Scottish firm Tunnocks has invested £4m in new machinery to improve efficiency at its Uddingston site, which produces caramel wafers and teacakes.

The firm spent £2m on new machinery earlier this year, including two foiling machines, two flow packs and a robotic case packer. MD Boyd Tunnock told British Baker the firm then spent another £2m on a state-of-the-art robotics system from Schubert to pack its teacakes. "We already had four wrapping machines, but Schubert supplied the feeding systems to these, as well as the robotic packer," explained Boyd, adding that efficiency has now gone up by 20-25%, but importantly it will allow the firm to maintain its current prices.

Boyd said the main change had been to its teacake production, with five fewer people needed on the floor per shift. But he said the firm had not made any redundancies and was looking to move from a double shift per day, to three shifts, five days a week. It employs 550 staff, and turned over around £35m last year.