Launceston’s Boags Brewery will undergo an $8.2 million upgrade to its site as management moves to dispel rumours the factory will be relocated.
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Before the end of the year, $8.2 million will be spent on upgrading new plant equipment and wastewater operations at the Launceston Brewery.
Lion – the owner of Boags – employs 56 full-time-equivalent staff at the brewery.
Last week a Parliamentary Committee into Regional Development and Decentralisation heard Boags was looking to move, potentially to a satellite suburb of the city.
A spokesman for Lion said this was not the case.
James Boags brewery manager Nathan Calman said the upgrade to equipment would improve the safety of operators and improve productivity.
“For me, it’s a sign of confidence in the brewery from a Lion perspective,” he said.
“Continuous brewing at the site has continued for well over 150 years – that’s what makes our site special.”
Of the $8.2 million upgrade, $4 million will be used to build a trade waste management facility to improve the effluent quality discharged into the municipal TasWater system.
The upgrade will ensure the factory meets incoming compliance regulations.
The upgrades will not see any additional staff required.
Mr Calman said upgrades would be completed using local builders and suppliers generating significant local economic activity in the region.
The investment comes after Boags shed 39 jobs in 2016.