Dewsbury's Sewtec announces six-figure packaging machine for global tea brand

Yorkshire robotics specialist, Sewtec has created a six-figure packaging machine for Tata Global Beverages.

The aim is to bring a new Tetley fruit tea product line to market from its flagship UK plant.

Sewtec’s new technology has been installed in Tata Global Beverages’ largest factory across its global operations, located in Eaglescliffe. The plant operates 24 hours a day for five days a week, producing 260 million tea bags every week.

The Tetley brand - which operates across 40 countries worldwide and celebrates its 180th anniversary this year - is now able to pack 2,000 tea bags every minute with this new automated system.

Tata Global Beverages’ engineering manufacturing manager, John Bishop, said: “This has been a milestone 180th year for the Tetley brand.

“We continue to implement our successful strategy of entering new categories, energising product development and extending our global footprint in the tea segment.

“Automation is vital to our manufacturing process, now and in the future. We appointed Sewtec because of its outstanding reputation in delivering bespoke automated solutions for the beverage industry.

“Our machine has already enabled us to bring a new product to market and will allow us to work faster and more effectively from our state-of-the-art facility.”

India-headquartered beverage group Tata Global Beverages, which owns the Tetley brand, is the second largest tea company in the world.

It has a turnover of £762m, employs more than 3,000 people across 40 countries and provides 330m servings of beverages worldwide every day.

Based in Dewsbury, Sewtec designs and manufactures factory automation systems for global blue-chip clients in the food and beverage industry.

Sewtec managing director, Mark Cook, added: “Tata Global Beverages is a world-leader in its sector and very mature in its use of automation.

“Establishing an efficient production process is crucial for any food and drink business, and this really is best achieved through a bespoke and automated approach.

“It’s very rewarding to have produced a highly effective solution which meets the company’s requirements and will underpin its ongoing success.”