UK investment bank Panmure Gordon said it expects Cranswick to double its poultry output but added that more work needs to be done to automate its processing facilities.
Panmure partner Matthew Webb said: “We expect the next phase of expansion to double its share of UK poultry output, from the current 7%, while the newly prepared plant in Hull will help it continue to pursue its successful strategy of expanding its offering of value-added, higher margin, products.”
Mr Webb said the highly automated nature of Cranwick’s operating model, but said there are still parts of the process that could be further automated.
He said: “Some tasks, such as those requiring fine cutting and quality checks, will presumably be done manually for the foreseeable future. However, other tasks being performed manually seem to involve basic moving of meat from one part of the process to another and the packing of the final product into crates.
“With both the cost and of labour having deteriorated, we expect Cranswick to continue to invest in automation, allowing labour to be redeployed to support further growth.”