A LOCAL food production company which supplies major high street supermarkets has received the prestigious Investors in People award.

Lenders Foods Ltd is the 100th recipient in the Manchester training and Enterprise Council area.

The company employs around 130 people at sites in Astley and Worsley.

Its Chaddock Lane plant at Worsley produces a wide range of fresh stir-fry ready meals.

Up to 80 tonnes of beansprouts are grown and controlled by robotics at the Astley site and transferred to Chaddock Lane, Worsley for packing.

The company also uses a wide range of other ingredients. Over the past 12 months Lenders has undertaken a £2 million expansion programme which has seen the introduction of its own sauce-making and sacheting plant.

Management say the change in culture has brought major benefits to the company.

Mr Peter Lenders said: "People working here now feel that they have a full role to play in the way things are done and feel much more a part of the company as a whole.

"There is now greater communication, reduced absenteeism and staff turnover has reduced considerably."

Shelagh Russell of Manchester TEC said: "Very often companies think that they cannot start introducing new working principles at a time of expansion.

"This is a mistake, of course, because that is precisely the right time to ensure that staff development and management practices are working to improve a company's performance and competitiveness."

She added: "Manchester TEC was able to offer the company on-going advice on management training at all levels and financial support for a training consultant.

"Lenders had a very positive, forward-looking attitude and the results are there to be seen."

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