Wiley gets expansion of smallgoods operations

Food industry design and construction company Wiley has the go-ahead for the second stage of a multimillion-dollar expansion of the operations of smallgoods producer Primo Smallgoods.

The project involves construction of the largest Australian factory of its kind, with a combined project floor area of 40,000 square metres on an 8.6 hectare greenfield site in Wacol, west of Brisbane.

Stage one was completed recently and included construction of a raw material freezer and distribution chiller. Stage two will include construction of a ham, bacon, salami and smallgoods processing operation and corporate offices.

Wiley Managing Director Tom Wiley said construction and operation of the ‘best in class’ large-scale manufacturing plant is expected to create 600 new jobs in Queensland.

“Wiley will undertake all design and construction for the second stage of the Primo Smallgoods plant, having recently completed work on the first stage of the facility,” Wiley said.

“The new state-of-the-art modern facility consolidates three separate plants under one roof and will almost double Primo Smallgoods’ production capacity and markedly boost efficiency.

“In addition to the many construction and operational jobs created by this project, Wiley will require additional resources, creating employment opportunities for local people and a variety of subcontract trades.”

Wiley said the acquisition of this project in these turbulent economic times is a testament to the commitment and hard work of the entire Wiley team and places Wiley in a strong position both now and for the future.

“The approval of stage two, of the development immediately following the successful completion of stage one, demonstrates the faith that Primo Smallgoods has in the Project Director, Graham Harvey, and his team,” said Wiley.

Primo Smallgoods is the largest producer of ham, bacon, salami and smallgoods in Australia. It is a national brand with a strong presence in major supermarkets Coles and Woolworths, and a solid export market.