Unilever is to move production from a plant in Canada to south of the border in the US, in a move that will see over 200 jobs lost.
The plant in Bramalea in Ontario produces dry mixes used in soups, sauces, sides and gravies sold in North America under the Knorr and Lipton brand names.
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Production will be shifted to Unilever’s plant in Independence in Missouri, which will expand. Some 280 staff in Bramalea will be affected. Seventy jobs will be created in Missouri.
John Le Boutillier, president and CEO for Unilever’s Canadian arm, said: “As more than 80% of the volume produced at Bramalea is shipped to the United States, Unilever made the strategic decision to make its investment closer to where the bulk of the product is consumed.”
The Independence site manufactures wet foods, including Wish-Bone salad dressings, which Unilever sold in 2013, and Hellmann’s salad dressings for the foodservice channel. Over the next two years, it will become a dedicated dry mix facility.
Production at Bramalea is expected to finish in the fourth quarter of 2015 with final plant closure expected in March 2016.
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By GlobalDataLe Boutillier added Unilever Canada would continue to make “significant investments in Canadian facilities which manufacture ice cream, margarine and mayonnaise products”, including an upgrade of plants in Simcoe and Rexdale in Ontario.
