Sodium bicarbonate producer Brunner Mond has opened its newest plant in the Netherlands.

Brunner Mond's hi-tech £10 million Delfzijl plant will create dozens of new jobs and increase production of sodium bicarbonate by 50,000 tonnes per annum.

Work began on the Cheshire-based company's highly automated plant in 2005 and it is situated adjacent to Brunner Mond's soda ash plant on the Chemie Park.

It also meets the Good Manufacturing Practice requirements.

"As well as strengthening our manufacturing base in the Netherlands, this plant builds on our success in marketing sodium bicarbonate from our UK plant," John Melia, Brunner Mond's Sodium Bicarbonate business manager commented.

He added that the new plant would enable the company to expand its sodium bicarbonate product and to meet demand for it across the globe.

Another Brunner Mond sodium bicarbonate factory worth £10million is to be commissioned at its Northwich East site in 2009.

In other Brunner Mond news, the Liverpool Daily Post reports that the chemical firm's parent company, Tata group, has replaced its Northwich soda ash producing plant's absorber vessel with a £400,000 model from India.