A UK leader in the manufacture of livestock animal feed - and one of Lancashire’s proudest family businesses - has farmed out its complete IT support contract to a North West technology specialist.

Independently-owned Dugdale Nutrition, innovators in the ruminant sector for over 160 years, has teamed up with Burnley-based Holker IT.

Operating primarily from their main base in Bellman Mill, Salthill, Clitheroe, Dugdale Nutrition has enjoyed unprecedented growth in recent years, leading to the opening of a second site in Speke, Merseyside.

Matthew Collinge, IT Manager at Dugdale Nutrition, said: “The pace of business today means that having the right level of IT is paramount. We utilise a demanding 24/7 operation and need to be able to rely on systems which run at maximum efficiency at all times.

“Therefore, we have partnered with Holker IT to assist us with all aspects of our growing IT infrastructure at our two sites.

“Together over the coming months we plan to fully utilise information technology across all departments to improve efficiency and provide a dynamic and wide-ranging service to our customers. With Holker, we feel in very safe hands.”

Holker IT will carry out a full review of the IT infrastructure at Dugdale Nutrition, with the aim of delivering significant improvements in performance and resilience, whilst also providing full IT support for the 50 users across both sites.

Matthew Metcalfe, Managing Director at Holker IT, said: “The heritage of Dugdale Nutrition is there for all to see and it remains a very forward-thinking company with a desire to stay a leader in the UK animal feeds sector.

“The project they initially set us was a challenging one, but one that we are relishing and we are looking forward to a long-term relationship as the firm continues to grow.”

Located in the heart of dairy, beef and sheep farming in the North of England, Dugdale Nutrition supplies animal feeds of the highest quality, with more than £8.5m having been invested in the business over the past decade.

All a far cry from the origins way back in 1850 when John Dugdale bought the grocery and Post Office store in nearby Waddington and quickly expanded into selling grains, oil cakes and by-products … all delivered by train to Clitheroe for collection by horse and cart!