A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit the P&G Pampers factory in Manchester for a blogging event. Read on to find out what is the P&G Pampers factory in Manchester like.
I easily navigated myself to the huge car park and as soon as I stepped out of the car was taken aback by how vast the site actually was. At this point my nerves set in, it was my first ever blogging event and I didn’t even know if I had parked in the right place or if I was walking in the right direction!
I was not expecting the huge, imposing factory, located at Trafford Park, the factory itself is quite impressive!
Spending the Day at the Pampers Nappy Factory in Manchester
It was an opportunity to find out more about Pampers. From how Pampers nappies are actually made, to having a tour of the factory and meeting members of the Pampers Village Parenting Panel.
The day started with a meet and greet where we all introduced ourselves which was a lovely icebreaker. The experts were interested in why we blog and hopefully we managed to clear that up and hope that they may take a look at our blogs in the future!
We moved onto watching a video about the factory and all the different products that had been manufactured there since the plant was built, just over 75 years ago. All the Pampers made in the UK and in some parts of Europe have been produced at the Manchester plant since 1990.
What is is like at the P&G Manchester factory?
We very quickly picked up on the fact everyone at the factory calls Pampers ‘diapers’, instead of nappies. Considering P&G is an American brand, this is no surprise, however it was amusing!
Listening to Gillian Marsh, the Pampers Technical Director and Chris, the Plant Manager, it was clear they are both dedicated to their work. Having worked for the company for over 10 years, their loyalty to P&G shone through.
On our tour, we were introduced to other workds who had been at the plant for 20 years! They also had family members working at the plant too. The Pampers factory in Manchester really is a family affaird!
How are Pampers Nappies made?
It was great to sit down and tear open a few nappies ( I would never do that in my own house!) to find out how they are made. The technology that goes into producing the nappies to make sure they keep your baby dry for up to 12 hours is astounding.
I even learned that the plastic strip on the backs of “Easy Up Nappies” does actually have a use and that is to wrap them up! The first thing I did when I returned home was to actually change Liv’s nappy and put this to use!
We learnt some amazing facts about Pampers around the world. Such as, the fact that in North American Pampers actually go up to a size 7 and 8! In the UK size 6+ is the largest size.
Pampers Nappies Factory Tour
Our lunch was a fantastic healthy spread ( I won’t mention the cake!!). Giving us the opportunity to chat with the experts and each other over lunch. It was lovely to chat with Lucinda from Fleishman Hillard as well as Hayley, Wendy and Maria.
I realised that I had no need to be nervous about attending events such as this. Hayley kindly gave me some valuable advice for CyberMummy this year. She is a veteran blogger after attending last year. If one thing is for sure it’s that it will be overwhelming!
After lunch we were kitted out in hi-vis jackets, steel toe-capped boots and very cool earphones. All for our tour around the Pampers factory. It was definitely noisy and fast paced. There were boxes of different sized nappies moving on conveyor belts.
The most breathtaking thing about the visit was the warehouse! I cannot even describe how huge it was an how many pallets it contained. It really is one of those that you have to see it to believe it.
How are nappies made?
The tour was really interesting and gave us the opportunity to watch the complete process of how nappies are made.
We learned about the different layers used, to the nappies being packed, boxed, palletized, shrink wrapped and packed away in the warehouse. We also watched the different quality control procedures set along they way. It was interesting watching how the side attachments were tested for their strength and the absorption of the nappies.
The factory is so tall and imposing and there are at least 20 storeys of nappies piled high. These that get shipped around the UK and Europe.
Final thoughts on our trip around the Pampers factory in Manchester
Considering how many nappies we have used over the past 2 and a half years, I have to admit that I do take them for granted. It was really interesting watching how nappies are made. Learning how much work goes into making sure that your baby remains dry for up to 12 hours was an amazing opportunity.
I would like to thank Pampers and P&G for their hospitality on the day, Fleishman Hillard for arranging the event. As well as the members of the Pampers Village Parenting Team and of course all the other Bloggers in attendance.
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