Halle (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut aims to boost production capabilities at its Halle facility located in the Flemish Region by seeking the construction of supplementary buildings. One building has received authorisation as the factory requires approval of a planning certificate for the second building because parts of it extend beyond the designated zoning limits.
Barry Callebaut has declared its plans to boost production capabilities at its Halle site in Belgium by a substantial margin. Barry Callebaut plans to boost its annual chocolate output from 163,000 tons to 338,000 tons and produce 50,000 tons of cocoa. The company will implement two building projects, one of which has already obtained authorisation permits for expansion.
A planning certificate must be obtained because the second building extends into zoning limits. The expansion belongs to Barry Callebaut’s strategy to increase production efficiency and decrease site dependencies.
Barry Callebaut maintains two production facilities in Belgium at Wieze and Halle, alongside their storage operations in Lokeren. The Halle production location obtains most of its processing requirements from the Wieze facility. The expansion will transform both production sites into independent operations by adding cocoa bean processing facilities at Halle to boost operational resiliency during facility outages at any site.
The company stated,
This makes the sites less dependent on each other, the logistics process can be kept simpler, and if one of the sites fails, production can be continued at the other site.
Belgium is also the birthplace of Barry Callebaut,
the chocolate maker says.
To prepare our factories for the future, we will invest significantly in our factories in Halle and Wieze to continue to serve our customers with the best service, value, sustainability and quality.
The expansion project will result in a substantial boost from 42 current daily trucks up to approximately 121 trucks daily, which presents issues regarding local freight transportation. The public inquiry accepts objections or comments through April 17.
What is the background of Barry Callebaut’s operations and recent changes?
Global chocolate and cocoa manufacturer Barry Callebaut runs its fundamental production facilities throughout Belgium at Wieze and Halle while managing storage operations from Lokeren. A primary function of the Wieze facility involves cocoa bean processing to yield cocoa products, and the Halle operation transforms cocoa into chocolate products.
The manufacturing complex in Halle depends on Wieze as its primary source of cocoa throughout its history. The company conducted substantial organisational changes, which led to cutting approximately 170 positions across Belgium’s locations, particularly in Wieze and Lokeren, despite Halle’s initial plan to reduce staff by 178 positions, ending with 18 remaining workers.
Barry Callebaut conducted global workforce reductions of 2,500 individuals to make operations more efficient and secure financial investments. The company emphasised its commitment to Belgium, stating,
To prepare our factories for the future, we will invest significantly in our factories in Halle and Wieze.
The ongoing project at Halle targets new production targets of 338,000 tons yearly alongside increased cocoa processing capabilities of 50,000 tons, which will reduce site dependencies and improve operational reliability.
