Malt and malted ingredients company Muntons yesterday celebrated the completion of a £2.6m investment in new grain intake and handling facilities at its Stowmarket headquarters.

Malt and malted ingredients company Muntons yesterday celebrated the completion of a £2.6m investment in new grain intake and handling facilities at its Stowmarket headquarters.

The centrepiece of the facilities is a new energy-efficient grain dryer capable of drying up to 50 tonnes of barley an hour, significantly increasing the speed of intake as well as saving energy.

Also included in project was modernisation of the intake office and laboratory, which deliveries of barley are checked for food safety and quality on arrival, an additional weighbridge complete with vehicle registration recognition, a new 1,300 tonne capacity silo and the refurbishment of two other silos originally installed in the 1970s.

Following a tour of the new facilities for invited guests, an official ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the occasion was performed by William Kendall, the High Sheriff of Suffolk.

The project began 18 months ago, but with construction completed in just four months.