A ground breaking ceremony has marked the start of construction work on the new global headquarters of fragrance and flavour manufacturer Treatt plc in Bury St Edmunds.

Bury Mercury: A cgi of Treatt's new headquarters at Suffolk Park in Bury St Edmunds Picture: AYLWIN COMMUNICATIONSA cgi of Treatt's new headquarters at Suffolk Park in Bury St Edmunds Picture: AYLWIN COMMUNICATIONS (Image: Archant)

The company has confirmed its future in the town with its commitment to its new centre of operations on Suffolk Park.

The purpose-built site will replace the existing complex of buildings on Northern Way, which has served as the company's headquarters and centre of UK operations since 1971.

The firm said it was delighted to renew its commitment to Bury St Edmunds and the local community where it employs more than 200 people.

Daemmon Reeve, chief executive of Treatt, said: "This celebration marks a very exciting new chapter in the company's 133-year history. The new facility will greatly increase the efficiency of our UK operations, delivering optimum results for our customers whilst also providing a significantly improved, modern working environment in which the Treatt community will flourish."

Designed by London-based architects PRC, the new facility has been tailored to drive and streamline operational efficiency, bringing all the company's distillation, manufacturing, logistics, technical and office-based functions under one roof, he said.

Following its recent appointment, Readie construction has now begun work in a scheme managed by the park developers, Jaynic.

In the morning, a ceremony to mark the milestone was attended by senior management and prominent local figures, including councillor John Griffiths of West Suffolk Council and Amanda Ankin, operations director of Suffolk Chamber of Commerce.

Also in attendance were four members of the Treatt community, Marc Grocott, Sue Coombes, Matthew Parker and Glenn Gilbert, who won a golden ticket to attend at a recent company event.

They then joined other Treatt staff for a large gathering on Northern Way, where the celebrations continued.

The 112,000 sq ft building will include laboratories, manufacturing areas, warehousing, offices and break-out areas, and is due for completion in the summer of 2020.

Treatt is a leading independent ingredients manufacturer and solutions provider to the global flavour, fragrance and consumer goods markets. It operates from four sites in the UK, US, China and Kenya, with its head office based in Bury St Edmunds.