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Five Year Facelift For Unilever

THE Lever Brothers' soap works in Port Sunlight remains the nominal hub of one of the biggest consumer groups in the world.Now called Lever Faberge, the plant embodies the sort of transition taking place in the global marketplace that is being engineered by giants like its parent Unilever.At the broader level Unilever is reshaping its sprawling portfolio of 1,600 brands into 400 key products; at the narrower end of the scale the detergents factory has had to innovate and develop to ensure it remains part of the overall company structure.

The disposal of Lord Leverhulme's family seat at Thornton Manor and sale of its heirlooms sums up what has truly become the end of an era.However, the outlook remains bright with new products coming on stream and news that a technology centre is being created at the Wirral site.This bright forecast was tempered a little last week when the company announced that around 40 scientists' posts in research and development need to be shed prior to the creation of a Global Technology Centre to concentrate on soap and detergent innovation.In the next few months hard soap bar manufacturing is disappearing after more than 100 years, but this is not the damaging psychological blow it seems. Only 2.5pc of production is now devoted to bars which have declined in popular use. Although 125 jobs are being lost there is partial compensation with the creation of 75 others to make a new product.Names like Lux and Lifebuoy will go but these days it is gels and liquid soaps that capture the consumer's attention.In today's ultra-demanding marketplace it is essential the site that makes Persil, Domestos and Surf continues to be innovative to retain the security of 1,300 jobs.

One move that would have provided a degree of security was the plan to site the group's European information technology headquarters at Port Sunlight but that has now switched to St David's Park in Flintshire.Works manager Gerry Hare explained: "Originally we were to have 200 IT people here but the group's acquisition of Bestfoods in the US meant that a larger and more flexible site was required."However we are establishing a global technology centre here and it is essential we continue to develop new ideas."The centre will be one of six worldwide and will incorporate the current research and development facility focusing on soaps and detergents development which is currently shedding 40 jobs. It is hoped that the revamped hi-tech headquarters will create further posts in the future.

The business has been successful in this particular sphere in recent times. Some years ago disaster struck when a product called Persil Power was found to disintegrate clothes; a fact gleeful rivals took advantage of.Since then the company has bounced back to pioneer Persil Tablets, ready made doses of powder in pill form, as well as an easy-iron fabric conditioner.This year Persil Capsules arrived on the market, the liquid version of tablets, and is backed by a £9m advertising campaign.Hare continues: "As we announced last year, we are ceasing soap bar production at this site and currently, are in the process of transferring production to one of our other European sites. "It is envisaged that by the end of September the production of soap bars will have ceased at the Port Sunlight site."What will also cement the role of Port Sunlight in the hierarchy is the ongoing development of the research centre which is designed as a key resource for innovation in clothes care.Earlier this year Lever Brothers merged with the company's Elida Faberge site in Leeds to form a new division for clothes and personal care products employing 2,700 with 22.6pc market share.