en.Wedoany.com Reported - Unilever has completed a round of advanced manufacturing upgrades at its Port Sunlight factory campus in Wirral, Merseyside, UK, and built a new flagship automated distribution center, with a total investment of £150 million (approximately $201.6 million).

The distribution center is directly connected to the campus factories via a 2,000-meter automated conveyor belt. Unilever stated that this layout will reduce the number of trucks on the road each week by hundreds. At the same time, Unilever is consolidating two liquid factories on the campus, a move aimed at enhancing flexibility and cost efficiency.

Marc Woodward, Unilever's UK head, said that the completion of the home care manufacturing investment and the launch of the new distribution center will support business growth and solidify Port Sunlight's position as a strategic hub for its operations in the UK and Europe.

Port Sunlight's history dates back to 1888, initially built as a model village for workers at the Lever Brothers soap factory, with the factory producing its first batch of soap in 1889. In 1930, Lever Brothers merged with Margarine Unie to form Unilever. Until 1951, Port Sunlight served as the company's main research laboratory for its global operations.

The campus currently employs around 2,000 people, producing products for brands such as Persil, Surf, Comfort, TRESÉmme, Radox, and others. It houses three factories, a research and development center, and the newly built distribution center.

The new automated distribution center is operated by about 40 employees who have been retrained in new technologies. The facility uses 30-meter-high stacker cranes, capable of handling 17,000 pallets, and is equipped with five automatic loading and unloading machines. Unilever stated that by connecting the distribution center to the factories, 27% of the trucks previously used for transportation can be taken off the road, expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 800 tons annually. The facility is designed with a modular structure for future expansion.

Unilever has also made new investments in the campus's laundry pod factory, tripling production capacity and enabling the production of smaller, more complex pods. This upgrade supports the launch of Persil's new four-chamber pod, which was developed over 10 years at the Port Sunlight R&D lab and features a new fragrance system, backed by a £9.5 million ($12.8 million) marketing investment. In 2025, Port Sunlight also received a dedicated investment of £80 million ($107.5 million) to build a new fragrance facility.

Guillermo Vosen, Unilever's UK and Ireland home care marketing head, explained the design of the new pod, stating that each chamber is carefully designed to improve fragrance and enhance the washing experience.

This article is compiled by Wedoany. All AI citations must indicate the source as "Wedoany". If there is any infringement or other issues, please notify us promptly, and we will modify or delete it accordingly. Email: news@wedoany.com