Cambrian Pet Foods set to open new production facility

13 Sep 2006

Pet food manufacturer to open new production facility

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A West Wales pet food manufacturer is set to create an estimated 35 jobs and significantly increase turnover as a result of a major investment.

?Family-run Cambrian Pet Foods, best known for its Gelert Pet Nutrition, has secured a ?1million Welsh Assembly Government grant through Venture Wales to develop a second hi-tech manufacturing plant in Carmarthenshire.

? Having successfully completed a two and a half year programme in 2005 to set up one of the most modern dry pet food production sites in Europe at its Pencader site, the company has turned its attention to developing of a comparable wet pet food canning operation in the neighbouring town of Llangadog .?

?So far the company has invested heavily in developing the business, which once operated from a 1,500 sq ft rented industrial unit.? Drawing on specialist strategic marketing planning and funding advice from the pan-Wales business support organisation Venture Wales, the Carmarthenshire based company has grown to become one of most modern and comprehensive independently owned pet food manufacturing organisations in Europe currently.? ?

?The new 48,000 sq ft wet pet food manufacturing facility is to be located on the site of the former Llangadog Creamery, and will become one of the most modern in Europe and housed in a newly constructed human food grade building at the previous dairy site due to open in June 2007.

?Inside two years the company hopes to be operating at full capacity in both dried and wet pet foods, branching out into speciality market pet food production. The company is also making longer term plans to develop the Creamery site, which has already been designated as ?The Tywi Valley Food Park?, creating an additional 50 jobs in the area.? ?

?David Davies, managing director and founder of Cambrian said: ?Looking back 25 years when we first started, we never thought we?d be producing our own pet nutrition products on this scale.? It?s down to the sheer hard work of every single member of staff, the tremendous support that we have enjoyed from both our customers and suppliers, and also the intelligent and prudent advice from our business advisers that work with us with us on a daily basis that helped us get where we are today?.?? ?

???As a developing company, my sons and I are very hands on so it?s been invaluable having support of people with strong business acumen and expertise in financial planning working with us to provide the kind of planning and communication focus that will deliver the growth and development strategies for our company.

?David Davies continues: ?As a relatively young company, financing the costs of expansion has been a fine balancing act, but our business planning has put us in a strong position to be able to confidently go out and secure the financial support we?ve needed to take Cambrian through each phase of expansion that we have identified.?

?Cambrian Pet Foods Ltd controls all its own manufacturing from high quality raw materials, specialising in the production and packaging of dry pet food for sales through wholesale and retail outlets across and the .

?Mike Neyland from Venture Wales said: ?It?s no mean feat to produce more than six tonnes of pet food every hour, put in place a growth strategy on the scale that Cambrian has and then go out and implement it to a very tight time schedule ? they are among some of the most progressive Welsh companies I?ve worked with to date and are exactly the kinds of enterprising businesses that will help boost the Welsh economy. ??

??They have shown tremendous resolve and commitment to their business from the beginning, the Davies family have been determined to keep all production within the capabilities of Cambrian rather than outsource, helping secure jobs for the area as well as retain tighter control over their business.??