Skills key to success of Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur in Northern Ireland

Sixty five per cent of global market leading Baileys Original Irish Cream Liqueur is now produced in Northern Ireland for customers in over 130 countries. The success of the plant, located at Mallusk in County Antrim, has been attributed to a continuous investment by Diageo in skills and training of employees there.

The plant employs 45 highly skilled people and is now among the most efficient, safest and competitive within the group, according to Dr Bill McGinnis, Northern Ireland Adviser on Employment and Skills.

Dr McGinnis, briefed by Michael Hailes, plant manager at Diageo Mallusk, said: "The Baileys site has created a highly skilled and flexible workforce which recognises the importance of vocational qualifications and the value of recognised Food and Drink Industry accreditations.

"The company now ships 62 per cent of its output directly from the production line to markets abroad, a further indication of the overall efficiency of this plant.

"This reduces warehousing charges and enables the plant to maintain downward pressure on costs per case and thereby continue to be competitive in very challenging global markets.

"Diageo is a key player in Northern Ireland's strategically important food and drink industry, which is continuing to grow steadily. There's a very clear message to other companies in this and other industries, that businesses that place skills and training at the centre of their strategy can achieve outstanding success in even the most competitive international markets.

"Companies that are tempted to reduce skills and training budgets because of the current economic conditions risk undermining their performance and ability to compete in their target markets," he added.

Mr Hailes, also a member of the Food and Drink Industry Future Skills Group, said: "We've been committed to skills and training programmes from the initial opening of the state-of-the-art Baileys production facility at Mallusk in 2003.

"A structured programme was essential because we had to recruit a workforce from an area in Northern Ireland that had no real experience in processing a cream liqueur. We had to build our skills base quickly and benefited, of course, from Diageo's longstanding commitment to training at every level of the business.

"Today training is embedded in our culture at the Baileys site at Mallusk and every employee here has a personal development plan that's designed to ensure they develop the skills required for their current post and their career development.

"This focus has enabled us to achieve Diageo's highest internal manufacturing excellence accolade, Diageo Perfect Plant of the Year status as a world class operation by successfully using recognised lean manufacturing techniques. We have an exceptional quality record which has resulted in the Mallusk plant being recognised as the winner of the Diageo Plant of the Year award in 2010 and as well as winning the Northern Ireland Quality Award last year.

"The success of our approach to training is also seen in our exemplary health and safety record which has ensured that no time has been lost because of a health and safety issue over the past four years.

"The success of our business, particularly in world markets, is built on the skills of our people. Skilled people have the motivation, versatility and flexibility that enable us to develop existing markets and to respond quickly and cost-effectively when other business opportunities arise, especially the emerging markets in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Our strategy aims to enable us to find the right people, equip them with the right skills and provide the right support."

Pic Caption: Dr Bill McGinnis, right, Northern Ireland Adviser on Employment and Skills, pictured with Michael Hailes, Diageo plant manager.