Unilever installs bespoke partition wall to prevent cross-contamination

Preventing cross-contamination between production lines

In 2026, Unilever completed a £150 million investment in its Port Sunlight site, home to brands including Persil, Comfort, Cif, TRESemmé and Lynx body wash. The site has been at the heart of Unilever’s operations since 1888, when it was founded as both a soap factory and a village for workers. The recent investment included high-tech manufacturing upgrades in the Home Care factory and a new automated distribution centre connected directly to three factories on the Port Sunlight site. 

Before the upgrade, a solid wall separated the powder production area from personal care. The wall had started to show signs of age, with wear and tear and bumps from forklift equipment risking dust from one area leaking into the other. With the site reaching production volumes of 13,600 tonnes of product each week, and many of the products used for personal care, the risks of cross-contamination were significant, making a hygienic, impact-resistant replacement a priority.

Sealing around high-level M&E services

The replacement wall would need to span 90 metres and fit around the existing bays and columns. Above the production floor, high-level M&E services (pipework, strut, and HVAC), along with roof trusses and rooflights, meant the solution had to seal reliably around a large number of penetrations.

Having used Westgate Global’s solutions on smaller projects, Unilever approached the team to design a solution. After a full site survey, Westgate Global designed a bespoke two-part system: a Hoardfast industrial partition wall up to 5.5 metres, with a Flexiwall fabric partition above it to complete a full-height divide to the roof.

A turnkey industrial partition wall system

The lower part of the wall used Hoardfast steel-faced panels. The panels were trimmed to fit around the existing columns and structure, then joined with a tongue-and-groove push-fit system to create a secure, dust-tight seal.

Above the solid wall, the team installed Flexiwall, a polyester-reinforced, fire-retardant fabric that is fixed and tensioned to perform like a permanent structure. Because it can be fitted around services and protrusions, it achieves a 99.9% dust-tight seal that stops dust, odours and cross-contamination passing between lines.

The wall also needed to allow forklifts and machinery through to the new distribution centre without compromising the seal. Westgate Global fitted a Fastflex rapid-roll industrial door, complete with a motorised, sensor-activated operation designed to detect vehicles and pedestrians and keep open time to a minimum.

What set Westgate Global apart was a complete turnkey package: demounting the existing wall, design, installation, fast-action doors, and the option to brand the panels. This gave Unilever a single point of contact for the entire project.

Flexible installation sequencing on a live site

The installation was one part of a much larger programme of works, making sequencing critical. Partway through the installation, Unilever began installing its new production line and needed to bring in a large new piece of machinery. The team paused the installation and left an open gap in the wall so the machinery could be moved through. While the gap was open, a temporary screen kept the area separated. Once the machinery was in place, the team returned to the installation, so Unilever’s wider project kept moving without delay.

A dust-tight seal across 90 metres

Port Sunlight now has a durable, full-height divide that seals around every service penetration across the 90-metre span, protecting the production lines from the risk of cross-contamination. The Fastflex door keeps forklifts and machinery moving to the new distribution centre without compromising the seal. Because the installation was sequenced around Unilever’s wider works, the new wall was delivered without holding up the rest of the upgrade.