Finsbury Food Group has boosted efficiency and capacity at its Kara foodservice facility in Manchester with a £1m investment.

A significant part of the work has been invested in Kara’s Lanham line that produces floured baps and seeded deli rolls. Much of the development has been around the Lanham Proofer, including replacement of the proofer enclosure, air conditioning system and hydraulic drive pack.

Finsbury said the modifications would result in a more effective and integrated system that would improve quality and consistency while reducing lost time.

Further plans include improvements to the main bakery ventilation systems and the replacement of one of the three spiral freezers, which will further increase capacity.

“This investment marks the beginning of a really exciting time for us at Kara and it’s fantastic to see the completion of a replacement Lanham plant proofer,” said Kara business unit director Robin Mountain.

“Improvements to the production plant not only mean we’ll be able to produce a higher quantity of products in a shorter space of time, but also provide an opportunity for Kara to grow and expand further.”

In its results for the year to 30 June 2018, Finsbury made capital investments of £12.6m, taking total investment to £37.3m over the past three years. It has rolled out a new IT platform to three of its six manufacturing sites, with the remaining three sites due in the first half of the new financial year.