Unilever has completed a £150 million investment in its Port Sunlight site, which produces several brands, including Persil, Comfort, Cif, Tresemmé and Lynx body wash.

The business aims to strengthen its manufacturing and logistics scale for UK and European operations.

The investment includes high-tech manufacturing upgrades at the site’s Home Care factory, which produces the Persil, Surf and Comfort laundry brands.

Additionally, there is a newly built automated distribution centre which is connected directly to three factories.

Head of customer operations Lee Mawson, Unilever UK and Ireland said: “This is a big step forward for us in our UK and European supply chain. The distribution centre will boost capacity, efficiency and service levels for our retail customers, improving product availability and enabling direct dispatch to retailers in the UK and a number of European markets.”

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The upgrade will increase laundry capsule production three-fold, which will enable the production of smaller, more complex formats.

The new distribution site will reduce the need for lorries to move goods between factories and the depots, which will improve overall sustainability and safety benefits.

The centre will deliver a forecasted 27 per cent reduction in primary logistics, which would save an estimated 827 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.

Unilever’s new location spans 10,000 m², handling up to 13,600 tonnes of product each week and is powered by 100 per cent renewable energy.

Head of Unilever UK, Marc Woodward, said: “This is a landmark moment for Port Sunlight. The completion of investments in Home Care manufacturing and the opening of a new flagship distribution centre will support the growth of our business and reinforce Port Sunlight’s role as a strategic hub for our UK and European operations.”