Back to work for mayor as he opens £1.3 million Market Drayton factory
The mayor of Market Drayton returned to his former workplace - to officially open a new £1.3 million factory.
Palethorpes Bakery has built a state-of-the-art distribution centre in Market Drayton which will create 100 extra jobs, taking its workforce to 650.
Town mayor, Councillor Mark Whittle - a former employee himself - was asked to do the honour of cutting the ribbon.
He said: "As a former worker of Palethorpes, I feel very proud to be here cutting the ribbon on this wonderful building. I left about five years ago so it's good to be back.
"Palethorpes is such an important part of the community in Market Drayton because the majority of the people who work here come from the town. It's been here 50 years and has provided jobs to so many local people.
"To invest £1.3m on the factory and to take on another 100 staff is amazing news for Market Drayton.
"There is a lot of new investment in the town at the moment, including plans for a marina, so it's a very exciting time."
The site requires additional staff across the full range of its operational positions offered on full and part-time shifts, days and nights.
In addition to the 100 new jobs, the company has revealed it will be looking to employ even more people in September to fill seasonal vacancies.
Councillor Whittle added: "They also help all of the major organisations in the town such as the 10K run and Tigers Football Club. They really focus on helping the community as much as they can."
The plant, which will help to make 55 million sausage rolls and 35 million pies each year, features the latest in refrigeration technology and boasts a capacity for more than 700 pallets, producing 115 million products every year.
Palethorpes chief engineer Paul Lees said the extra space also gives room to grow in the future.
He added: "It was a 22-week project, so it was quite a tight timescale, and we have been operational since May 23.
"Previously we just had a single storey building with capacity for 110 pallets but that has now grown to 700. It means we have the floorspace in the picking factory to do things in a more logical way.
"It helps with the flow of products and congestion too. It's quite exciting to have unlocked quite a lot of room because it means we can look at doing more things in the future."
Palethorpes is also looking to the future by creating an outreach programme with Market Drayton's Grove School, aiming to inspire the next generation and ensure the town has the skills in place to fill vacancies in years to come.
