brothers and Kerry Foods, has signed a deal to buy engineering consultancy Structural Design Associates.

The move is set to play a major role in growing the business by 40 per cent in 2018 by enabling it to offer a more complete service to food manufacturers.

Explaining further, CEO, Philip Chatfield said:

“We’ve worked with Structural Design Associates to deliver projects in the past, so we know their level of expertise and standard of work, is high. This is part of our strategy to enable IFP to become self-sufficient in delivering complete facility design.

“Our plan is to both grow capacity in the services SDA already offer, while also broadening their scope by expanding their civil engineering design capability over the next twelve months.”

Keith Williamson, owner of Structural Design Associates, added:

“Everyone at Structural Design Associates is looking forward to working with Integrated Food Projects and adding to their long-established project management business.

“We are confident that we will be able to further develop the practice to offer existing and new clients a broader scope of quality services and build on our success to date in working with clients such as ATL, Repton School, David Nieper and Burton Albion F.C.”

Established in 2002, Integrated Food Projects delivers and manages investment strategies, helping manufacturers with everything from evaluation and design to implementation and transition. Other names it has worked with include Tesco and Cargill.

OUR CLIENTS

Integrated Food Projects have partnered with Kettleby Foods on a number of high-profile multi-million pound capital projects since 2003/4, helping the business to develop and grow. Throughout that time they have provided cost-effective and efficient solutions on development projects both at our existing ready meals production facility and also in creating a new satellite facility. The projects at our existing facility were managed without impact on our ability to service our own clients, and all projects have been delivered within budget, in a timely fashion and to the requisite standards of safety and quality. Their team work ethos and professional approach ensure successful projects and I would utilise Integrated Food Projects in the future without hesitation.

- Jarrod Thorndyke, Production Director

I have worked with Integrated Food Projects on many capital expenditure projects since 2004, the latest being the development of the new plot of land adjacent to our main site. They successfully employed a project delivery process to ensure the integration of a leased modular building solution with the development of the site infrastructure to improve logistics and Health and Safety. Their staff are always positive and enthusiastic and have fostered a team-work approach ensuring another successful project delivered. I look forward to working with them again in the near future.

- Engineering Manager, Major UK Ready Meals Manufacturer