Leading national sweet and savoury food supplier and manufacturer, Priestley’s Gourmet Delights, has announced the opening of its new SMART facility based in Brisbane’s Acacia Ridge.
The new Priestley’s Gourmet Delights facility is a data-led SMART factory that can instantly harness real-time data to boost productivity, improve processes and drive growth.
Mobile autonomous robots will streamline the baking process by stacking products onto baking racks as well as by safely moving the racks around the facility.
This will double production capacity and ensure the safety of employees by reducing the need for repetitive manual tasks.
Priestley assured that employees remain an integral part of everything from hand decorating the products and selecting ingredients to tasting and quality control.
Employees whose jobs are now automated are being upskilled towards higher-value roles to develop their expertise and drive innovation of future products and processes.
Xanny Christophersen MD and CEO of Priestley’s Gourmet Delights said the new facility is a testament to the hard work of all employees.
“The technology we’re harnessing will allow us to boost productivity while also enabling us to grow our people – supporting them to upskill and creating a substantial number of new jobs for Queenslanders, as well as adding to the state’s economy.
“This increased productivity means that we’re able to retail an exciting new range of products directly to consumers for the first time – meaning they can indulge in a sweet-treat whenever they feel like it,” said Christophersen.
The new $53 million, 7740 square metre facility will also support Priestley’s expansion into the retail sector, creating approximately 56 new FTE roles across the company by 2026.
Priestley’s Gourmet Delights will launch a new range of five indulgent desserts into independent retail chains Drakes Supermarkets and Ritchies IGA.