UK – Conquering the rife competition among SME ice cream manufacturers in the UK, North of England ice cream maker Lake Ice cream is aggressively investing in the “greenest “ice cream plant in the country.
The company said it is in the final process of purchasing and starting the construction of the plant. The new plant is set for 2024 and will host the adopted digital system integration tools and new machinery in a bid to grow the award-winning brand.
Parts of the sustainability measures that Lakes Ice Cream will consider in the project include deploying water recycling technology, using renewable energy, and even self-generating energy.
The ice cream manufacturer has invested in automated ice cream machinery, a continuous freezer, and an automatic filling machine for its 1L tubs, which makes the process 3.6 times faster.
In addition, the dairy plans to procure additional automated machinery to upscale the making of 4L and 5L tubs for catering.
With the processing upgrades, Lake Ice cream, also the manufacturer for retail stores including Waitrose, Morrisons, and Ocado, will be able to cope better with demand as well as have another market for its 125ml pots, which is growing quite rapidly.
Going digital to enhance operations
Meanwhile, Lakes Ice Cream, the maker of Double Jersey, Thunder & Lightning, and Raspberry Pavlova, has introduced a bespoke data and system integration software courtesy of Tract Systems to its operations.
The purchase of the digital solution was match-funded by Made Smarter, a UK-wide program that offers funding and advice to manufacturers who wish to adopt new technologies to grow their businesses.
Lakes Ice Cream received £20,000 from the scheme towards the initial cost that helped them purchase the digital solution at a cost of £45,000.
Although the company also separately pays annual fees to the software provider, it noted that the additional expense is “a drop in the ocean” compared to the benefits of going digital.
The digital solution is said to help Lake ice cream to see “record sales”, and with that, there has been a growing demand for some of the company’s products, part of which are sold at tourist hotspots like the Lake District and British seaside town Blackpool.
Company MD, James Stephens said: “It’s very good for accounts and for our purchase and sales ledgers and also for doing production plans. We can keep track of all the ingredients and other things that we buy with ease.
Other than investing in the expansion project and digital solution, the company is also coming up with delicious products to stay ahead of the curve.
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