An ingredients manufacturer is set to install a “world class” digital system in its new £41m global headquarters which is taking shape in Bury St Edmunds.

Treatt – which makes flavour, fragrance and consumer products – will be employing more than 200 people at its new base, which includes a distillation and manufacturing plant.

It has partnered up with Texan technology giant Siemens Digital Industries (DI) to build a digital manufacturing facility controlled by a Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 system.

It means the new factory – which replaces the company’s existing complex in the town where it has been based since 1971 – will have a completely automated production process to make it more efficient and productive.

Treatt boss Daemmon Reeve said his company was “excited” to be working with Siemens, which has also won a three-year contract to support the new production facility.

Treatt sourced a wide range of natural raw materials from around the world so the system would help it to achieve consistency in its products, he said.

“As expected, nature provides variation in flavour profile from season to season and our job is to ensure consistency in the wide-ranging extracts we create for customers through complex distillation and extraction processes, so their beverages have the critical consistency in flavour profile,” he explained.

Treatt engineering manager Bruce Sinclair said: “The three-year service support contract is necessary as our operations team will be reliant on the new control systems for increased and efficient productivity.

“It is essential for us that maintenance of the new systems remain at a high standard set by the suppliers of the technology for longevity and competence.”

Siemens DI automation general manager Mark Higham said the system would be a “perfect fit” for the new factory.

Siemens has already begun training Treatt workers to use the new systems.

“Moving to the new site will be beneficial for our operation and our customers will see very clearly how our science led, customer partnership model is transforming Treatt into a crucial partner for those customers wanting true authenticity in natural extracts to enable them to win. That is what motivates us,” said Mr Reeve.